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Innovating for Sustainable Data Collection: Generating ‘Gold Standard’ Survey Data – For 75% Less Cost
Traditional face-to-face surveys are regarded as the gold standard in financial inclusion. But sending surveyors out into excluded communities is expensive, and long surveys can result in cognitive fatigue and lower data quality. Grant Robertson at insight2impact (i2i) discusses a more sustainable approach i2i has developed, which uses a mixed-mode data collection strategy and statistical techniques to generate data of equivalent quality, for far less expense.
- Categories
- Finance
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‘Afro-Optimism’ on the Rise Among Continent’s Youth, Finds Survey
Ivor Ichikowitz, chairman of the Ichikowitz Family Foundation, which commissioned the survey, said the results “are a loud wake-up call to all the Afro-sceptics”.
- Categories
- Technology
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Tags
- global development, research, youth
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Expanding Impact and Emerging Risks in Off-Grid Energy: 10 Customer Insights – And Five Calls to Action
Social impact measurement is often a balancing act between generating rich, meaningful insights – and getting lost in the details. 60 Decibels aims to strike that balance with its first impact performance report, “Why Off Grid Energy Matters,” based on over 35,000 interviews with customers of 49 off-grid energy companies in 17 countries. Kat Harrison and Sasha Dichter explore some highlights, ranging from hyper-specific insights on customer impact, to sector-wide risks and gaps.
- Categories
- Energy, Impact Assessment
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Sizing the ‘Grey Economy’: Using Geospatial Data to Uncover the True Extent of the MSME Sector in Emerging Markets
The micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) sector is a major employer in many emerging economies – but exactly how big? And how many jobs is it producing? According to Obert Maposa at FinMark Trust, those are hard questions to answer – but advancements in technology and geospatial data modeling are improving our understanding of the sector. He explores how FinMark Trust has leveraged these tools in Malawi, and why the model holds promise for other countries.
- Categories
- Uncategorized
- Tags
- business development, data, MSMEs, research
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Optimism, Confusion and Soul-Searching: The Financial Inclusion Compass 2019 Reveals a Sector at an Inflection Point
It's not your imagination: Financial inclusion is getting more complex. As Sam Mendelson at e-MFP points out, the sector expands in depth and breadth each year – from new products and players to increased expectations of impact. To cut through the confusion, e-MFP publishes The Financial Inclusion Compass, a report based on a broad survey of stakeholders, who share their views on the sector’s present and future. He discusses some highlights from the 2019 report.
- Categories
- Finance
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Press Release: New Investments and Research Indicate Multi-Trillion Dollar Market for Climate Restoration Through Carbon-Capture
"Together, we must rapidly deploy natural and technological solutions to remove gigatons of carbon dioxide from our air, restore ocean ecosystems, and preserve Arctic ice, while dramatically reducing emissions and adapting to climate change impacts," said Dr. Khagram. "Climate restoration is the critical third pillar of climate action alongside climate mitigation and adaptation."
- Categories
- Environment
- Tags
- climate change, research
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Press Release: New RCT Reveals That Liberia Significantly Improves Primary School Learning Outcomes in Three Years
A new independent three year study released today shows that Liberia’s innovative public private partnership (PPP) – the Liberian Education Advancement Program (LEAP) – has significantly improved learning outcomes for children across the country.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Do Surveys Fall Short? Solving the Challenge of Predicting Mini-Grid Energy Usage in Africa
Half of Africa’s population is living without electricity, and mini-grids could connect at least 100 million of these 600 million people. But mini-grid developers struggle to profitably serve these potential customers, due in part to the difficulty of accurately forecasting their electricity demand. Analysts at CrossBoundary explore why this process is so complex and prone to inaccuracy, why surveying customers is often ineffective – and what can be done about it.
- Categories
- Energy, Technology
- Tags
- data, energy access, off-grid energy, research