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Best Ideas of 2011: All Signs Point to the Vitality of Sharing
Last year I reported on www.admittingfailure.com, a platform created by Engineers Without Borders Canada and Peace Dividend Trust for individuals to share mistakes or failures encountered in their work with the development community. Although the site hasn’t recorded a large number of failures since it went live, we need more initiatives like it.
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- Uncategorized
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Does ’the Cloud’ Have a Silver Lining for the Poor? New Sources of E-Transaction Data Hold Promise
Financial services firms in wealthy nations depend heavily on data to design their products and tailor products to consumers. A very basic example is using credit scores. This data-driven approach has been largely impossible for banks that would pursuing BoP customers. But that may be changing as several startup firms are gearing for launch.
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- Technology
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Why the Failure of the Nano Has Been a Success
The Tata Nano’s launch failed by nearly every measure, including highly publicized flame outs of just purchased cars. Yet the $2,000 Nano gave companies thinking about emerging segments in emerging markets something to talk about. The hype caused firms of many sizes and industries to plan or imagine how their products might someday reach the poor.
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- Finance
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1,300 Schools is a Good Start, but the True Learning Curve is Sustainable Livelihoods
The recent announcement of Aziz Premji Foundation (APF) to launch 1,300 schools across various districts in India is expected to improve the education scenario in many rural districts. Impressive as it is, focusing on access to education for children, instead of building sustainable incomes for their parents, may not be the bridge out of poverty.
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- Uncategorized
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Guest Post: Is it Immoral to Earn Attractive Profits from Poor Customers?
Should we crafting a be a business system that enhances the livelihoods of poor people without making a profit for outside investors? Or should it make a profit for investors as well as the poor people who are served by it? To me the answer is obvious.
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- Social Enterprise
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SELCO: A Business, Ongoing Case Study in Solar-Powered Social Impact
SELCO, a social enterprise traditionally focused on providing solar energy to the rural underserved, has launched a new urban model in India that has helped electrify a set of slum-dwelling households in Bangalore. The early success has been less about the feat of solar power in slums, and more about creating a ripple effect for social impact.
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- Energy, Impact Assessment
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Three Decades in the Making, How the Aravind Model Came into Focus
At the core of Aravind?s success is a strong culture of service, an attitude of daily work, not as a mechanical endeavor, but as work in service of self and community. This central ethic permeates the Aravind workforce and drives its mission. But how does a culture of service, where many patients are treated for free, add up to good business?
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- Health Care
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Housing Series: Establishing Quality Standards for Affordable Housing
Who enforces building standards? If customers are sold a home with sub-standard construction or materials - or their neighbor builds a dangerously unstable structure - what recourse do BoP citizens have? The certification prices we are developing is not a one-time "stamp of approval." Rather, it starts with pre-building and lasts over time.
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- Investing
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