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Weekly Roundup 3/16/13: Forcing CSR in India
This week I learned about two recent machinations by the Indian government to foster both corporate social responsibility and investments in base of the pyramid enterprises. The two initiatives have left me truly ambivalent. The first seems like a big misstep waiting to happen, while the second looks like a sure-footed step in the right direction.
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- Uncategorized
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Gums, Not Guns: How Mali entrepreneurs are offering a path to peace
In Mali’s southern villages, gums, not guns, are proliferating. These natural gums are being harvested from trees that grow wild across the African Sahel, and exported to Europe to meet rising demand for their use in products from pharmaceuticals to cosmetics to baked goods. In 2010 Root Capital is offered financing to gum producer Produits du Sud to secure contracts with international buyers and expand its reach from 30 farmers spread across five villages to 2,000 farmers in 200 villages in 2012.
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- Agriculture
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Bi-Weekly Checkup (3/15/13): The (un)surprising secret to good health
Nutrition is key to global health. That’s why we’re partnering with Ashoka Changemakers next week as their Nutrients for All campaign turns its attention to nutrients’ effect on health. Learn more about our upcoming coverage (and check out some of the diverse topics we’ve discussed over the past two weeks) in the Bi-Weekly Checkup.
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- Health Care
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The BoP Needs Drugs: Can the HealthStore Foundation’s model deliver?
In BoP countries, 70 to 90 percent of all childhood illness and death is caused by infectious diseases that can be treated with inexpensive drugs. But getting those drugs into the hands of patients is a daunting challenge. The HealthStore Foundation may have found a solution, through a micro-franchising model that has established a network of pharmacies and clinics in Kenya. Greg Starbird, the organization’s CEO, discusses the model and its challenges and successes.
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- Health Care
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India CSR Bill Creates Ripples in the Social Sector: Big companies would have to spend 2% of profits on CSR, but could the sector absorb it?
The Indian parliament is in the process of passing a bill mandating large companies dedicate 2 percent of their profits toward CSR activities. The big question is whether the social sector could actually absorb it.
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- Impact Assessment
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A New Wave of Crowdfunding: Connecting Social Enterprises with Investors (for Greater Social Impact)
In a growing ecosystem where for-profit social enterprises are becoming more visible and investors equally interested, a significant problem remains: How do we connect the two and streamline them in a way that is both efficient and helps accelerate social impact?
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- Social Enterprise, Technology
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What’s Next for Impact Investing Series: : 5 Things You Need to Know About Impact Investing Metrics
After the IDB joined the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN), the Inter-American Development Bank’s Opportunities for the Majority Initiative (OMJ), which focuses on Base of the Pyramid sustainable business models, restructured its impact measurement system across its grant and investment portfolio, putting Impact Reporting & Investment Standard (IRIS) metrics at its core.
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- Impact Assessment, Investing
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- impact investing
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In a cash-only economy, innovation should empower world’s poorest with financial services: The E-Pay Innovation Award carries a $10,000 prize for the most pioneering startup
Imagine a global economy based entirely on cash. You receive your weekly pay in cash; you pay your rent in cash; you pay your monthly electric and water bills in cash; you apply for a loan and receive the money in cash; and you save cash under the mattress in case of an emergency. It seems almost unimaginable in the United States and Europe, but the fact is, of the 2.6 billion people who live on less than $2 per day, nearly 80 percent do not have access to a bank account.
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- Technology
