Economic Development
The Ambiguous Rise of Microfinance
Two recent books explore the modern prominence of the global financial-inclusion agenda and argue about how it got there.
Review
Tag: Financial Inclusion
Philanthropy & Funding
Building the Refugee Economy
As humanitarian aid agencies buckle under the collapse of financial support, the private sector must step in to invest in refugees and integrate them into the economy. We review three models of success and offer investment strategies. | This article is free to all readers thanks to sponsorship by the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia.
Philanthropy & Funding
The Struggle to Make Corporate Philanthropy Inclusive
A Brazilian law to promote more inclusive corporate philanthropy failed to direct more money to underserved communities.
Economic Development
A New Blueprint for Financing Community Development
The traditional model of community development finance is limited by market conservatism and a focus on scale, rather than local control. We need a new paradigm that prioritizes impact over scale, emphasizes flexible and creative financing strategies, and empowers community voice. | Open access to this article is made possible by The Center for Community Investment, a sponsored project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.
Economic Development
Harnessing the Potential of Remittances
Lessons and strategies for developing countries
Excerpt
Economic Development
Leaving Money on the Table
An excerpt from There’s Nothing Micro about a Billion Women on how financial service providers can reduce inequality and build a more inclusive world by better serving women customers.
Philanthropy & Funding
Reimagining the Request for Proposal
As currently structured, requests for proposal (RFPs) are counterproductive to social change efforts. We must redesign granting systems to empower the communities in which we work.
Collaboration
Building Blended Finance in India
While blended finance has the potential to accelerate development in India, there are bottlenecks holding back its potential.
Impact Investing
Democratizing Capital
New laws enabling ordinary people to become equity investors have the potential to uplift marginalized communities, if the new market creates the infrastructure to include them.
Scaling
The Promise of Social Sector Franchising
The massive growth of commercial franchises like McDonald’s offers inspiration for scaling social impact. Although still very young, social sector franchising is spawning an array of successful enterprises that offer lessons for further expansion.