February 6, 2012
January 31, 2012
January 9, 2012
January 6, 2012
March 31, 2010
Adventures in online advertising, part I
We at IPA have recently been delving into the world of online advertising to help us spread the gospel of rigorous impact research. Being who we are, we could not resist this opportunity to run a field experiment. We designed one that would help us optimize our advertising strategy while also settling an important score: which academic institution's rep pulls the most weight in cyberspace? Our ad was simple:
Poverty Research
Breakthroughs to Fight Poverty
March 30, 2010
The Self-Help Group Microfinance Model
This month Frances Sinha is writing about lessons from her important new book, Microfinance Self-Help Groups in India: Living Up to Their Promise. This post introduces the book.
Themes:
Credit
March 29, 2010
Why aren't SHGs all the rage? (And why I'm excited about Frances Sinha's new book)
The number of people getting financial services through self-help groups (SHGs) in India is staggering. The most recent figure I've seen counts over 40 million customers. The number is enormous - perhaps a quarter of all microfinance customers worldwide. Given the number is so big, you'd imagine that SHG experts would give the leading keynote addresses at international conferences. You'd think
Themes:
Credit
March 23, 2010
Stuart Rutherford reacts to the Sa-Dhan National Microfinance Conference
Stuart Rutherford is the author of The Poor and Their Money, and founder of SafeSave, a microfinance institution in Bangladesh.
Themes:
Big Picture
March 19, 2010
Weekly Tweets for 3/14 – 3/20
Follow us on Twitter @financialaccess
3/19: Financial architect finds out how the poor live on $2 a day http://bit.ly/a7bUfq #microfinance
March 18, 2010
Indian edition of Portfolios of the Poor now available
The Indian edition of the ground-breaking new book, Portfolios of the Poor: How the World's Poor Live on $2 a Day is now available in bookstores and online. Co-author Stuart Rutherford spoke on the book at the annual Sa-Dhan conference in Delhi.
Themes:
Big Picture
March 12, 2010
Beyond Kiva
In October, David Roodman hit a nerve when he drew attention to the fact that Kiva’s lenders were investing in loans already issued by microfinance institutions, instead of directly lending to specific borrowers, as many Kiva lenders believed.
Themes:
Credit
March 12, 2010
Weekly Tweets: 3/7 - 3/13
Follow us on Twitter @financialaccess
3/12: Last Day to help #microfinance in America. http://bit.ly/d4ArrE - It's Easy. VOTE and spread the word!
March 11, 2010
The role of microfinance in dealing with disasters
A recent Newsweek article praises the role of microcredit in disaster recovery. The piece singles out Fonkoze, the leading microfinance institution in Haiti, for their ability to get cash to its clients while bigger banks remained paralyzed. The article suggests that a new role for microfinance is to help economies respond to shattering tragedies like the Haitian earthquake.
Themes:
Product Design
March 1, 2010
First insights from Mongolian microfinance impact study
The blog over at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) recently featured a post by Senior Economist Ralph De Haas, who describes a randomized evaluation of microfinance in Mongolia that recently completed fieldwork. Although analysis is ongoing, with full results expected in July o