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Trouble Brewing in Microfinance?: Peru and Mexico’s microcredit sectors appear to be in danger of collapsing – and the market-driven model is to blame
In spite of its well-publicized struggles, the market-driven microcredit model remains a revered concept, linked to the belief that free markets and business solutions are the best solutions to poverty. But according to Milford Bateman, flaws in the market-driven model itself are responsible for grave challenges facing Peru and Mexico’s celebrated microcredit sectors.
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- Impact Assessment
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Something New in BoP Housing: A new OMJ study explores four key business models tailored to low-income consumers
In a study just published by the Opportunities for the Majority (OMJ) at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), researcher Christy Stickney highlights several promising approaches to penetrating the BoP housing markets in Latin America and the Caribbean, based on 11 cases from Colombia, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Peru.
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- Uncategorized
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The Impact of Inclusion: CGAP report looks at recent evidence of how financial inclusion can help the poor
There’s a strong consensus that access to suitable financial services can help poor households improve their lives, while spurring economic activity. But what is the evidence for these positive impacts? CGAP tackled that topic in a recent Focus Note, and we spoke with Nina Holle, an associate microfinance analyst at CGAP, and a co-author of the report.
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- Education, Impact Assessment
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Weekly roundup 6-14-14: When conventional wisdom gets upended
When conventional wisdom gets upended, well, we’re all a little better off for it. Here are two examples from this week, both of which dispel myths that have a tendency to solidify into facts.
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- Education, Technology, Telecommunications
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Inside the Tech Hub Movement: In-depth lessons from a global mobile entrepreneurship initiative
In the U.S. and Europe, startup accelerators have been the flavor of the day, whereas in Africa, Asia, and other emerging markets, entrepreneurial buzz was driven more by the rise of tech hubs. The World Bank has completed an in-depth assessment of about dozen tech hub initiatives since 2010 and it may mean for ITC development gains.
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- Technology, Telecommunications
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Taking a Multi-Dimensional View: Free WDI webinar series on assessing poverty impact
Many BoP ventures struggle to capture a complete picture of what is going on inside their organization. WDI’s Heather Esper on a new webinar series focused on how to how ventures can understand how their actions are truly influencing poverty.
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- Impact Assessment
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Mainstreaming the Movement: Toniic CEO Stephanie Cohn Rupp discusses the future of impact investing
"Eventually, I think the victory will be when everyone who is investing ... can put their capital into impact," says Toniic CEO Stephanie Cohn Rupp. But can retail investors accurately assess their investments’ social impact? Is it responsible for pensions or IRAs to offer impact options? And which investments should qualify as "impact"? In part two of our Q&A, Cohn Rupp discusses these and other questions.
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- Environment, Impact Assessment
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Reflecting Our Energy for Impact: How can we strengthen the contributions of incubators and accelerators?
James Koch, a co-founder of the Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) at Santa Clara University, examines how to strengthen incubators and accelerators, an integral part of enterprise development. Based more than a decade of developing enterprises through the GSBI, Koch offers four suggestions.
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- Uncategorized
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