Utrecht University to evaluate Social Impact Bond Buzinezzclub Utrecht

On 26 November 2015 the Social Impact Bond Buzinezzclub was launched in Utrecht. This initiative targets unemployed youth towards education, work or entrepreneurship. The capital for the social impact bonds (SIBs) will be provided by the Oranje Fonds and ABN Amro. The main target of the SIBs is to help unemployed youth in becoming financially self-supportive.

The main method of the Buzinezzclub is to provide the youth with training, internships and support. Approximately 300 to 500 unemployed citizens will participate in the initiative. The municipality of Utrecht will pay back the investors, to the extent that the SIB turns out to be successful. The required capital becomes available from savings the city of Utrecht gets due to a reduction in social welfare payments to unemployed young adults.  Utrecht University Social Entrepreneurship Initiative will conduct a part of the evaluation. It concerns research into the broader societal impact of the intervention and the impact membership of the Buzinezzclub entails on the individual level. The research will be joint work by the departments of U.S.E. and Governance, combining expertise on social entrepreneurship and public value management.