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‘By making it available to people, you are almost by definition doing good’: Grameen Foundation CEO Alex Counts, on microfinance’s past and future
Microfinance has careened from hero to villain status over the years, before settling into its current persona as a useful but not transformative anti-poverty tool. Alex Counts has had a front-row seat in the sector’s turbulent development, as founder and long-time president/CEO of Grameen Foundation. He shares his frank perspectives on microfinance’s past and future in this video Q&A.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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100 Million+ People Use Mobile Money Each Month: From P2P transfers to bill payments, here’s how they’re using it
Around 103 million people globally are making transactions using mobile money each month. Alix Murphy, Senior Mobile Analyst for WorldRemit, takes a close look at the types of transactions people are making, and how they are actually using mobile money in their daily lives.
- Categories
- Education
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15 Years of The Tech Awards: A look back, a look forward from Smile Train
The Tech Awards will celebrate its 15th anniversary this fall when it again honors 10 laureates who are using technological innovations to solve the world’s biggest challenges. As part of that milestone, NextBillion has teamed up with the organization to feature some of the stories from winning laureates over the years who have gone on to develop game-changing social enterprises and nonprofits by harnessing the right technology at the right time for the right impact.
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- Technology
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The Avoidance Factor: Research in Indonesia reveals unique behavioral obstacles to microinsurance take-up
The nature of insurance is that it protects against unexpected, unpleasant events that people prefer not to think about. But human nature leads people to prioritize their expenses based on the needs that are top of mind. A recent survey in Indonesia revealed that this dynamic can be a factor in the low take-up of insurance. Nick Thornton discusses the research, and offers some solutions.
- Categories
- Education
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A Better Way to Pay for R&D? (Part 2): Pilot projects designed to help get Health Impact Fund ‘across the finish line’
After pilot projects have shown the Health Impact Fund really works, Professor Thomas Pogge says, "It will not be difficult to get some far-sighted – and cash-strapped – governments to become HIF supporters. And an agreement to create the HIF might then be reached, perhaps at a G20 meeting."
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- Health Care
- Tags
- infrastructure
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GM Giants VS Seed Saviors: Food security, contested commercial interests and a host of hot button issues are germinating
Genetically modified seeds have been hailed as the key to ending global hunger, reducing pesticide use and transforming underproductive agriculture. But in the developing world, where those benefits are critically needed, smallholder farmers are also losing their livelihoods to huge industrial farms that outcompete them in the global marketplace. Who wins?
- Categories
- Agriculture
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NexThought Monday – A Better Way to Pay for R&D? (Part 1): The plan to enable everyone to buy drugs at manufacturing cost
Every year, millions of poor people around the world die because they can’t get the medicine they need. Professor Thomas Pogge has long touted an idea that he believes would get the medicine where it’s needed and ensure reasonable returns for pharmaceutical companies. Is it time to pay attention to the Health Impact Fund?
- Categories
- Health Care
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Twitter Top 10: 4-12-15
New resources. New partnerships. Even a cool new toilet. This week’s Twitter Top 10 is full of fascinating ideas and useful info, and you can help us get a head start on next week’s list. If you see anything interesting in the Twitterverse, you’re welcome to tweet it to our editors.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education, Energy, Health Care
