Rather Invest in Criminals than in Wall Street | Uwe Kaspers

This talk discusses the economic potential of social welfare programs. Social impact creates economic value. The example used is the reduction of the re-incarceration rate and its return on investment in the context of a social impact bond. The topic is relevant for every citizen who cares about the outcome of their taxes. It gives a practical example of a Social Impact Bond which is a relatively new instrument to foster private investments in the welfare sector.

Uwe Kaspers’ ideas are driven by the development of technology and economy though he decided to work in a field that couldn’t be farer away from that. He took a profession as a social worker taking care of homeless men or ex convicts in Germany. He integrated information technology into social services as the founder of SOLEX – the first database of social legislation in the country back in 1988. Integration of economics into social services started after further studies of social economy and social management. His company extended the range of products providing software tools for cost management in social services in 1997. Today, as a successful consultant, he advises social enterprises mostly on how to control their costs and negotiate their prices. As a professor at the Lutheran University of Bavaria in Nuremberg he teaches accounting, controlling, service design and social entrepreneurship. He likes to recover from his job riding his bike along rivers and sometimes across mountains or making music with friends.