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The NextBillion Case Writing Competition Returns for 2012-13: How You Can Contribute to Thought Leadership for Good
Discovering the very best cases exploring the risks and rewards of organizations deploying market-based approaches to economic or social development was the impetus for the NextBillion Case Writing Competition. The contest took a hiatus for the 2011-2012 academic year, but I’m happy to announce its return for 2012-2013 with a new sponsor: Citi Foundation. Find out how to enter.
- Categories
- Education
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What’s Hindering the Growth of Health Businesses in Ghana and Kenya
A new paper focuses on constraints to growth among private health firms in Ghana and Kenya.
I spoke with lead author Nicholas Burger, an economist at the nonprofit RAND Corporation, about the study’s findings: What hinders growth and how expanded engagement between the public and private health sectors could strengthen health care in Africa.- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Tags
- public health, research
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Siemens SMARTly Designs Products for Emerging Markets, Will Others Follow?
SMART products (simple, maintenance-friendly, affordable, reliable and timely-to-market) have now become a primary focus for Siemens. The focus on local markets has led to breakthrough innovations in products such as X-ray machines, medical devices, and water treatment products. After three years, the company is now beginning to see the fruits of its efforts.
- Categories
- Education
- Tags
- product design, research
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Weekly Roundup – Inspiration, With Questions
While monologues by veteran leaders who have starred down adversity can be rousing to throngs of cap and gowned graduates, dialogues have their own special appeal. So in this season of pomp and circumstance (and sometimes banality) it was great to see a new series of one-on-one interviews hosted by Jonathan Lewis at ionPoverty hit the Internet. iOnPoverty is an online video series targeting young professionals and students seeking careers in economic opportunity and justice work.
- Categories
- Education
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Representing 8 Counties, 11 Languages: Introducing Acumen Fund’s Global Fellows Class of 2013
We are proud to announce the Class of 2013 Global Fellows, a group that represents eight countries, speaks 11 languages, and brings a depth of global experience ranging from software engineering at Google to directing operations at a fashion house in Saudi Arabia. This dedicated cohort is the latest addition to a growing network of individuals bringing a new model of leadership to the world.
- Categories
- Education
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NexThought Monday: How Innovative Financing Mechanisms Are Helping Afghanistan’s Farmers
It’s not easy to improve farmers’ livelihoods in any developing country. Add in ongoing violence, feeble institutions, and some of the lowest living standards in the world, and the task can seem nearly impossible. But in August 2010, a project team from DAI landed in Afghanistan to do just that—by implementing USAID’s Agricultural Credit Enhancement (ACE) program, which aimed to lend $100 million to farmers and agribusinesses to invest in agriculture across the country.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Education
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A Profit-Driven Approach to Affordable Education: A Review of HippoCampus Learning Centers
In 2003, Indian private schools accounted for 23 percent of total enrollment, today they’re 30 percent. However, what still proves illusive is a mechanism to help poor families afford to send their children to private schools. In 2011, Grameen Koota and HippoCampus Learning Centers teamed up to address this through a plan that minimized fixed costs per student rural villages in India.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Guest Post: Lifting Africa Up By Empowering its Youth
Voices on Society, an online publication from McKinsey & Company’s Social Sector Office, launched last week. In its first edition, Fred Swaniker, founder and CEO of the African Leadership Academy, writes that Africa is sitting on a time bomb unless it creates its own jobs through the ingenuity, ability, and skill of its own people.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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