Позитивные изменения. Том 2, №4 (2022). Positive changes. Volume 2, Issue 4 (2022)

За неполных 4 года реализации в России появились 10 проектов социального воздействия. За тот же период в мире (учитывая проекты в России) – 102 проекта SIB, то есть на Россию приходится 10 % всех запущенных проектов за указанный период. При этом если рассматривать 5 стран с наибольшим количеством проектов SIB в первые 4 года реализации, то практика России находится на сопоставимом уровне (Таблица 1[45]).

Средний размер инвестиций в проектах SIB составляет 3,7 млн долларов США (порядка 250 млн рублей с учетом среднего курса доллара в 2022 г.). Средний объём инвестиций в рамках проектов в России – 38 млн рублей. Сравнивать средний объем напрямую некорректно в связи с различиями в численности социальных бенефициаров, сферах реализации проектов, уровне цен и других составляющих. При этом средняя стоимость реализации проектов может отражать готовность инвесторов вкладывать в проекты, которые не гарантируют возврат инвестиций (если социальный эффект не будет достигнут).

Таблица 1. Топ-5 стран по количеству SIB в мире в первые 4 года реализации

Источник: Составлено автором на основании данных Impact Bond Dataset

В зарубежных проектах инвесторов обычно несколько – выборочный анализ показал, что примерно в четверти проектов 1 инвестор (в том числе инвестор, объединяющий финансы нескольких лиц), в трети проектов – 2–3 инвестора, в остальных случаях их больше (до 9 инвесторов в 1 проекте). В российской практике во всех проектах 1 инвестор (организатор проекта, согласно российскому законодательству). Развитие инструментов, направленных на участие нескольких инвесторов в одном проекте может содействовать вовлечению новых инвесторов и увеличению потенциального объема инвестиций. Вовлечение инвесторов может быть также синхронизировано с ESG-повесткой организаций, учитывая непосредственную ориентированность проектов социального воздействия на оценку социальных эффектов (например, в ESG-стратегии ВЭБ.РФ[46] наличие прямого измеримого социального эффекта является одним из ключевых ESG-принципов деятельности ВЭБ.РФ).

При анализе зарубежной практики стоит отметить наличие инвесторов, системно вкладывающих в проекты SIB. Анализ базы данных Impact Bond Dataset показал, что существует более 20 инвесторов (из имеющегося списка из более чем 360 организаций), которые вложили средства в 10 и более различных проектов. Среди них есть социальные/импакт и благотворительные фонды (например, Big Society Capital, 38 проектов), а также крупные банки (BNP Paribas, Deutsche Bank), пенсионные фонды и страховые организации.

Средний срок реализации проекта также отличается в России от зарубежных аналогов – 31 месяц (от 18 до 40 месяцев) по сравнению с 48 месяцами за рубежом[47]. Увеличение сроков реализации проектов может привести к удорожанию стоимости реализации проекта с точки зрения выплаты гранта организатору (инвестору) в случае достижения социального эффекта, повышает риски реализации проекта для всех участников. Целесообразность реализации более длительных проектов в российской практике требует дополнительного анализа «за» и «против».

Ещё одна особенность российского подхода – запуск уникальных проектов, апробирующих различные технологии и механизмы работы в социальной сфере для их дальнейшего масштабирования. Тогда как в зарубежной (в основном – в западной) практике могут реализовываться схожие проекты, только в разных локациях, то есть рассматривается вариант тиражирования лучшей практики. Например, из 9 стартовавших в 2020–2021 года в Португалии проектов 5 носят название «Цифровая школа MUDA» (Digital school MUDA), а 2 проекта посвящены цифровой грамотности в школах (Digital Literacy Schools for the Future). В России, например, есть практика запуска трех проектов, направленных на развитие сопровождаемого проживания (в Республике Саха (Якутия), Челябинской области, Хабаровском крае), при этом в данных проектах предусмотрены разные параметры проектов и особенности реализации (например, в каждом проекте имеются уникальные социальные эффекты), учитываются особенности территории и задачи стратегического развития. С одной стороны, тиражирование формирует статистику реализации схожих проектов, что позволяет потенциальным инвесторам оценить риски реализации проекта для принятия решения об участии. С другой стороны, главная идея проектов социального воздействия – уникальность апробируемой практики, которая в дальнейшем может быть масштабирована, что даст мультипликативный эффект.

Российский подход к реализации SIB соответствует модели, характерной для азиатских стран. Потенциалу развития SIB посвящен цикл публикаций, объединённых общим названием SIB 2.0[48]. Российский и азиатский подходы заточены на адаптацию к действующим бюрократическим механизмам в стране с высокими государственными затратами на социальную сферу и сфокусированы на «смазывании механизма» (т. е. тонкой настройкой) для получения эффекта при масштабировании лучшей практики, нежели на запуске небольших, но трудномасштабируемых проектов, в которых акцент делается на выгоде в денежном выражении[49].

