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Africa Election Watch 2011: Niger
One of the biggest determinants of living standards for those at the base of the pyramid too often receives scant attention in the Western press: a presidential election. In 2011, 14 countries in sub-Saharan Africa will hold presidential elections. The next presidential election in Africa will take place in Niger, on March 12.
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- Uncategorized
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Bananas Over Corporate Governance: The 2011 Banana Skins Survey
In the recently published Microfinance Banana Skins 2011, subtitled "Losing its fairy dust," the third annual survey polls microfinance practitioners, investors, analysts, regulators, and other experts on the top risks facing the industry worldwide. Corporate governance is ranked the fourth highest risk - up from seventh a year ago.
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- Uncategorized
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Aftershocks of Egypt and Social Enterprise’s Role
Throughout the Muslim world, echoes of the Egyptian chant "Leave, Leave, Leave" fall on far-from-deaf ears. The simple fact that pumping fists in Tunisia preceded pitchforks in Egypt is a harbinger of the aftershocks to come. The burden is on enterprise to ensure that when the dust does finally settle, those very US dollars start to flow freely.
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- Education, Social Enterprise
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- governance
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In Haiti, the Fonkoze Model of Social Evolution – Part 2
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a two-part series on Fonkoze’s operations following last year’s earthquake in Haiti. New Fonkoze clients pay a one-time membership fee for life, and they quickly encounter an organization structure designed to communicate to them what a democratic institution looks like.
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Get In Line, Tunisia: Why This is Only the Beginning
While economists and policymakers may debate the exact nature of the relationship between poverty and corruption, it seems that the world’s poorest citizens have already made the connection, such as when they lose a job to a family member of the ruling elite. Tunisia’s protests are the latest demonstration of global frustration with corruption.
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- Uncategorized
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- governance
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Best Ideas of 2010: Bringing Change to the Bottom with Change at the Top
If poor governance in places like Africa has been one of the primary impediments to development, national elections there have often provided little cause for hope. But this time, the international community is not playing along.
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- Impact Assessment
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How to Save Microfinance from the Indian Government
Microfinance is on the brink of collapse in Andhra Pradesh and across India, but the market for banking to the ultra poor will not disappear. Therefore, the time is ripe for a discussion about the core competency of microfinance and what institutions will fill this void in the coming years, be they for profit or not.
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- Uncategorized
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Civilizing the ’Wild West’ of Microfinance
Every emerging industry that has survived to transform the world has had to emerge from its "Wild West" phase ? a sort of testing period where ideas are thrown against the wall to see what sticks and what ends up bouncing right back in its face. After a few decades, perhaps microfinance has reached that defining moment.
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- Uncategorized
- Tags
- governance, microfinance
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