Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Sustained-growth-with-equity-is-needed-to-halve-poverty-in-Africa.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Sustained-growth-with-equity-is-needed-to-halve-poverty-in-Africa.html Researchers predict that many African countries will not reach the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of halving extreme poverty by 2015. Will accelerated economic growth or better income distribution be most helpful in getting African countries get back on track to achieve the MDG poverty target? http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Gone-with-the-Flow.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Gone-with-the-Flow.html Are free capital bonanzas good for development? http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Measuring-and-managing-social-performance.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Measuring-and-managing-social-performance.html In recent years donors and practitioners have demonstrated a renewed interest in and commitment to understanding how to reach poor people effectively, assess their level of poverty, and judge the social performance of MFIs. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/A-participatory-learning-system-for-microfinance.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/A-participatory-learning-system-for-microfinance.html A key objective for impact assessment of microfinance programmes is 'internal learning' by field staff and programme managers about what is working, what is not working and why, in order to improve programme operations. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Assessing-social-performance-costeffectively.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Assessing-social-performance-costeffectively.html Many MFIs have an explicit social mission that goes beyond profitability such as reducing poverty and exclusion by providing good quality, reasonably priced and sustainable financial services to poor people who are normally excluded from regular banking systems. The link between microfinance services and poverty reduction, however, is far from simple. Positive impacts cannot be taken for granted. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Threats-opportunities-and-incentives-for-propoor-innovation.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Threats-opportunities-and-incentives-for-propoor-innovation.html Many advocates of pro-poor innovation fear a globalised world that is exploited by large corporate enterprises and powerful countries, now including China and India. Perceived threats include loss of local knowledge and powerlessness of low income economies and their enterprises in the face of cheap goods produced elsewhere. Pro-poor innovations, such as drought- or disease-resistant crops or effective and cheap drugs are often not prioritised. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Microenterprise-and-the-mobile-divide.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Microenterprise-and-the-mobile-divide.html New benefits and old inequalities in Nigeria's informal sector http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Mobile-phones-and-development.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Mobile-phones-and-development.html The future in new hands? http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Towards-propoor-innovation.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Towards-propoor-innovation.html Putting public value into science and technology http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Managing-tradeoffs.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1681/Managing-tradeoffs.html Achieving both profitability and strong social performance is the ultimate promise of microfinance. It is not impossible, but neither is it easy, and relatively few micro-lenders are there yet.