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Niches for Social Enterprises: How hybrid-model social enterprises cluster in Kenya and Vietnam
A review by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), of social enterprise activity in the agriculture and health sectors of Kenya and Vietnam found that hybrid-model social enterprises cluster in niches that mainstream business and state provision do not reach. Identifying and understanding these context-specific niches could hold the key to effective support of social enterprise activities.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
- Tags
- research
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Check Out a Replay of Our Latest Google Hangout : A Q&A with the winners of the 2014 Case Writing Competition
As you may have heard, earlier this week we announced the top five winners in the fourth NextBillion Case Writing Competition, sponsored by the Citi Foundation. Now it’s time to hear from the scholars and contributors behind the winning cases.
- Categories
- Education
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Leveraging Loyalty: How m.Paani is mobilizing BoP consumer behavior for social good – Part 4 of our Digital Finance Plus series
Whether they’re frequent flyer miles or credit card rewards points, loyalty programs are a mutually beneficial way for companies to build relationships with customers. m.Paani is using digital finance tools to take that model in a new direction, by connecting BoP households’ commercial and social behaviors to points that can be redeemed for socially beneficial rewards.
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- Health Care, Impact Assessment, Technology
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The Social Network for Smallholder Farmers : From fertilizer tips to the best seeds, connecting farmers to accurate info
LISA is a mobile social network platform for registered farmers to ask agriculture experts and other farmers questions through SMS (text) messages. It was created by Mercy Corps’ partner 8Villages as part of the aid agency’s Agri-Fin Mobile program.
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- Agriculture, Technology
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Lease-to-Own Energy: Part 3 of our Digital Finance Plus series explores how mobile money is enabling affordable off-grid solar energy solutions
With 1.3 billion living without electricity worldwide, the need for off-grid energy solutions is massive. In Part 3 of our Digital Finance Plus series, Peter Glenn of Fenix International describes how the company uses mobile finance to provide an innovative payment plan that helps make solar energy affordable to people in emerging markets.
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- Energy, Environment
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Immunization Support Expiring for Some: GAVI, partners aim to help countries achieve successful ‘graduation’
The GAVI Alliance has helped some of the world’s poorest countries immunize their children. Soon, several of these countries are scheduled to "graduate" from this support. These countries will face a variety of challenges, but they’re already getting help planning for the transition.
- Categories
- Environment, Health Care
- Tags
- governance, infrastructure, vaccines
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Planting the Seeds of Digital Finance: Part 2 of our Digital Finance Plus series discusses why agriculture is key to building the mobile money ecosystem
Agriculture-focused payment solutions could and should have a unique role in the growth of digital finance, says Lee Babcock. Their ability to facilitate income streams to low-income families provides a powerful incentive for their adoption, and they could help extend the ecosystem to rural customers. So why aren’t more mobile money platforms tapping this potential?
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- Agriculture
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A Platform for the Poor: CGAP’s Digital Finance Plus explores how mobile money links the BoP to essential services
Digital financial services have progressed to the point where their benefits extend far beyond the confines of banks or telcos. In this series, organized in cooperation with CGAP, we’ll explore how innovative companies from many sectors are using mobile platforms to deliver services that can make tangible improvements in the lives of the poor.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Energy, Health Care
