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A microloan can help poor people in Bangladesh. What about New Jersey?
The Grameen Bank, one of the pioneers of microfinance, which has been operating its program in Bangladesh since the 1970s, released a study on one of its programs in New Jersey. The program works like this: Low-income women apply for a microloan as part of a small group, and all members of the group are accountable for ensuring each member makes payments.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- North America
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Viewpoint: The Problem With Opportunity Zones
The framework, funded in part by the Kresge Foundation, is an important first set of principles to guide this rapidly emerging market. But those principles are only as useful as their adoption.
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
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Press release: The PepsiCo Foundation Partners with CARE to Tackle Gender Inequality in Agriculture with an $18.2 Million Investment in She Feeds the World
Grant will provide resources and training to 5 million women farmers and their families worldwide to help them increase crop yields and income.
- Categories
- Agriculture
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Don’t Fall for the World Bank’s Bold Claims About Financial Inclusion and the SDGs
"It sounds so simple: Everyone gets access to financial services and – presto – the foundations for the SGDs will be laid." That's the key message Phil Mader and Maren Duvendack took away from World Bank economist Leora Klapper's recent NextBillion post. But that rosy scenario, they say, bears no resemblance to reality. In fact, according to their exhaustive new review of existing research, the inconvenient truth is that financial inclusion is not accelerating progress toward the SDGs – and isn't even fundamental for attaining them.
- Categories
- Finance
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Mexico pushes mobile payments to help unbanked consumers ditch cash
It is planning a digital payments system run and built by the central bank that will allow Mexicans to make and receive payments through their smartphones free of charge. A pilot roll-out for the platform, known as CoDi, is expected by March.
- Categories
- Finance
- Region
- Latin America
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Bill Gates tweeted out a chart and sparked a huge debate about global poverty
I think the basic fact that we’ve made progress in recent decades is important. Politics and the global economy are dismal places, especially if you only see them through the lens of news coverage. It’s easy to become fatalistic.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Press release: CFSI & AARP Foundation Survey: Today’s Low- to Moderate-Income Adults Over 50 Face Difficult Financial Challenges
“For too many low-income older adults, the later years are a source of stress instead of something to look forward to,” said Lisa Marsh Ryerson, president of AARP Foundation. “AARP Foundation works across sectors to develop new, sustainable solutions so vulnerable older adults can achieve a more financially stable future.”
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- Finance
- Region
- North America
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‘Appeasement Reporting’ in Development Projects: Satisfying Donors at the Expense of Beneficiaries
“Appeasement reporting” is a common practice among development organizations, says Richard Tinsley. The term refers to their tendency to slant donor reporting, making all projects appear successful and concealing any failures or lack of beneficiary interest. This appeases donors hoping for impactful projects – but it has a detrimental effect on beneficiaries, future projects and the organizations involved. Tinsley explores the causes and consequences of this practice, using the example of farmer co-ops for smallholders.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Impact Assessment
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