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Weekly Roundup: Stand with Haiti
Even for a blog that concerns itself with the everyday struggles of people in often desperate poverty, the situation in Port-au-Prince makes summarizing this week’s new research reports and events seem trivial. So: how to connect immediate humanitarian needs with the inclusive development Haiti has needed for so long?
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Gates Foundation Supports Savings Accounts for the Poor
The Gates Foundation is at it again. On Wednesday, it announced $38 million dollars in funding to support programming that will give the poor safe, effective ways to house their savings. Six grants will go to 18 MFIs that offer microcredit but will "make savings accounts available to an initial 11 million poor people over five years."
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WDI, the Next Case Writing Competition, and More
WDI has sponsored The Next: 2010 Case Writing Competition. I have already received a number of entries, from schools in New York to Toronto to New Delhi. We are thrilled at the response so far and can’t wait to read the final cases. And as a reminder, if you want to enter the competition, the intention to compete forms are due this Friday.
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The Customer is Always Right – Especially at the Base of the Pyramid
GiveWell, a charity-rating organization, has raised questions about whether providing microcredit or selling a good product to the poor is enough to demonstrate social impact. But GiveWell’s methodology is hard-pressed to evaluate market-oriented development approaches and it illustrates what patient capital can do that "charity" does not.
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Announcing NextBillion’s Advisory Board
Following the announcement of the William Davidson Institute joining as Managing Partner of NextBillion, we’re pleased to introduce the site’s new Advisory Board.
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Announcing the William Davidson Institute as a New Partner to NextBillion
We are pleased to announce that the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan has agreed to join the NextBillion community as a Managing Partner. WDI joins the World Resources Institute and Acumen Fund as co-Managing Partners.
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The Competitive Relationship Between Mainstream and Microfinance Banks
This article examines the competitive relationship between mainstream and microfinance banks, which is beginning to shape the microfinance landscape in developing countries. I examine how these two groups are developing strategies and financial products that play with their respective competitive advantages and against their competitors.
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The Top 5 ICT4D Trends for 2010
The year started with the world teetering on economic and financial collapse. The technology industry withered in general due to lack of demand. Intel, for example, reported its first loss in 21 years in the second quarter. As we head in to 2010, things seem to be on the mend, albeit slowly. So what will 2010 look like for ICT4D?
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