Writing during the US’s dismal performance at the World Cup, David Brooks, liberals’ favorite conservative, threw a low blow in an attempt to level the playing field. “No American player has managed to put a ball into the back of the net, but the U.S. team does lead the world in one vital category: college degrees.” Indeed, Mr. Brooks’s assessment of American academic superiority on the soccer field is correct. But after trumpeting the link between this country’s academic and economic accomplishments, Brooks fails to mention that the United States is also a global leader in many other fields, including green house gas emissions. What cheerleaders of the American economy like Brooks often overlook is that our economic success has been a pyrrhic victory resulting in immeasurable costs to our environment. For countries now starting down the path of development, the history of American capitalism raises many interesting questions about the future of our planet. Among them are these: Is economic growth inextricably linked to environmental degradation? If not, how can developing nations go right where the US has gone wrong?

The second part of NextBillion’s interview with Kiva focuses two issues that drive the organization’s success: Kiva’s value proposition within the greater microfinance community and strong partnerships that connect Kiva to its entrepreneurs. As many of you have read, microfinance has a fair number of critics, like NextBillion’s Rob Katz who recently wrote, “Realists know the truth – it (microfinance) suffers from high interest, misrepresentation of repayment rates, poor risk management, and insufficient scale.” Yet, one can not ignore the potentially transformative role small business can play in developing countries. The beauty of Kiva is its ability to address some of the most damaging charges leveled against microfinance by allowing MFI’s to lower interest rates and offer additional services to its entrepreneurs, all while remaining self sustainable. How? The key is excellent partners and the lower cost of capital Kiva provides them (2% vs. 12% industry average).