Blog

Our Staff Writers and Editors offer insights on the latest news, events, interviews and other happenings from the development through enterprise and base of the pyramid universes

12 Articles

Update on the Base of the Pyramid Space in Asia

Reporting from Kathmandu, I wanted to update our readers on events and resources in the Asia region. What follows is a list with links and more to help you navigate the latest in Asia.

What's MTV got to do with it? Mainstream Media and International Development

News stories have been popping up lately about supermodels, actors, musicians and their pet causes. What do you think? Does having Angelina Jolie or Turlington's face plastered across a billboard or magazine cause people to disengage and not take the very stark reality of the lives of those at the BOP seriously?

E+Co's Invisible Schoolhouse and the (Online) BoP Ecosystem

E+Co, a leading clean energy investor for the BoP, recently announced the launch of their latest initiative, the Invisible Schoolhouse. When I learned of it, I was reminded of several other online portals connecting entrepreneurs, experts, consumers, and more.

Why We Help: A Meditation on "Giving"

There are dozens of motives for people to work in the business of development and I've been pondering the psychology of "giving" and what drives people to want to work in international aid, donate to charities, work for non-profits, and generally work in an environment where there is a heightened desire to help others. So what drives you?

The Dark Side of Remittance Economies

In Development and Base of the Pyramid circles, we often discuss remittance economies and innovative ways to send remittances home; what we don't always think or talk about is what forces people to leave their home countries in the first place and what they experience when they go abroad.

From the Field: Nepal's Power

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world; GDP per capita is $1,100, 65% of women are illiterate, and unemployment is 42%. It is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of hydro power potential, but less than 1% of that potential has been developed; the country is, ironically, in talks with India to buy power from them.

Key Takeaways from "We Media 2009": A Branding Challenge for our Space?

Two weeks ago I attended the We Media conference as a We Media Fellow. The conference made me think a lot about the state of the "development through enterprise" community and us entrepreneurs working to fight poverty through innovative, private-sector-lead solutions. I'll share with you themes from the conference as well as my key takeaways.

iBoP Asia: Science and Technology Innovations for the Base of the Pyramid

iBoP Asia recently announced the winners of their first small grants competition and the second competition is coming up soon. I wanted to highlight the grants program for our readers at NextBillion, as I know that many of you have the ideas they are looking for.

President Obama and the NextBillion.net Agenda for the Base of the Pyramid: Part 2

There has been a lot of buzz about new models of foreign aid and the role of social entrepreneurs since our post on President Obama and the NextBillion.net Agenda for the Base of the Pyramid. Guest blogger Apoorva Shah also shared some great points about the important actors in aid reform,...

President Obama and the NextBillion.net Agenda for the Base of the Pyramid

Not much has been written here on NextBillion.net about the election of Barack Obama to the American Presidency, as our news scope centers on base of the pyramid approaches to development in developing countries. However, I felt compelled to link the two together as we near Inauguration day...