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

World Bank Offers Farmers Money to Hedge Against Volatile Food Prices

The World Bank has teamed up with JP Morgan to offer farmers and food manufacturers in poor countries access to financial derivatives to hedge their risk from volatile food prices. Two other banks, one in sub-Saharan Africa and one in Europe with Middle East partnerships, as yet unidentified, are expected to launch similar products with the World Bank shortly. Excessive speculation ...

Source

Guardian.co.uk (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

’$300 Home Is Not Just Viable But Also Profitable’

Name: Christian Sarkar Current location: on the road Twitter name: @300House In 30 words or less tell us who you work for and what you do: I help individuals and institutions with disruptive ideas and solutions. The $300 House started out as a blog post with Vijay Govindarajan. Now we’re going from blog to reality. Do you have a website / blog?

Source

Hindustan Times (link opens in a new window)

Categories

Uncategorized

Some Ways to Get Started as a Social Entrepreneur

With the economy still struggling, it may seem like an impossible time to start a do-good social venture. It can be hard enough to operate any business profitably - let alone one that also tries to improve the world. But some observers believe that the tough times may be increasing interest in social ventures."I get the sense that the ...

Source

The New York Times (link opens in a new window)

Activate 2011: Mobiles Look Set to Play a Big Role in Africa’s Development

The mobile phone will have a dramatic impact on development in Africa over the next five years, declared Rakesh Rajani of Twaweza at the Activate conference this week on technology and social change in London. The technology industry has a track record of hype, but Rajani’s comments sound plausible given the huge number of pilot projects for mobiles in Africa in all areas of development. A race is on to find what...

Source

Guardian.co.uk (link opens in a new window)

Region

Sub-Saharan Africa

Beyond the Poverty Trap

Is there an answer to the Biblical question why the poor will always be with us? Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, both developmental economists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have now come with their take on this perennial question in Poor Economics: A Radical Thinking of the Way to Fight Global Poverty (Random House, Rs 499). Their book, which is based on field studies and extensive interviews with the poor in the villages of India, Indonesia, Morocco, Kenya and oth...

Source

Business Standard (link opens in a new window)

The Bottom of the Pyramid

MANAGEMENT gurus have rhapsodised about "the fortune at the bottom of the pyramid" in emerging markets ever since C.K. Prahalad popularised the idea in 2006. They have filled books with stories of cut-price Indian hospitals and Chinese firms that make $100 computers. But when it comes to the bottom of the pyramid in the rich world, the gurus lose interest. This is understandable. McDonald’s and Walmart do not have the same exotic ring as Aravind Eye Care and Tata Motors. The West...

Source

The Economist (link opens in a new window)

Plans Don’t Work for Urban Poor?

VARANASI: Though there are provisions for poverty alleviation in urban areas, a number of urban poor and slum dwellers in Varanasi are bound to face financial hardships. However, officials claim things are improving with the implementation of programmes. "It is difficult to manage household expenses for people like us," said Gopal, a daily wager. Like him, there are a number of people living mostly in slum...

Source

The Times of India (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia

Eko: The Mobile Bank for Low Income Customers

Eko is a low cost mobile banking solution for people in the low income groups. It is just the right service for India, where the workforce is 540 million-strong. Only about six per cent of these workers are employed in the organized sectors. The low cost mobile banking company Eko aims to serve the unorganized segments of our economy. Eko was founded in 2009 with the aim to reduce the cost of financial transactions. The reason? The bigger banks used to target only higher income group cu...

Source

The Mobile Indian (link opens in a new window)

Region

South Asia