IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/reveco/v99y2025ics1059056025001625.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investor networks and social innovation: A stakeholder network analysis of Social Impact Bonds

Author

Listed:
  • Del Giudice, Alfonso
  • Foglia, Matteo
  • Gianfrancesco, Igor

Abstract

Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) have emerged as a novel paradigm within social finance, harnessing private capital to address social issues. This collaborative model convenes diverse stakeholders, including government agencies, service providers, and investors, to achieve predefined social outcomes linked to financial returns. A core component of SIBs is the investor network, which encompasses institutional investors, philanthropists, and impact investors. This network plays a key role in influencing project financing, intervention strategies, and governance structures. This study leverages stakeholder network theory to explore these dynamics. By applying network analysis, we map out how stakeholders interact, depend on one another, and share information. We analyse metrics like centrality and clustering to understand how the network structure impacts investor behaviour and project success. Our findings show that investors with higher betweenness centrality have a greater influence, linked to improved project performance and stronger social impact outcomes. This research offers fresh evidence of how network dynamics affect SIB results, providing valuable insights for improving investor involvement and network efficiency in future social finance projects.

Suggested Citation

  • Del Giudice, Alfonso & Foglia, Matteo & Gianfrancesco, Igor, 2025. "Investor networks and social innovation: A stakeholder network analysis of Social Impact Bonds," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:99:y:2025:i:c:s1059056025001625
    DOI: 10.1016/j.iref.2025.103999
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1059056025001625
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.iref.2025.103999?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Louis T. W. Cheng & Piyush Sharma & David C. Broadstock, 2023. "Interactive effects of brand reputation and ESG on green bond issues: A sustainable development perspective," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(1), pages 570-586, January.
    2. Helen Chiappini & Nicoletta Marinelli & Raja Nabeel-Ud-Din Jalal & Giuliana Birindelli, 2023. "Past, present and future of impact investing and closely related financial vehicles: a literature review," Sustainability Accounting, Management and Policy Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 14(7), pages 232-257, August.
    3. He, Jie (Jack) & Huang, Jiekun & Zhao, Shan, 2019. "Internalizing governance externalities: The role of institutional cross-ownership," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 134(2), pages 400-418.
    4. Mario La Torre & Annarita Trotta & Helen Chiappini & Alessandro Rizzello, 2019. "Business Models for Sustainable Finance: The Case Study of Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, March.
    5. Elaine de Gruyter & Dennis Petrie & Nicole Black & Philip Gharghori, 2020. "Attracting investors for public health programmes with Social Impact Bonds," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(3), pages 225-236, April.
    6. Francesco Rania & Annarita Trotta & Rosella Carè & Maria Cristina Migliazza & Abdellah Kabli, 2020. "Social Uncertainty Evaluation of Social Impact Bonds: A Model and Practical Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-34, May.
    7. A. Barrat & M. Weigt, 2000. "On the properties of small-world network models," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 13(3), pages 547-560, February.
    8. DeanS. Karlan, 2007. "Social connections and group banking," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 117(517), pages 52-84, February.
    9. Stefania Vitali & Stefano Battiston, 2014. "The Community Structure of the Global Corporate Network," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-13, August.
    10. Rosella Carè & Stella Carè & Nathalie Lévy & Rabia Fatima, 2023. "Missing finance in social impact bond research? A bibliometric overview between past and future research," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2101-2120, September.
    11. Eleonora Broccardo & Maria Mazzuca, 2021. "Social impact bonds: challenges and success," Chapters, in: Othmar M. Lehner (ed.), A Research Agenda for Social Finance, chapter 10, pages 223-240, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Dahbi, F. & Carrasco, I. & Petracci, B., 2024. "A systematic literature review on social impact bonds," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    13. James W Williams, 2024. "Finance interrupted: Social impact bonds, spatial politics, and the limits of financial innovation in the social sector," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 56(1), pages 42-58, February.
