NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

On Remittances as a Platform

Let me add my thoughts to Bal Joshi’s fine post of 12/6 and AnnaLee Saxenian’s reply of 12/8. I couldn’t agree more with most of the points made in both. The notion of remittances as a development platform is just right, in my view, and Ms. Saxenian strikes a fair balance on...

Categories

Uncategorized

Rising Ventures: Beijing WorldWell Turns Waste Into Profit

Another sustainable company success story to take you into the weekend:? this one starts with a relatively simple concept.? Chinese industry is experiencing plenty of growth right now, and can in many ways be considered the engine driving the country’s healthy economy.? But this rapid...

Categories

Uncategorized

Tags

waste

Private Schools for the Poor (II)

The people of Naini were angry. The primary school in their impoverished Himalayan village had just two teachers for more than 110 children in the first through fifth grades. Their kids spent most of the time working on their own. With so many students per teacher, and each teacher working with...

Categories

Uncategorized

Diasporas for Development: The Remittance Platform

Guest poster Bal K. Joshi is the co-founder and managing director of Thamel Dot Com, Kathmandu, Nepal. He is also a partner in Thamel International. By Bal K. Joshi From my perspective, recent public dialogue about the development impact of migrant...

Categories

Uncategorized

Private Schools for the Poor

Two new World Bank policy papers have come out recently reporting on the status of public and private schools in Pakistan (via PSD Blog). The reports show that, contrary to most perceptions, the average private school is affordable even to the poor. These reports focus specifically on Pakistan....

Categories

Uncategorized

Battle for the Cheap Education Computer Heats Up

This article is re-produced with the kind permission of Russell Southwood, Chief Executive of Balancing Act. Browse this week’s edition of their excellent newsletter, or consider subscribing. The holy grail of cheap computers for emerging markets is producing a sub-$100 laptop for...

Categories

Uncategorized

From Prodem to Citibank: Biometric ATMs

The Financial Times reported Friday that Citigroup, the world’s largest financial firm, will roll out a network of biometric ATMs to better serve low-income Indian neighborhoods. The machines will use thumbprint recognition technology in place of personal identification numbers, and...

Categories

Uncategorized

Rising Ventures: Changing The Face of Commercial Agriculture

I couldn’t help myself. Staring at piles of steak, salad and cheese breads I wondered what had gone into this process - what had happened to allow this lunch to reach my table. A meal at Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian Churrascaria downtown, will have that effect on you; and...

Categories

Uncategorized