Global Issues
Anti-Poverty Engineers
Reducing poverty for people at the lower end of the scale would be more powerful than any other form of intervention.
Tag: Poverty
Understanding why people are poor and innovative ways to alleviate poverty
Podcast
Economic Development
Maria Eitel - Nike’s Efforts to Empower Young Girls
Nike has taken pains to clean up its act since the media brought public attention to human rights violations in its supplier factories in the 1990s. Through the Nike Foundation, the sports and fitness giant is taking a proactive approach to some of the world's most challenging social problems. In this audio lecture, Nike Foundation president Maria Eitel talks to a Stanford MBA audience about how the organization is focusing on creating economic opportunities for adolescent girls around the world as a means of alleviating poverty.
Economic Development
Is This the Silver Bullet?
Why narrowing the gap between the rich and poor could alleviate many social problems.
Microfinance
Micro-franchise Against Malaria
How for-profit clinics are healing and enriching the rural poor in Kenya.
Government
Crushing Corruption
To find out how best to stem corruption in development projects, a Harvard economist conducted a sophisticated experiment in 608 Javanese villages. His results challenge current wisdom: Send in the outside auditors, rather than rely on local monitors.
Podcast
Economic Development
Fazle H. Abed - Innovator for the Poor
The beginnings of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) were fraught with uncertainty. Initially surviving entirely on donations, it has since earned back two pennies for every one it has spent on welfare activities, and is today the largest, self-reliant international NGO, employing more than 97,000 people. In this audio lecture, Fazle Hasan Abed reminisces about the organization's humble beginnings and shares the organization's achievements.
Social Innovations
Microfinance Misses Its Mark
Despite the hoopla over microfinance, it doesn't cure poverty. But stable jobs do. If societies are serious about helping the poorest of the poor, they should stop investing in microfinance and start supporting large, labor-intensive industries.
Review
Economic Development
Review: Building Wealth
Building Wealth: The New Asset-Based Approach to Solving Social and Economic Problems
Podcast
Economic Development
Jessica Jackley Flannery - Redefining Microfinance in the Internet Era
Based in Silicon Valley, Kiva is an innovative social enterprise that uses the internet to connect lenders with small businesses around the world. In this audio interview, Jessica Flannery talks with Design for Change host Sheela Sethuraman about starting the organization, and reflects on some of the reasons for its rapid growth and success.