    14. Foroogh Nazari Chamaki & Glenn Paul Jenkins & Majid Hashemi, 2019. "Social Impact Bonds: Implementation, Evaluation, and Monitoring," International Journal of Public Administration, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(4), pages 289-297, March.
    15. Reinhard Millner & Michael Meyer, 2022. "Collaborative governance in Social Impact Bonds: aligning interests within divergent accountabilities?," Public Management Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(5), pages 729-751, May.
    16. Cesare Fracassi, 2017. "Corporate Finance Policies and Social Networks," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 63(8), pages 2420-2438, August.
    17. Scognamiglio, Elisabetta & Di Lorenzo, Emilia & Sibillo, Marilena & Trotta, Annarita, 2019. "Social uncertainty evaluation in Social Impact Bonds: Review and framework," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 40-56.
    18. Bertrand V. Quélin & Ilze Kivleniece & Sergio Lazzarini, 2017. "Public-Private Collaboration, Hybridity and Social Value: Towards New Theoretical Perspectives," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(6), pages 763-792, September.
    19. Mildred E. Warner, 2013. "Private finance for public goods: social impact bonds," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 16(4), pages 303-319, December.
    20. Mariano Méndez-Suárez & Abel Monfort & Fernando Gallardo, 2020. "Sustainable Banking: New Forms of Investing under the Umbrella of the 2030 Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    21. Gu, Wentao & Yuan, Wenyu, 2024. "Research on the influence of chain shareholder network on enterprise green innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 172(C).
    22. Eleonora Broccardo & Maria Mazzuca & Maria Laura Frigotto, 2020. "Social impact bonds: The evolution of research and a review of the academic literature," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1316-1332, May.
    23. Mazzuca, Maria & Panzera, Elena & Ruberto, Sabrina, 2023. "The investor's participation in social impact bonds," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 349-363.
    24. Li, Huajiao & Fang, Wei & An, Haizhong & Yan, LiLi, 2014. "The shareholding similarity of the shareholders of the worldwide listed energy companies based on a two-mode primitive network and a one-mode derivative holding-based network," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 415(C), pages 525-532.
    25. Rosella Carè & Riccardo De Lisa, 2019. "Social Impact Bonds for a Sustainable Welfare State: The Role of Enabling Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, May.
    26. Schinckus, Christophe, 2018. "The valuation of social impact bonds: An introductory perspective with the Peterborough SIB," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 45(C), pages 1-6.
    27. Barabási, A.L & Jeong, H & Néda, Z & Ravasz, E & Schubert, A & Vicsek, T, 2002. "Evolution of the social network of scientific collaborations," Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and its Applications, Elsevier, vol. 311(3), pages 590-614.
    28. Mildred E. Warner, 2013. "Private finance for public goods: social impact bonds," Journal of Economic Policy Reform, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 16(4), pages 303-319, December.
    29. Alessandro Rizzello & Abdellah Kabli, 2020. "Sustainable Financial Partnerships for the SDGs: The Case of Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-22, July.
    30. Kostaris, Konstantinos & Andrikopoulos, Andreas, 2023. "Brokers in beneficial ownership: A network approach," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    31. Chris Giacomantonio, 2017. "Grant-Maximizing but not Money-Making: A Simple Decision-Tree Analysis for Social Impact Bonds," Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(1), pages 47-66, January.
    32. Avishek Bhandari & Md Nazmul Hasan Bhuyan, 2023. "Social capital and capital allocation efficiency," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(7-8), pages 1439-1466, July.
    33. Wei‐ping Wu, 2008. "Dimensions of Social Capital and Firm Competitiveness Improvement: The Mediating Role of Information Sharing," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 122-146, January.
    34. Walker, Thomas & Goubran, Sherif & Karami, Moein & Dumont-Bergeron, Adele & Schwartz, Tyler & Vico, Kalima, 2023. "Mainstreaming social impact bonds: A critical analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rosella Carè & Stella Carè & Nathalie Lévy & Rabia Fatima, 2023. "Missing finance in social impact bond research? A bibliometric overview between past and future research," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 30(5), pages 2101-2120, September.
