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Microfinance and IT: Glass Half Full or Glass Half Empty?
Optimists often cite microfinance as a “development success story,” but realists know the truth - it suffers from high interest, misrepresentation of repayment rates, poor risk management, and insufficient scale. (More on the “dirty little secrets” of microfinance at the...
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IDB Launches Dedicated BOP Web Site
The Inter-American Development Bank’s Multilateral Investment Fund (MIF) has just launched a web site dedicated to base of the pyramid strategies. Curious? Check out the site: This is not about providing the same, existing products and services that have been developed for the top of...
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India’s IT Ecosystem – A BOP Success Story?
Eric Cantor blogs over at Acumen Fund about the emerging ecosystem of businesses, NGOs, development folks, and government agencies working in the Indian BOP tech sector to close the digital divide and empower low-income communities. First, an excerpt - then my take: This ecosystem is made...
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This Week: Getting a Breath of Fresh Air in One of the World’s Most Polluted Cities
It’s no secret that air quality in the bustling metropolis of Mexico City leaves much to be desired, but three local entrepreneurs are looking to change that image. The founders of Vehizero are taking on one of the world’s greatest environmental challenges one car at a time with sleek...
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BOP Geometry Lessons – From Pyramids to Circles
We talk a lot about pyramids - as in bottom of the pyramid and base of the pyramid - here at NextBillion. Now, (apologies to the math department at Council Rock High School) it?s time to start talking circles. As a follow up to last September?s Mexico conference, WRI, FMCN (New Ventures...
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The New Asian Tiger… Indian SMEs? I’d bet $500 billion on it.
For years, we at New Ventures have been encouraging investors and aid organizations to pay attention to the growing numbers of SMEs being created by waves of adventurous entrepreneurs throughout the developing world. I would point to businesses like Aires as shining examples of small, innovative...
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- Education
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- academia
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Midwife on line two
When John and Rob aren’t blogging about cellphones improving incomes and health, they’re forwarding news links about...cell phones improving incomes and health. This IHT story (great find by Rob) vividly illustrates just how valuable connectivity is on an individual and village-wide...
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Development without the Dependency
I was just reading through the new issue of Co-Creations, the e-Newsletter by the Kenyan Development Network Consortium (KDNC). Amidst informative articles about sustainable eco-tourism and the current state of ICT development in Kenya is a fascinating piece about the provision of appropriate...
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