Week of June 1, 2015

1. Income Volatility: Insights into employment opportunities in the "sharing economy" (and research from US Financial Diaries)  provide evidence that "life is no longer a matter of having or losing a job, but of stitching together a comfortable and secure quilt from a colourful range of fabrics."  The Globe and Mail 

2. US Poverty: Will a new "reality" show where families facing financial hardship play a version of the dictator game, judging how "worthy" another family is to receive a share of $101,000, undermine persistent myths and prejudices about low-income households, or is it just an incredibly crass, deplorable, and exploitative gimmick? The Nation

3. Financial Inclusion: IFMR research drives home the point that no matter what "inclusion initiatives" are launched, the behavior of agents will have a huge effect on whether accounts are opened and used in India. IFMR

4. Mobile Money: The mobile money landscape in Kenya is shifting - from a network of almost purely mobile money agents, to one where bank agents also have a significant market presence. This transformation could potentially mean more services and lower fees for customers. Helix Institute

5. Microinsurance: Can mobile tech improve the four key areas of microinsurance--marketing, pricing, distribution and product design--enough to make microinsurance mainstream? Dalberg/CGAP

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