    2. Dahbi, F. & Carrasco, I. & Petracci, B., 2024. "A systematic literature review on social impact bonds," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 62(PA).
    3. Alessandro Rizzello & Abdellah Kabli, 2020. "Sustainable Financial Partnerships for the SDGs: The Case of Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(13), pages 1-22, July.
    4. Rosella Carè & Francesco Rania & Riccardo De Lisa, 2020. "Critical Success Factors, Motivations, and Risks in Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-17, September.
    5. Mazzuca, Maria & Panzera, Elena & Ruberto, Sabrina, 2023. "The investor's participation in social impact bonds," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 349-363.
    6. Cristina Velez‐Valencia & Carolina Herrera‐Cano & Maria Alejandra Gonzalez‐Perez & Pilar Alvarez & Judith Vergara Garavito, 2025. "Aligning Investment With Impact: Exploring Social Impact Bonds in Emerging Markets for Sustainable Development," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 32(3), pages 2950-2963, May.
    7. Walker, Thomas & Goubran, Sherif & Karami, Moein & Dumont-Bergeron, Adele & Schwartz, Tyler & Vico, Kalima, 2023. "Mainstreaming social impact bonds: A critical analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    8. Rosella Carè & Riccardo De Lisa, 2019. "Social Impact Bonds for a Sustainable Welfare State: The Role of Enabling Factors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-23, May.
    9. Eleonora Broccardo & Maria Mazzuca & Maria Laura Frigotto, 2020. "Social impact bonds: The evolution of research and a review of the academic literature," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(3), pages 1316-1332, May.
    10. Sjöström, Emma, 2025. "Examining social impact bonds: An empirical assessment of implementation experiences," Misum Working Paper Series 2025-1, Stockholm School of Economics, Mistra Center for Sustainable Markets (Misum).
    11. Paweł Mikołajczak, 2023. "Comparative study of social impact bonds – capital per beneficiary and scheme duration," Bank i Kredyt, Narodowy Bank Polski, vol. 54(2), pages 191-220.
    12. Abdellah Kabli & Alessandro Rizzello & Annarita Trotta, 2021. "Roadmapping New Impact Bonds in a Post-COVID World: Insights from Case Studies in the Education Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-16, April.
    13. Francesco Rania & Annarita Trotta & Rosella Carè & Maria Cristina Migliazza & Abdellah Kabli, 2020. "Social Uncertainty Evaluation of Social Impact Bonds: A Model and Practical Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-34, May.
    14. Mariano Méndez-Suárez & Abel Monfort & Fernando Gallardo, 2020. "Sustainable Banking: New Forms of Investing under the Umbrella of the 2030 Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(5), pages 1-13, March.
    15. Mario La Torre & Helen Chiappini (ed.), 2020. "Contemporary Issues in Sustainable Finance," Palgrave Studies in Impact Finance, Palgrave Macmillan, number 978-3-030-40248-8, June.
    16. Mario La Torre & Annarita Trotta & Helen Chiappini & Alessandro Rizzello, 2019. "Business Models for Sustainable Finance: The Case Study of Social Impact Bonds," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-23, March.
    17. Leonardo Becchetti & Fabio Pisani & Francesco Salustri & Lorenzo Semplici, 2022. "The frontier of social impact finance in the public sector: Theory and two case studies," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(4), pages 887-912, December.
    18. Julie RIJPENS & Marie J. BOUCHARD & Emilien GRUET & Gabriel SALATHÉ-BEAULIEU, 2020. "Social Impact Bonds: Promises versus facts. What does the recent scientific literature tell us?," CIRIEC Working Papers 2015, CIRIEC - Université de Liège.
    19. Shome, Samik & Hassan, M. Kabir & Verma, Sushma & Panigrahi, Tushar Ranjan, 2023. "Impact investment for sustainable development: A bibliometric analysis," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 770-800.
    20. Elisa Baraibar-Diez & Manuel Luna & María D. Odriozola & Ignacio Llorente, 2020. "Mapping Social Impact: A Bibliometric Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-20, November.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Social Impact Bond; Investors network; Social finance; Information flow; Bondholder governance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:reveco:v:99:y:2025:i:c:s1059056025001625. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/inca/620165 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.