Articles by Bryan Farris
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Thursday
April 7
2011Distinguishing Microcredit From Microfinance
The term ?microfinance? is used interchangeably with the term ?microcredit?. But just as Kleenex is only one of many brands of tissues, microcredit is only one piece of the microfinance puzzle. Women’s World Banking CEO Mary Ellen Iskenderian discusses the path toward broader financial inclusion, economic empowerment and rights.
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Monday
April 4
2011Overcoming Gender Bias In Mobile Money
In the first of several Q&As with NextBillion, Mary Ellen Iskenderian, President and CEO of Women?s World Banking, discussed a range of financial, technical and cultural challenges facing women pursuing financial and entrepreneurial goals. This conversation focuses on the largely hidden issue of gender bias blocking access to mobile money.
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Guest Articles
Monday
February 14
2011NextThought Monday: How Can I Pay My Loans If I Can’t Afford an Onion?
Sure, one might argue that growing debts and high interest rates have lead to suicides in India and rising default rates. Perhaps you may even conclude that greed finally got the better of the MFIs. But when I visited Andhra Pradesh and almost couldn’t afford a watermelon, I gained a whole new perspective on the MFI crisis.
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- Finance
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- lending, microfinance
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Guest Articles
Thursday
February 10
2011Aftershocks of Egypt and Social Enterprise’s Role
Throughout the Muslim world, echoes of the Egyptian chant "Leave, Leave, Leave" fall on far-from-deaf ears. The simple fact that pumping fists in Tunisia preceded pitchforks in Egypt is a harbinger of the aftershocks to come. The burden is on enterprise to ensure that when the dust does finally settle, those very US dollars start to flow freely.
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- Education, Social Enterprise
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- governance
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Monday
January 3
2011Why You Should Be More Focused on Data Access at the BoP
After the industrial revolution, the global economy shifted from the production of physical goods to the provision of services. However, the digital age has ushered in a new focus: the data economy. It appears as if, once again, developing countries (and especially the poor within those countries) will be left behind.
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Wednesday
December 22
2010Five Reasons BusinessWeek is Wrong About Pakistan
A recent article from BusinessWeek entitled, "A Silver Lining In Pakistan," posited that the flooding disasters "may have given the country an opportunity to tackle a recurring point of contention in Pakistan: feudalism" through jobs creation. Yes, it is critical to create jobs, but that alone will neither solve poverty nor wash away feudalism.
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Guest Articles
Monday
November 29
2010NextThought Monday: Pakistan: A Land of Misunderstood Opportunity
I want to show you the greatness of this country, and what can be done to improve it. I’m talking about a different side of Pakistan than you usually hear about, and I want to make sure you distinguish the two in your mind... As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "To be great is to be misunderstood." Pakistan is both.
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- Technology
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Guest Articles
Thursday
October 21
2010A New Generation of Leaders: The Acumen Fund Fellowship
How would you like to spend one year working with a company focused on serving the poor in a developing country, either helping to set a strategy or improve operations? Then now is the time to apply for the Acumen Fund Fellowship.
- Categories
- Education, Social Enterprise
