Social Innovations

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Credit to the Poor

By Muhammad Yunus & William Fuller

Muhammad Yunus was getting nowhere in Bangladesh – so he opened his own bank.

The Teachers Parents Want

By Kari Lyderson

When parents have more school districts to choose from, schools are forced to hire teachers with more math and science skills who work harder and come from more selective colleges.

Filling the Performance Gap

By Christine W. Letts & William P. Ryan

The authors provide answers to three questions about the increasingly popular and controversial funding approach called high engagement, or venture philanthropy. What do grantees gain from it? How does it work? And should we encourage it?

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Drowning in Data - Thumbnail

Drowning in Data

By Alana Conner Snibbe 9

Funders are calling for more program evaluation, but nonprofits are often collecting dubious data, at great cost to themselves and ultimately to the people they serve.

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.