1. Microcredit: Easing liquidity constraints of smallholder farmers during the hungry season may help break the cycle of inadequate crop yields and low-wage off-labor farm work by helping to smooth consumption (with the added bonus of raising local wages!). Jobs Knowledge Platform
2. African Financial Markets: African banks continue to expand their regional footprints, which creates an interesting policy balancing act - how to reap the benefits of financial integration while protecting systems against "cross-border contagion and fragility." The World Bank: All About Finance Blog
3. Income Distributions: Africa’s middle class doubled in the last 30 years - but the poor and rich classes grew as well, so income distributions have gone largely unchanged. The New York Times
4. Behavioral Economics: "We are being manipulated and nudged all the time–not only by media or businesses, but also by each other. The process is inevitable. Criticising nudging is like criticising electromagnetism or gravity – the best we can do is be aware of the forces at work, to understand them and to make people widely aware of them." The Behavioral Economics Guide 2014
5. Financial Literacy: Only 24% of Americans could correctly identify the best choice for long-term investments in a recent poll. Click to find out if you know the right answer! Vox
Source: Twitter
Editor's Note:
If you were hoping that the faiV would be a pleasant distraction from the overwhelming flow of AI-related content, sorry. For the record, the faiV had “ai” built in before Anthropic existed. And a housekeeping note: we’ve finally jumped ship from Mailchimp to NYU’s mailing platform—I guess if you’re reading this it’s been a seamless transition and if you’re not, well, you’re not. Feedback on the faiV’s content and format and delivery methods is always welcome, just drop me an email.
- Tim Ogden