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Weekly Roundup: Of Powerwalls and power dynamics, could a grid-less future hurt the energy poor?
A billionaire rolls out a technology that only the global 1 percent can afford, so why on Earth would this be relevant to the poor? It turns out Elon Musk’s new battery storage system, the Powerwall, could have big impact in energy poor regions – good and bad.
- Categories
- Energy
- Tags
- Base of the Pyramid, solar
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A Revolution in the Making: CGAP’s Greg Chen discusses how smartphones could transform financial inclusion and microfinance
Smartphone sales are exploding in emerging economies, with Latin America and the Middle East/Africa recording growth rates of 59 percent and 83 percent, respectively, last year. CGAP’s Greg Chen discusses how this new access could transform low-income people’s interactions with their financial services providers in this video Q&A, the latest in our series on the Future of Microfinance.
- Categories
- Technology
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SOCAP15 Open is … OPEN: Pitch your own session at the conference – and vote for your favorites
Set for Oct. 6-9 at San Francisco’s Fort Mason Center, the SOCAP15 conference is a full four and a half months away. But preparations for the event are already well underway, including the recently (re)launched SOCAP Open, in which would-be presenters are invited to propose topics for their own sessions at the upcoming conference, and the public can vote for their favorites.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- impact investing
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The Human Touch Behind Digital Success: Microfinance institutions that go mobile need to support the people behind the technology
Technology is the enabler of digital services, but people are still the backbone. This is important for microfinance institutions to remember, since transitioning to mobile services requires considerable changes from staff. In the latest post in their series on how MFIs can go digital, Grameen Foundation explores best practices for making this transition.
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- Uncategorized
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The First Commandment of Social Impact Generation: We need a better understanding of the nuances of creating social impact
The first commandment for companies, organizations and investors that aim to generate social impact is: "Thou shalt adopt mechanisms to measure it." Unfortunately, this practice is not yet common. And when it does occur, it often focuses narrowly on counting the total number of units distributed or beneficiaries supported, rather than on understanding the nuances of the benefits being transferred.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Funding a Sector in Transition: Recent RCTs could reshape donors’ approach to microcredit
After a group of six studies published in January found that its benefits are modest at best, microcredit is stuck at a crossroads, says Matt Mossman. But as debate continues amongst practitioners about how to react to the new data, the findings could spark changes in the funding landscape for the sector.
- Categories
- Education
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Kenya’s Mobile Finance Revolution Takes the Next Steps: Two new developments go far beyond mobile money
Kenya’s mobile finance market is evolving, and for the country’s leading financial services players, that evolution has been a profitable one. But beyond M-PESA’s remarkable payments revolution and the continued growth of M-Shwari’s mobile banking services, there are two other important developments in the Kenyan market. MicroSave founder Graham Wright discusses their impact.
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- Uncategorized
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The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design: A new book from IDEO.org is a ‘crib sheet’ for better social innovation
IDEO.org has published The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design, which showcases its 50-plus methods. IDEO.org’s Aaron Britt suggests we think of it as kind of a human-centered design crib sheet for bringing the voices and desires of the people you’re designing for into your work and as a map for iterating your way toward a successful social enterprise.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- product design
