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Weekly Roundup – 2/20/15: A Turning Point in the Evolution of Microfinance?
There has been plenty of research questioning the social impact of microcredit. But the latest studies in the American Economic Journal feel far more momentous. Conducted by prominent poverty researchers, and covering six countries on four continents, they consistently undermine the sector’s core social impact claims. NextBillion will cover the Feb. 27 event on the research and the path ahead.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Impact Assessment
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New Tuberculosis Drug Enters First Trial: The Good and Sad News
The maiden human trial of a potential tuberculosis drug — the first in six years — has now commenced.
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- Education, Health Care
- Tags
- research
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Competing with the ‘Bank of Mom’: What makes informal finance so popular – and how can financial services providers respond?
After tracking the financial activities of lower-income Americans for a full year, the U.S. Financial Diaries project found that informal financial mechanisms were enduringly popular - even when formal alternatives were used. What makes them so appealing - and how can financial services providers respond? We discuss these issues in part two of our Q&A with FAI Executive Director Jonathan Morduch.
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- Education
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The Primary Care Innovator’s Handbook: Leaders in the field share primary care knowledge, ideas
The Center for Health Market Innovations has released The Primary Care Innovator’s Handbook: Voices from Leaders in the Field, an attempt to share knowledge between innovators in an open and informal way, and to encourage more conversations among the community of innovators working to improve primary care.
- Categories
- Education, Environment, Health Care
- Tags
- public health
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Global Pharma’s R&D Re-Balancing
Earlier this week, in Michael Woodhead’s superb blog China Medical News, he wrote about “major problems with ‘serious’ research clinical trails carried out in China.” Michael points to a JAMA article and then proceeds to elaborate:
- Categories
- Education, Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
- Tags
- research
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Understanding the ‘Invisible Finance Sector’: FAI Executive Director Jonathan Morduch discusses the U.S Financial Diaries’ research on informal finance – Part 1
It’s easy to assume that informal financial tools like family loans are only used when people lack access to formal finance. But that’s not what the U.S. Financial Diaries project has found. In part one of this Q&A, Financial Access Initiative Executive Director Jonathan Morduch discusses the enduring appeal of informal finance among low-income people - and what it means for financial services providers.
- Categories
- Education
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Students, Professors are Crafting a New Social Business Curricula : At McGill, collaboration charted a social business concentration
Driven largely by student input and faculty collaboration, a new concentration in Social Business and Enterprise at McGill university is intended for students interested in harnessing the not-for-profit, civil, and for-profit sectors to tackle social issues. Leading the effort is Robert J. David, Associate Professor of Strategy & Organization. His experience is particularly illustrative of how scholars and students are working together to forge new curricula in the realm of social business.
- Categories
- Education
- Tags
- academia
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Nandan Nilekani Plans Tech Project ‘Ek Step’ to Hone Children’s Basic Skills
Infosys co-founder and billionaire Nandan Nilekani, who spearheaded the country's massive unique identification project, is gearing up for an equally ambitious project - to help elementary school children across the country improve their reading and arithmetic skills using low-end tablets and smartphones.
- Categories
- Education, Technology
- Region
- South Asia