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Critics: Give Development Impact Bonds a Chance to Learn to Walk Before They Run
Brian Boland, co-founder of The Delta Fund - a donor-advised fund focused on poverty alleviation and justice reform - pushes back on a recent critique of development impact bonds. That critique, published in the Stanford Social Innovation Review by Kevin Starr, took DIBs to task for high costs and questioned whether the investor returns are justifiable. Boland argues that DIBs are in their infancy, investors are already learning a lot from early pilots, and any pioneering new system requires time before it can scale.
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- Investing
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Working with Tech Vendors: Do’s and Don’ts for Development Organizations
Working with outside vendors in information and communications technologies is a necessary part of global development work – and when done well, it can provide a major boost to an organization’s mission. But there are good and bad ways to select and work with vendors, and many NGOs and social enterprises don’t recognize the importance of choosing the right approach. Nathan Barthel at Catholic Relief Services presents a list of “dos and don’ts” for development organizations to keep in mind when working with vendors – essential reading for anyone planning an ICT4D project.
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- Technology
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India’s Business Correspondent Model is Revolutionary – and It’s Failing: Here’s How to Turn Things Around
For years, India's banking system struggled to reach poor, rural populations. But the global revolution in digital payments has created new opportunities to connect these households with formal finance. One such approach – the business correspondent model – has shown promise, bringing a network of tech-enabled banking agents into underserved communities. But as Moin Qazi explains, the model is facing challenges that are undermining its considerable potential. He explores some key solutions for changing this dynamic.
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- Finance
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Is Financial Inclusion Really Impacting the SDGs? This New Research Approach Could Offer an Answer
There's growing discussion about how financial inclusion can impact the Sustainable Development Goals – including on NextBillion earlier this week. But according to Liz Larson at UNCDF and Daryl Collins at BFA, the evidence of a link between financial tools and development impacts has not been conclusive. They explore a new measurement framework that aims to take account of the breadth of all potential and proven connections between financial services and the SDGs – while also offering a method for substantiating those impacts.
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- Finance
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Three Key Trends in Social Impact: Announcing NextBillion’s Special Series for 2019
NextBillion is pleased to announce the topics of our three special series for 2019: “By Women, For Women: Leaders and Innovations in Gender Equity,” “Scaling Up Without Selling Out,” and “New Frontiers in Renewable Energy.” Each series will be managed by a different member of NextBillion’s editorial team: Check out the descriptions and email the appropriate editor if you’d like to explore a potential guest post on any of these topics. We’re looking forward to seeing how the discussion in these series will develop in the coming months.
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- Energy, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Investing, NextBillion Originals
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