NextBillion brings together the community of business leaders, social entrepreneurs, NGOs, policy makers, and academics who want to explore the connection between development and enterprise.
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
June 15, 2006 — 11:49 am
Since it was announced in April of last year, MIT's One Laptop per Child initiative has received a great deal of media attention, as well as some healthy skepticism. Questions were raised about the $100 laptop on NextBillion here and here. I hadn't heard much recently about the project...
June 6, 2006 — 04:19 pm
I just read a news story describing how microfinance schemes in Ghana (and the banks providing them) are being undermined by a refusal to repay loans. According to the article, "The microfinance programme, which is the bedrock of rural banks, is being thwarted due to the attitude of some...
May 24, 2006 — 03:44 pm
I’ve just posted up several recent news stories about financing for SME development. Most of these came from the Business in Development Network, which promotes poverty reduction through entrepreneurship in developing countries. The group maintains a great newsroom for those interested in...
May 23, 2006 — 05:54 pm
In his 1997 book, The Innovator's Dilemma, Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen showed that an upstart with an innovation that disrupts existing business models can beat out the big guys nearly every time. What's more, he said, venerable companies seal their doom by...
May 18, 2006 — 02:25 pm
Wi-Fi phones are taking off! According to a report by Infonetics Research, the global market for Wi-Fi phones rose 76 percent in 2005 to $102.5 million, and will reach $1.9 billion in 2009. The number of units shipped rose 112 percent last year, and will increase by 158 percent this year. These...
May 15, 2006 — 05:10 pm
While browsing through the booths at last week’s Development Marketplace (DM), I rediscovered an organization that had been inspired by the competition. GlobalGiving was founded by the same World Bank executives who created the Development Marketplace in 2000. Encouraged by its initial...
May 10, 2006 — 02:38 pm
The World Bank’s Development Marketplace (DM) competition took place in Washington this week. Begun in 1998, and held in DC about once every 18 months, DM is “a competitive grant program that funds innovative, small-scale development projects that deliver results and show potential to be...
May 8, 2006 — 03:24 pm
The BBC reported last week about a new device being marketed to purify water in developing countries. The LifeStraw looks like a large plastic flute, and contains internal filters that remove bacteria from the water as it is drunk. The device is priced at around $3.50, and is designed to purify...
May 6, 2006 — 10:07 am
Every year, smoke from traditional stoves fueled by wood is responsible for 1.5 million deaths. Sub-Saharan Africa and South East Asia are particularly affected. Now a new report from the World Health Organization makes the business case for investing in cleaner household fuels. The report...
April 24, 2006 — 03:57 pm
I was just reading through the new issue of Co-Creations, the e-Newsletter by the Kenyan Development Network Consortium (KDNC). Amidst informative articles about sustainable eco-tourism and the current state of ICT development in Kenya is a fascinating piece about the provision of appropriate...
