Blog posts
Displaying all posts from 2009
December 31, 2009
The next impact test for microfinance
Nice article today by Kristof in the New York Times.
December 14, 2009
The poor can pay
Fast Company recently profiled the pioneering work of MIT’s Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) (some of which we have partnered with them on). What struck me, though, was a comment by Rachel Glennerster of J-PAL.
December 11, 2009
Tweets of the week: 12/6 – 12/12
Follow us on Twitter: @financialaccess
12/7: Nice review of the book Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day. http://bit.ly/3UznuO #microfinance
December 11, 2009
Counting the unbanked
Last month we published a report revealing that half the world is unbanked: the tally counted 2.5 billion adults worldwide without a checking or savings account. Others have attempted this count in the past, but the margin of error has been large (plus or minus a half a billion). We thought it was time to try for a more exact estimate given how key the target is for policymakers.
December 10, 2009
When does insurance make sense?
In his useful assessment of microinsurance schemes, Paul Mosley proposes the idea of “quasi-insurance” – the provision of risk-protection through non-insurance routes such as loans and savings in markets where microinsurance is lacking or insufficient.
December 9, 2009
Setting new benchmarks for the impact of microfinance
What do we do now that two impact studies from the Philippines and India say that microfinance isn’t such a big deal after all? The Microfinance Working Group at Columbia took on this question in a panel on “Taking stock of microfinance: Does it really help the...
December 9, 2009
IPA Researchers in Superfreakonomics
Research on charitable giving by IPA President Dean Karlan and Research Affiliate John List is mentioned in Ian Ayres' review of the new Superfreakonomics.
December 8, 2009
Change for Sale
No, this isn't a blog about health care, or even reforming financial regulation. This blog is literally about change that is for sale.
December 4, 2009
Tweets of the week: 11/29 - 12/5
Follow us on Twitter: @financialaccess
11/30: An ongoing FAI impact study with Compartamos makes the news in Mexico: http://bit.ly/6NMZkQ #microfinance
November 30, 2009
Microfinance "Graduation" pilots are graduating
It’s no secret few MFIs have had much success mobilizing the “poorest of the poor” into their programs. This failure has remained a persistent irritant in an otherwise phenomenally successful industry.
Microfinance advocates have generally taken one of two approaches to the problem:
1) Press on with the spectacular growth approach, increasing financial access (a good thing) but doing little to help the very poor; or