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Can Microfinance Help Boost Sanitation Coverage?
The time when microfinance was seen as the miracle cure to lift people out of poverty is long gone. The funding crisis in India in 2010 and evidence of mixed impacts from microfinance have contributed to a greater understanding of both its strengths and weaknesses. While microfinance is usually associated with income generation, rather than taps and toilets, growing evidence shows that it could be a solution for funding sanitation facilities in developing countries.
- Categories
- Health Care
- Region
- South Asia
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Venture Capital Investing Boom Neglects Startups Tackling Poverty
The venture capital investing boom has sent billions of dollars to startups that serve the upper crust of society, yet many VCs continue to resist investing in viable businesses bringing toilets, water and electricity to the rural poor.
- Categories
- Investing
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Can randomized trials eliminate global poverty?
A new generation of economists is trying to transform global development policy through the power of randomized controlled trials.
- Categories
- Health Care
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MasterCard Foundation to Invest in Ugandan Companies
Uganda is among eight countries set to receive USD50m (Sh177b) by the Master Card Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity to fund innovations aimed at improving access to finance in rural populations in sub Saharan Africa.
- Categories
- Agriculture, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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OPINION: I spent a weekend at Google talking with nerds about charity. I came away … worried.
In the beginning, "effective altruism" was mostly about fighting global poverty. Now it's becoming more and more about funding computer science research to forestall an artificial intelligence–provoked apocalypse.
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INTERVIEW: GiveDirectly co-founder, on what its $25M grant will mean for cash transfers to the poor
A Q&A with GiveDirectly co-founder Paul Niehaus, on how GiveDirectly hopes to improve individual lives and reshape international giving.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment
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Mexico’s Anti-Poverty Programmes Are Losing the Battle
While most of Latin America has been reducing poverty, Mexico is moving in the other direction: new official figures reflect an increase in the number of poor in the last two years, despite the billions of dollars channeled into a broad range of programmes aimed at combating the problem.
- Region
- Latin America
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Defining ‘Good Practices’ in Microfinance: Smart Campaign Director Isabelle Barrès addresses the thorny issues of profits and pricing – and discusses its next steps
The Smart Campaign was launched to promote customer protection in microfinance – most notably by certifying the practices of participating MFIs. But critics have taken issue with the profits and pricing of some certified institutions. The campaign's director, Isabelle Barrès, responds to these criticisms, and discusses its next steps, in part two of our Q&A.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment