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From the Field: Nepal’s Power
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world; GDP per capita is $1,100, 65% of women are illiterate, and unemployment is 42%. It is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of hydro power potential, but less than 1% of that potential has been developed; the country is, ironically, in talks with India to buy power from them.
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Global Social Benefit Incubator Winners Announced
The Global Social Benefit Incubator (GSBI) - the scholarship-only, base-of-the-pyramid entrepreneur bootcamp worth $20,000 - has announced its class of 2009. When it comes to taking good ideas and nurturing them into real, viable companies, GSBI is in select company.
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Portfolios of the Poor: How the Poor Live on Less Than $2 a Day
The Financial Access Initiative (FAI) - a consortium of development economists funded by the Gates Foundation - is at the forefront when it comes to financial research for base of the pyramid markets. I have long admired the work of Jonathan Morduch and Sendhil Mullainathan, two of FAI’s directors.
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New Ventures Takes Off in Colombia: Laying the First Bricks of an “Ecosystem”
This year (actually next week!) will see the first gathering around WRI’s promotion of sustainable entrepreneurship in Colombia through its New Ventures initiative. Organized in partnership with Universidad de los Andes, this first forum is only the first step of what we hope will become a vibrant community of support for entrepreneurs locally.
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Moving Beyond Case Studies: Randomized Experiments
As the BoP field becomes increasingly established, BoP entrepreneurs and organizations need to be seen as legitimate vehicles in the fight against poverty. If the BoP community wants to be perceived as a member of equal status in the development arena we need to go beyond case studies. The next level may involve using randomized experiments.
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Nominate (or apply to be) a 2009 Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow
You know you want to be a Pop!Tech Fellow. Or you know someone who will want to be.Either way, now’s the time to act. The 2008 Fellows were a great bunch - including base-of-the-pyramid innovators like Husk Power Systems, Por Fin Nuestra Casa, Mobile Metrix, Ushahidi.com and more. Think you have what it takes to join this select company?
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A New Effort to Boost Small Businesses in Emerging Markets
Microfinance has improved the quality of life for millions of people at the bottom of the world’s economic pyramid, yet studies have not shown much of an impact on the economies of developing (or declining) nations. Microfinance, whether delivered via Grameen Bank-style rural distribution systems or direct loan operations like Kiva, just isn’t enough of a job creator. That’s why a number of economic development organizations are focusing on the next tier up—small but g...
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Video Interview: C.K. Prahalad on Development Through Enterprise
C.K. Prahalad - the base-of-the-pyramid thought leader - recently sat down for a videotaped interview with the World Resources Institute. In the interview, Professor Prahalad discusses the future of sustainable, private sector-led poverty alleviation.
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