http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2007/02/12/bop-skeptics-and-todays-news Comments for "BOP Skeptics and Today's News" en http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2007/02/12/bop-skeptics-and-todays-news <p style="padding: 5px; float: left;"><img src="http://www.nextbillion.net/files/images/Aneel Karnani.jpg" alt="" title="" class="image img_assist_custom" width="75" height="100" /></p>Today has been a very interesting day in terms of BOP news and notes. First, I heard from Professor Aneel Karnani at the University of Michigan. Many remember his paper, &quot;<a href="/blogs/2006/08/21/mirage-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid">Mirage at the Bottom of the Pyramid</a>,&quot; and <a href="/blogs/2006/08/31/prahalad-responds-to-mirage-at-the-bottom-of-the-pyramid">C.K. Prahalad&#39;s subsequent response</a>. Professor Karnani sent me a link to his <a href="http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=958087">latest working paper</a>, a case study on Fair &amp; Lovely Whitening Cream that continues his pointed criticism of the BOP hypothesis. We will have full coverage of the new paper here on NextBillion in the coming days; those interested are encouraged to download and read the paper in full before weighing in. A brief excerpt:<br /><br /> <blockquote>This paper shows that Fair &amp; Lovely is indeed doing well; it is one of the more profitable brands in Unilever and HLL&#39;s portfolios. It is, however, debatable whether it is doing good. We...demonstrate Fair &amp; Lovely&#39;s negative implications for public welfare. We conclude with thoughts on how to reconcile this divergence between private profits and public welfare.<br /> </blockquote> <br />Next, I was pointed to a new blog, <a href="http://www.changingthepyramid.org/">Changing The Pyramid</a>, which, according to the inaugural post, &quot;was founded on the belief that there is not enough critical discussion of what &#39;the experts&#39; claim are the latest and greatest of policies, paradigms, and panaceas; and that only through a critical lens can the most effective solutions come to light.&quot; So far, <a href="http://changingthepyramid.org/2007/02/06/yunus-vs-phelps--entrepreneurship.aspx">topics</a> <a href="http://changingthepyramid.org/2007/02/09/how-new-is-prahalads-new-social-compact.aspx">covered</a> <a href="http://changingthepyramid.org/2007/02/12/insuring-the-bop.aspx">at</a> Changing the Pyramid closely resemble the news and blog content here at NextBillion, but with a fresh, critical angle. Welcome to the small community of bloggers in this space, CtP; I look forward to hearing your views in the coming days and months. A more complete list of other BOP blogs and web sites can be found in our Blogroll.<br /><br />Finally, there&#39;s some big BOP news out there - NextBillion alum Ethan Arpi pointed me to a story in The Atlantic (subscription required), <a href="/newsroom/2007/02/12/the-ten-cent-solution">The Ten-Cent Solution</a>, which highlights the efficacy and pervasiveness of low-cost private schools for BOP pupils. That a low-income household would allocate scarce resources towards tuition instead of settling for a lower-quality public school does not surprise me, but James Tooley&#39;s empirical research (<a href="/blogs/2006/12/05/private-schools-for-the-poor">discussed</a> <a href="/blogs/2006/12/07/private-schools-for-the-poor-ii">before</a> at NextBillion) puts it in perspective.<br /><br />(This post continues past the break; click &quot;Read More&quot; to continue)<br /><br class="clear" /><p><a href="http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2007/02/12/bop-skeptics-and-todays-news">read more</a></p> http://www.nextbillion.net/blogs/2007/02/12/bop-skeptics-and-todays-news#comment Miscellaneous Strategy Mon, 12 Feb 2007 17:20:20 -0500 Rob Katz 3849 at http://www.nextbillion.net