ПОДВОДИМ ИТОГИ НА КОНЕЦ 2022 ГОДА

Достигнутые результаты по проектам социального воздействия к концу 2022 года заложили основу для развития инструмента и старта новых проектов. Уже можно говорить о формировании спроса со стороны субъектов РФ на реализацию проектов социального воздействия. Нарабатывается успешная практика запуска проектов, формируются кейсы, связанные с завершением проектов, их независимой оценкой и масштабированием.

Накопленный опыт, в том числе опыт ВЭБ.РФ в качестве оператора 10 ПСВ, позволит разработать детальные методические рекомендации по реализации проектов социального воздействия. Для развития инструмента и привлечения новых инвесторов могут быть разработаны меры поддержки, снижающие риски участия для инвесторов. Для ввода мер поддержки целесообразно провести детальный анализ социально-экономических эффектов от реализации проектов. Основные точки роста:

• наличие успешных завершенных проектов, по которым проведена оценка и подтверждено достижение социальных эффектов, а также осуществляется масштабирование;

• наличие субъектов Российской Федерации, уже имеющих опыт запуска проектов и опыт завершенных проектов, что приводит к повышению качества и скорости проработки новых проектов в данных регионах;

• развитие ESG-повестки в России среди организаций и субъектов Российской Федерации, которая ставит в приоритет достижение измеримых социальных эффектов от реализации проектов.

Практика реализации проектов социального воздействия показывает, что не всегда для повышения качества жизни граждан необходимы значительные финансовые вложения и дорогостоящая материально-техническая база. Иногда это возможно сделать за счет внедрения новых технологий и механизмов работы в социальной сфере.

Для государства такие проекты позволяют апробировать новые подходы работы в социальной сфере, выработанные негосударственным сектором, для их дальнейшего масштабирования и общего повышения качества государственных услуг.

Для коммерческих организаций – инвесторов (организаторов) проектов – такой инструмент позволяет реализовать свою политику социальной ответственности и устойчивого развития, включаясь в решение государственных социальных задач на системном уровне, и одновременно с возможностью вернуть вложенные средства с доходностью.

Некоммерческие организации могут получить дополнительный источник финансирования для своей деятельности, масштабировать свои технологии работы в социальной сфере для дальнейшего их развития в качестве государственных услуг (работ).

Social Impact Projects in Russia: First Results of 2022

Nikita Manuilov

DOI 10.55140/2782–5817–2022–2–4–42–55

By the end of 2022, Social Impact Projects in Russia (SIPs), aka Social Impact Bonds (SIBs), were 2/3 of the way through pilot testing. The new financial instrument designed to improve the quality of public services was approved by a special resolution of the Russian Government in 2019. The first three projects implemented on the SIB model have already been completed to date. What are the tasks addressed by SIPs in Russia, what are their features, what changes in the quality of life do they bring to our citizens, and who can they become an inspiration to? More on that in this article by a VEB.RF expert.

Nikita Manuilov

Director, Government Agent Office, VEB.RF

WHAT ARE SOCIAL IMPACT PROJECTS AND WHY ARE THEY NEEDED?

Social impact projects are a “pay-for-success” funding tool[50]. The state acts as a “customer” of the social effect – a positive change in the wellbeing and (or) living conditions of its citizens. To achieve the desired social effect, the state hires a private investor (project organizer) and a professional implementing partner with the relevant experience. The organizer will receive the state grant only if the declared social effect is achieved. The general implementation scheme of social impact projects is shown in Diagram 1.

In the traditional approach to financing social services, the state either advances the financing for the provision of social services as per given standard, or covers the costs actually incurred in providing said services. The “pay-for-success” approach brings flexibility into the adjustment of the plans of social impact project activities, based on external factors and established project practices, to achieve social impact.

Focusing on the mechanisms and technologies of social work implies that social impact projects do not involve creating any infrastructure, unless required by the work technology (for example, facilities for organizing assisted living for the disabled), but even in this case, it should not constitute a significant part of the project.

An important feature of social impact projects is that each project is aimed at developing a unique mechanism and work technology in the social sector, intended to improve the lives of the residents, which can be further replicated and scaled (after independent evaluation confirms their effectiveness). The goal of each project is linked to the strategic development objectives of the state, and the social effect and target indicators are a tool to measure and confirm their effectiveness.

