Week of November 2, 2015

1. Impact Evaluations:  David McKenzie's new paper on matching grant evaluations is really about drawing lessons from not implementing research. Development Impact Blog

2. Credit Scoring: An in-depth look at products that use non-financial data to predict creditworthiness in emerging markets reviews the challenges they face and the experiences of early adopters.  Omidyar Network

3. Housing Finance:  A new report draws upon survey data from 48 financial institutions from around the world to sketch a picture of the current state of housing microfinance. While demand for housing finance is strong and growing, implementation challenges to offering products that work well for poor clients remain. Habitat for Humanity

4. Financial Inclusion: It's FI2020 week! If you missed the events or conversations, CFI has a good recap of highlights from around the world. CFI

5. Assets and Savings: Distinctions such as middle and upper-middle class used to be synonymous with security and savings. However, that is changing. A growing demographic in America is the "income rich-ish and the asset poor." Quartz