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Friday Roundup – 9/23/11: Microcredit Rethought
This week Muhammad Yunus told NextBillion writer Sadna Samaranayake if he could do it all over again, he would not have let the "profit-makers" join the microcredit movement. But would there have been a movement without hard-nosed margin seekers in the first place? For the next few weeks, we’ll be taking a closer look at microcredit.
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- Uncategorized
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- microfinance
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Africa Election Watch 2011: Zambia
Was this the referendum on Chinese business in Africa? In a somewhat surprising turn, perennial opposition leader Michael Sata secured victory this week against incumbent president Rupiah Banda in Zambia’s national election. Sata is known as "King Cobra" for his often vituperative statements that have targeted Chinese business practices in Zambia.
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- Uncategorized
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The Doughnut Hole in Sustainable Finance
Despite the recent upsurge in attention to "social," "impact," and "clean tech" investing, there is still a structural gap ? a doughnut hole ? in sustainable finance. But this also means that there is a huge opportunity for visionary financiers to invent the new investment categories and asset classes needed to fill this gap.
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- Environment, Technology
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All that Glitters is Good?
In the old and dusty-yet-safe world of development aid, things were easy: Profit was at best a necessary evil of the private sector, at worst a sign that the poor were exploited as cheap labour or consumers. In the new world of impact investing and "BoP strategies", things become more entangled.
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- Impact Assessment
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How would Muhammad Yunus Redesign Microcredit? How Can We Better Design Models for Social Change?
Given the past year of controversies in microcredit and an opportunity to meet Dr. Muhammad Yunus at Change Model, a workshop focused on innovating development approaches, we asked Dr. Yunus how the sector could have been designed differently. His resolute response: "I would not let the profit-makers be part of the movement."
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- Technology
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- scale
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Why Peace Pays: Building a More Secure World Through Economic Development
Peace and prosperity are nearly inseparable. Violence and war rob people of the chance to better their lives through hard work. And when a society struggles with poverty and unemployment, it sets the stage for unrest. Today, on the International Day of Peace, TechnoServe is spreading a simple message: Peace pays.
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- Agriculture
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With Biochar Stoves, Inyenyeri is a Business Intent on Catching Fire
Eric Reynolds, founder of camping gear giant Marmot and Gore-Tex pioneer, has never shied from big ideas. His latest mission? Making Rwanda the world’s first "carbon-negative" country. His method? A biochar cookstove, a for-profit energy company, and 4 years of serious planning. After spending a few days with him, he may just be onto something big.
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- Uncategorized
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New Ideas for Saving the Lives of Women, Children
From UN Innovation Working Group, a new report on mHealth programs carries an emphasis on viable and scalable business models to improve the way healthcare is delivered to women and children. Indeed, many believe mobile ICT platforms are potential game-changers in delivering health information and services to combat maternal and child mortality.
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- Health Care, Technology
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- scale
