Poverty

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Podcast

Randy Wang - Education Through Community Participation

If you had to design a system to improve the quality of education in distant underprivileged schools, where would you begin? You might first step away from the problem and ask: What is the simplest "system" that could work in the real world? In this audio interview with host Sheela Sethuraman, Randy Wang describes his motivation to create Digital StudyHall, a collection of mundane technologies that have dramatically improved long distance education. He also talks about his progress and goals.

Podcast

Panel Discussion - Strategies to End Hunger

A food crisis is upon us. Prices are rising, supply is shrinking, and petroleum prices are spiking, all leading to increasing demand and instability regarding food in countries the world over. In this panel discussion, Robert Hormats, Helene Gayle, and Jacqueline Novogratz discuss what the financial sector, NGOs, and small farmers must do to reverse this alarming situation.

Of Kids and Dogs

By Kelly Kleiman 2

As charitable causes are brought to the forefront by the release of movies like Slumdog Millionaire, questions of how intent should impact charitable decisions arise.

No Profit for Her

By Alana Conner

Research shows that men may be more effective than woman at utilizing microfinance investments.

Turn on the TV, Class

By Jennifer Roberts

Poor children can watch rich children's better school classes on TV.

Most Popular

Microfinance Misses Its Mark - Thumbnail

Microfinance Misses Its Mark

By Aneel Karnani 46

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.

In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First - Thumbnail

In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First

By Srikant M. Datar, Marc J. Epstein, & Kristi Yuthas 20

Few microfinance institutions articulate what, exactly, their ultimate goals are and how to achieve them. If the goal of microfinance is to alleviate poverty, the authors say, then MFIs should focus on helping their clients build successful enterprises, rather than on making more and bigger loans.

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Romanticizing the Poor

By Aneel Karnani 17

Market solutions to poverty, which include services and products targeting consumers at the “bottom of the pyramid,” portray poor people as creative entrepreneurs and discerning consumers. Yet this rosy view of poverty-stricken people is not only wrong, but also harmful.

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