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Thinking at the Pyramid’s Base
The recent Technology at the Edge posting by Al Hammond reminded me what amazing ideas can come about while re-imaging products and services for the poor. Hearing his descriptions of innovative technologies in Africa is thrilling. It reminded me of another article I had just read which discusses...
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Technology at the Edge: Low-tech, near-term examples
Several new technology innovations developed specifically for BOP markets are already making a noticeable impact. KickStart (formerly ApproTech) has been developing and promoting such technologies since 1991, with the explicit goal of helping entrepreneurs in East Africa establish and run...
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Cheap, but are they marketable?
Two articles about low-cost cell phones were posted to the Newsroom this week. The first talks about plans by the GSM Association’s Emerging Market Handset Program to purchase 6 million of Motorola’s new phones, expected to wholesale below $30. The article mentions several other chip and...
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Technology Innovations at the Edge
BOP markets used to be regarded, if they were regarded by large corporations at all, mostly as a place to unload excess or obsolete product. That has changed, as I will attempt to illustrate in this and following posts. What I am suggesting is that low-income, predominantly rural communities...
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Taxes and the Digital Divide – Serious Problems
As an economist and self-styled BOP researcher, I’ve always been interested in the effect of technology on efficiency, price competition, and cost-of-living at the BOP. WRI, through its now-sunset Digital Dividend project, studied the effect of technology on low-income communities for years,...
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Sachet Marketing – the Best Strategy?
Trendwatching.com recently posted a good piece on Sachet Marketing, a BOP strategy already being used successfully to sell a variety of consumer products ranging from soap to cell phone minutes. The approach involves serving up products, services and loans in affordable portions, sachets or...
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The Myth of CSR
A controversial title, to be sure. The Myth of CSR (PDF), published in thismonth’s issue of Stanford Social Innovation Review, identifies a keytruth about corporate social responsibility while failing to take the next step. Deborah Doane hits quickly on CSR’s underlyingfallacy:...
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An Enabling Environment for Doing Business?
The World Bank’s annual Doing Business report carries the subtitle “Creating Jobs” this year (free overview available - PDF). Its indicators - using data comparable across a remarkable 155 countries - can be used to analyze how governments encourage or inhibit investment,...
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