Thus, social impact projects allow the state, businesses and non-profits to jointly offer effective solutions to improve the lives of the local residents, including by means of:

• testing new modern mechanisms and technologies for the social sphere, which require less government spending at all levels while achieving comparable and even greater social effects;

• conducting a comprehensive assessment of the results achieved and the approaches and working mechanisms developed for further replication and scaling of the most effective solutions;

• increasing the efficiency of government spending by deferring the budget expenditures and conditioning them on the achievement of the intended social effect of the project, based on an independent evaluation;

• improving the quality and accessibility of public services, taking into account the needs of the population;

• attracting private investment to the development of the social sphere on a repayable basis;

• development of the non-governmental sector in the social sphere, through the ability to scale its activities and develop competencies (including project management) in cooperation with the government agencies, commercial organizations and development institutions.

Diagram 1. Social impact projects: project implementation mechanism

WHY DO WE NEED A SOCIAL IMPACT PROJECTS OPERATOR?

Implementing a social impact project requires competencies in public finance, strategic and project management, as well as an understanding of the specifics of the social sectors, including the following:

• working out the parameters of the project passport, including analysis of the social problem and establishing its relationship to the strategic objectives of the region;

• elaborating the social effects and targets as the project success criteria;

• producing a financial and economic feasibility study of the project, based on the expected social effects;

• agreeing project parameters with all stakeholders;

• drafting regulations and agreements related to the project implementation, including those that provide for collecting information to monitor the project implementation;

• searching for a potential project organizer, implementing partner.

Most projects abroad are carried out through an intermediary that provides technical, legal, financial expertise, assists in structuring the project as a social impact project, elaborates the financial plan for its implementation, raises funding for the project and performs other functions. Often different organizations are responsible for different aspects. Some project descriptions feature information about seven different intermediaries involved in their implementation.

Government Resolution No. 1491[51] provides for the involvement of a project operator, which provides consultancy support, monitors project implementation and ensures an independent evaluation of the achievement of social effect. The Concept for Improving the Efficiency of Budget Expenditures in 2019–2024 also provides for the involvement of Russian development institutions in the implementation of new funding instruments (including social impact projects)[52].

Within the framework of the pilot testing, it is recommended that the constituent entities of the Russian Federation engage VEB.RF as the operator. The operator's participation allows the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to “fine-tune” the tools of social impact projects, while VEB.RF, as the operator, can gather best practices of their implementation for the further development of the tool. The operator also monitors projects and takes measures to curb detected risks. At the end of the project implementation period, the operator engages an organization to conduct an independent assessment of the social effect achieved, which is the prerequisite for paying the subsidy to the project organizer.

WHAT WAS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE END OF 2022?

By the end of 2022, social impact projects were 2/3 of the way through pilot testing scheduled to start from 2019 through the end of 2024. By this point, ten constituent entities of the Russian Federation became actively involved in the design, launch, and implementation of social impact projects, and almost half of the constituent entities expressed an interest in implementing such projects.

Summarizing the results of almost 4 years, the following key achievements can be noted:

• Regulations on the Organization of the Pilot Testing of Social Impact Projects by the Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation in 2019–2024 (Government Resolution No. 1491) were approved, which streamlined the basic requirements for the implementation of social impact projects and launched the pilot testing;

• ten projects were launched in seven constituent entities of the Russian Federation, in five social sectors (education, social services, social protection, health, and employment), with the total investment of 385 million rubles; 419 million rubles were allocated as subsidies from the regional budgets;

• three projects were completed in 2022: one in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), in the field of education; and two more in Primorsky Krai, in healthcare and social protection. The total investment in these projects was 106 million rubles, with grants amounting to 114 million rubles. All the projects were deemed a success, as the intended social effect had been achieved;

• social impact projects have gained international recognition: VEB.RF received two ADFIAP awards[53] in 2020 and 2022 for the implementation of social impact projects in education in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and in social protection in Primorsky Krai;

• the methodological support for the implementation of social impact projects was actively developing in 2022, including a redesign and amendments to the VEB.RF website page[54] dedicated to the projects (adding Q&A, information on existing projects, presenting VEB.RF-approved project monitoring procedure and standard forms for launching and implementing social impact projects);

• the Ministry of Finance of the Russian Federation provides methodological support of the social impact projects' implementation, explaining to the constituent entities of the Russian Federation the application of budget legislation during the project implementation.

Diagram 2. Key achievements of social impact projects in 2019–2022

* project numbers determined by the number of project passports approved by the supreme executive authorities of the constituent entity of the Russian Federation as of the end of the respective year

Key achievements of social impact projects broken down by year are shown in Diagram 2.

Behind the dry numbers and facts are tangible social transformations and changes in the quality of life of the citizens of our country. As an example, let's look at the results of three completed projects.

