Articles by John Paul
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Thursday
June 15
2006The Latest on the $100 Laptop
Since it was announced in April of last year, MIT’s One Laptop per Child initiative has received a great deal of media attention, as well as some healthy skepticism. Questions were raised about the $100 laptop on NextBillion here and here. I hadn’t heard much recently about the project...
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Tuesday
June 6
2006Attitudinal Barrier to Microfinance
I just read a news story describing how microfinance schemes in Ghana (and the banks providing them) are being undermined by a refusal to repay loans. According to the article, “The microfinance programme, which is the bedrock of rural banks, is being thwarted due to the attitude of some...
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Wednesday
May 24
2006This Week in SME Investing
I?ve just posted up several recent news stories about financing for SME development. Most of these came from the Business in Development Network, which promotes poverty reduction through entrepreneurship in developing countries. The group maintains a great newsroom for those interested in...
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- Education
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- academia
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Tuesday
May 23
2006Innovation Blowback
In his 1997 book, The Innovator’s Dilemma, Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen showed that an upstart with an innovation that disrupts existing business models can beat out the big guys nearly every time. What’s more, he said, venerable companies seal their doom by...
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Thursday
May 18
2006Wi-Fi Phones ? a Piece of the Rural Connectivity Puzzle
Wi-Fi phones are taking off! According to a report by Infonetics Research, the global market for Wi-Fi phones rose 76 percent in 2005 to $102.5 million, and will reach $1.9 billion in 2009. The number of units shipped rose 112 percent last year, and will increase by 158 percent this year. These...
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Monday
May 15
2006GlobalGiving Seeks Projects to Fund
While browsing through the booths at last week?s Development Marketplace (DM), I rediscovered an organization that had been inspired by the competition. GlobalGiving was founded by the same World Bank executives who created the Development Marketplace in 2000. Encouraged by its initial...
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Wednesday
May 10
2006Another Competition, Another Missed Opportunity
The World Bank?s Development Marketplace (DM) competition took place in Washington this week. Begun in 1998, and held in DC about once every 18 months, DM is ?a competitive grant program that funds innovative, small-scale development projects that deliver results and show potential to be...
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Monday
May 8
2006A New Water Filter, An Old Debate
The BBC reported last week about a new device being marketed to purify water in developing countries. The LifeStraw looks like a large plastic flute, and contains internal filters that remove bacteria from the water as it is drunk. The device is priced at around $3.50, and is designed to purify...
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