International Development Collaborative
Encyclopedia
The International Development Collaborative (IDC) is a non-profit group located in Columbus, Ohio
that is committed to assisting in the creation of sustainable entrepreneurial micro-enterprises in rural villages of developing countries. Its primary focus is to give villagers the opportunity to sell their textiles at a fair value on an international scale and to afford them the opportunity to raise their standard of living. IDC is based upon the principles of social entrepreneurship
.
students visited remote rural villages in Bolivia
as part of a market based economic development course. After conversing with people in several villages, it became apparent that one of the main obstacles that villagers were facing was that the local markets were saturated with nearly completely undifferentiated products. The group decided that they could help the villagers differentiate themselves by partnering with The Ohio State University to obtain a collegiate license and sell Ohio State University
branded handmade textiles. IDC offers the villagers access to expanded markets and provides a fair wage for all textiles.
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
that is committed to assisting in the creation of sustainable entrepreneurial micro-enterprises in rural villages of developing countries. Its primary focus is to give villagers the opportunity to sell their textiles at a fair value on an international scale and to afford them the opportunity to raise their standard of living. IDC is based upon the principles of social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
.
History
IDC was founded in 2008 after a group of Max M. Fisher College of BusinessMax M. Fisher College of Business
Fisher College’s MBA curriculum allows students to customize their focus. After learning the core functions of business, students can select from over 100 elective courses to refine their knowledge.Students may concentrate in:...
students visited remote rural villages in Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
as part of a market based economic development course. After conversing with people in several villages, it became apparent that one of the main obstacles that villagers were facing was that the local markets were saturated with nearly completely undifferentiated products. The group decided that they could help the villagers differentiate themselves by partnering with The Ohio State University to obtain a collegiate license and sell Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
branded handmade textiles. IDC offers the villagers access to expanded markets and provides a fair wage for all textiles.