RESULTS OF THE FIRST THREE COMPLETED PROJECTS

The greatest milestone of 2022 was an independent evaluation and the completion of the first three social impact projects. The independent evaluation results act as the basis for the decision to pay the subsidy to the project organizer that was investing in the project in the course of its implementation for it to achieve the social effect. The independent evaluation is also intended to determine the social and economic effects of a project, identify the relationship between project activities and the social effects achieved, and therefore to assess the potential for project scaling.

A project in the sphere of education was completed in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). It started in 2019 and was the first social impact project in Russia. The goal of the project was to increase the quality of school education. The project was implemented by the Higher School of Economics, with VEB.DV as the organizer. A special index was developed to evaluate the project success, reflecting the students' test scores in mathematics and the Russian language (8 indicators), the growth in the number of runners-up and winners of the regional stage of the All-Russian School Olympics among 10th and 11th graders (2 indicators). The target is calculated as at least a 10 % increase in all indicators. The detailed index evaluation procedure is attached to the project passport (approved by Resolution of the Government of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) No. 150 of June 4, 2019).

The project was designed not only to improve the education level of schoolchildren at the end of the project, but also to consolidate the results to ensure long-term growth in the quality of education in the republic. The first stage was a detailed analysis of schools and students in the pilot area of the project – Khangalassky ulus (district) – so they can be clustered and detailed adapted actions be developed, including individual educational routes. Not only teachers and students, but also parents were involved in the project to ensure sustainability of the results.

One year into the project, restrictive measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic were introduced, which required educational organizations to restructure the educational process to the online format. It turned out, however, that the schools participating in the project were well-prepared for this change, having trialed the online interaction technologies beforehand.

According to the project results, the students' educational performance increased by more than 10 % (in fact – by 41 %), and the educational performance of the students participating in the project also increased by more than 10 % than that of students residing in the two control territories of Yakutia. The number of runners-up and winners of the regional stage of the All-Russian School Olympics from Khangalassky ulus increased significantly in comparison with the start of the project, and one girl won a prize in the final stage of the All-Russian School Olympics on art history for the first time. As a result of the project, seven successful practices were developed for scaling up the activity to all schools in Yakutia, including approaches to the development of school management teams, tutoring and mentoring practices, networking interaction practices between educational organizations, etc.

Two projects were completed in Primorsky Krai – in health care and in social protection, with the participation of Russian Post as the project organizer and implementing partner. Their primary goal was to improve the quality of life in remote areas of Primorsky Krai, where access to social services was restricted. The project passports were approved by Resolution No. 1048-pp and Resolution No. 1049-pp of the Government of Primorsky Krai dated December 18, 2020, scheduling them for implementation from February 1, 2021 to July 31, 2022 (the original deadline of January 31, 2022 had to be extended by six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic), and expansion of the pilot territory. The projects reached over 32 thousand citizens and achieved all their objectives, another proof of the flexibility of the project mechanism.

The healthcare project had two main goals: 1) involve residents in assessment of their health condition as part of the annual clinical examination, and 2) deliver medicines to the home of those residents eligible for additional medical coverage. The first task was complicated by the fact that it first required the engagement of residents who had not attended a checkup for more than two years, as well as due to COVID-19 related restrictions. Despite the challenges, more than 9,000 residents passed medical examinations, with the target figure of just over 5,000. The delivery of medicines required Russian Post to build individual routes for mail carriers and purchase special bags for medicines requiring special storage conditions. As a result, more than 1,300 residents received medications at home; nearly 19,000 deliveries were made, representatives of the authorized organization noted a significant increase in medication shipments, and members of the public left more than 100 positive comments about the project. As a consequence, the delivery of medicines was recorded as a socially significant project for further implementation in Primorsky Krai (Decree of the Primorsky Krai Government No.819-pp of December 2, 2022), which is an example of scaling the practices developed in the framework of the project after its completion.

The second project was dedicated to social protection. Postmen helped identify low-income families living in remote areas for social contracts that would enable them to start their own businesses, develop a smallholding farm, or learn a new profession. The project target was to conclude at least 270 social contracts with low-income families with children[55] and to identify at least 100 additional low-income families with children.

Diagram 3. Social impact projects: completed projects

The project parameters were determined before the COVID-19 pandemic, so the projected number of low-income families with children was higher than the number of those registered with the social protection agencies. The introduction of additional support measures by the federal and regional government resulted in a massive demand for the support, independently from the project. The number of families with children registered with the social protection agencies as low-income had increased by almost 50 % by January 1, 2021 in the pilot areas of the project. To reduce the risk of missing the project targets, considering the change in external factors, the project duration was extended and its pilot area was increased.