Law Without Lawyers
Timap for Justice trains ordinary citizens to provide legal assistance in a country—Sierra Leone—where legal professionals are scarce.
Poverty
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Lessons of an SSIR Blogger
A look back at government regulation, philanthropy, “social blank” movements, and third sector grit.
Is the UN Really Trying to Take Over the Internet?
A look at new proposals to change how our Internet is governed.
Is Business the New Charity?
Investing in small business and new ventures is a good thing and vital to our communities, but we must not confuse it with charity or strategic long-term social investment.
Afghanistan: Update from Sakena Yacoobi
Afghan Institute of Learning Founder Sakena Yacoobi helps women and children through teacher training and health education.
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Design Thinking for Social Innovation
By working closely with the clients and consumers, design thinking allows high-impact solutions to social problems to bubble up from below rather than being imposed from the top.
The Problem With Fair Trade Coffee
Fair Trade-certified coffee is growing in sales, but strict certification requirements are resulting in uneven economic advantages for coffee growers and lower quality coffee for consumers.
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.
In Microfinance, Clients Must Come First
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.
Romanticizing the Poor
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.