William Davidson Institute
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The William Davidson Institute (WDI), NextBillion’s parent organization, is an independent, non-profit education, research and applied practice organization established at the University of Michigan in 1992. Through a unique structure that integrates research, educational outreach, field-based collaborations, and development consulting services, WDI works with businesses, universities, development organizations, and governments in emerging economies to implement sound business practices and speed the transition to global engagement. WDI also provides a forum for academics, policy makers, business leaders, and development experts to enhance their understanding of these economies.
WDI is the leading U.S. institution of higher learning fully dedicated to understanding and promoting actionable business and public policy approaches to addressing the challenges and opportunities in emerging market economies.
Learn more about WDI in this brochure (PDF). Interactive flipbook below.
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Posts by William Davidson Institute
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Guest Articles
Monday
March 2
2020Seven Stages of SME Growth – One Common Problem: The Challenge of Financing Small Businesses Across Their Life Cycle
There’s an endless variety of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the world, but these businesses often experience similar problems that arise at similar stages in their growth. Barbara Peitsch, an international economic development consultant at the William Davidson Institute, discusses these stages and their associated challenges, and explores how SMEs can access financing that's appropriate for their level of development.
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- Entrepreneurship, Finance
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Guest Articles
Monday
January 13
2020Is Vertical Integration Good or Bad for Off-Grid Energy Access? Let’s Get Specific
Pay-as-you-go off-grid energy business models are often vertically integrated, including elements of manufacturing, distribution, consumer financing, payment collection and after-sales service. But some believe it's more cost-effective to outsource many of these aspects of the business model to service providers. Paul Clyde and Colm Fay at WDI argue that vertical integration is neither inherently good, nor bad: They explore its history, and its advantages and disadvantages for the nascent off-grid energy industry.
- Categories
- Energy, Entrepreneurship
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Guest Articles
Wednesday
December 4
2019Delivering Family Planning to Rural Customers: Are Mobile Pharmacies ‘Just What the Doctor Ordered’?
Pharmacies serve as key access points for family planning products in many emerging markets. In countries like Malawi, the number of pharmacies has ballooned by nearly 100% in the past 10 years. Yet it can be difficult to run a sustainable pharmacy business, especially in rural areas. Andrea Bare and Erika Beidelman at the William Davidson Institute discuss potential solutions – including an innovative mobile pharmacy – based on conversations with Malawian entrepreneurs.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Health Care
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Guest Articles
Friday
November 8
2019Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi / Dana Gorodetsky
Five Ways the Private Sector Can Align with the Sustainable Development Goals
How can the private sector advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, and what’s the best way to measure the success of these efforts? Those questions were among the topics explored at the recent Sustainability and Development Conference at the University of Michigan. Yaquta Kanchwala Fatehi and Dana Gorodetsky at the William Davidson Institute attended the event, and they share some essential insights on the private sector’s role in supporting the SDGs.
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- Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Environment, Impact Assessment
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Guest Articles
Tuesday
October 8
2019A New Battleground: Why Health Care Companies in Low and Middle-Income Countries Will Challenge Today’s Market Leaders
There's no question that today’s low- and middle-income countries will be a major part of health care businesses' portfolios. The only question, writes Paul Clyde, president of the William Davidson Institute, is which businesses will succeed at serving these customers. With local firms in these growing markets already competing for low-income customers, Clyde argues that multinationals will need to invest, sometimes weathering losses, to stay competitive.
- Categories
- Health Care
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Guest Articles
Thursday
June 20
2019Amy Gillett / Kristin Babbie Kelterborn
When Failure is Not an Option: Understanding – And Accelerating – the Success of Refugee Entrepreneurs
This World Refugee Day, the global community is experiencing the highest level of displacement on record. Though entrepreneurship can provide a route to livelihood for which resilient, community-oriented refugees are particularly suited, they often struggle to surmount barriers of language and discrimination, on top of the high failure rates that are typical of small businesses. Amy Gillett and Kristin Babbie Kelterborn at the William Davidson Institute share lessons from support programs helping refugees overcome tough odds to economically enrich their host countries.
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- Entrepreneurship
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Guest Articles
Monday
June 3
2019It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Lifestyle: Is Developmental Evaluation the Right Measurement Strategy For Your Organization?
Social enterprises working in emerging economies know it’s important to measure their social impact, but they often struggle to find the right approach. Like dieters looking for quick weight loss, they try one strategy or another – then grow frustrated when they fail. But according to Rebecca Baylor at WDI, there’s a solution that's geared toward the unique challenges these businesses face. Called “developmental evaluation,” it resembles not a fad diet, but a new impact measurement lifestyle. She explores this innovative approach, and how organizations can use it successfully.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Impact Assessment
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Guest Articles
Monday
May 20
2019Amy Gillett / Kristin Babbie Kelterborn
Pitch Perfect: Five Tips for Designing Effective Business Pitch Competitions for International Entrepreneurs
The television show “Shark Tank,” in which entrepreneurs pitch their ideas to a panel of potential investors, has brought the pitch concept into popular culture. But in many emerging economies, not everybody is familiar with pitching. The William Davidson Institute's Amy Gillett and Kristin Babbie Kelterborn provide some lessons to help global entrepreneurship development leaders organize effective pitch competitions. Among their tips: Consider a more encouraging "dolphin tank" approach instead of a cut-throat shark tank, and work to leverage local entrepreneurial customs.
- Categories
- Education, Entrepreneurship
