These case studies from the World Resources Institute Digital Dividend go deeper into some of the most promising projects that use Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) to create social and economic benefits in poor communities throughout the developing world.

The studies provide a detailed description and analysis of each business model, the market segment in which it operates, its successes and challenges, potential replicability and scalability. If possible, the study also documents the social impact of the venture. Digital Dividends contracts teams of MBA students, under supervision of business school faculty, to research and write our business case studies, as they are uniquely suited to provide unbiased, professional assessments of the business models at low cost. Using MBA students has the added advantage of helping to interest a generation of future business leaders in microenterprise and global development issues.

For a more complete list of case studies, please view their updated Case Study Library on NextBillion.net.

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Case Study Summaries -- Latin America

PRODEM FFP's Multilingual Smart ATMs for Microfinance, Bolivia
Authors: Roberto Hernandez and Yerina Mugica. Digital Dividend Business Case Study, August 2003.

PRODEM FFP targets low-income communities and the entrepreneurs and micro- to medium-size enterprises that constitute Bolivia's informal economy, offering a wide range of savings, credit, and money transfer services. Its 65-branch network is the largest in the country and spans both urban and, especially, rural areas. To help them overcome barriers such as illiteracy, they have created a solution that employs smart cards, digital fingerprint recognition technology, and Smart ATMs, as well as stand-alone, voice-driven Smart ATMs in local languages with color-coded touch screens.

Go to Executive Summary or read the Full Case Study.




Voxiva, Peru
Authors: Cynthia Casas and William Lajoie. University of Michigan Business Case Study, December 2003.

In Peru, the for-profit Voxiva has developed and implemented a technology platform that enables medical professionals to collect data in real-time and communicate with one another in order to effect change based on the data. Rather than be constrained by rural Peru's low teledensity, Voxiva's Alerta project worked with the existing IT infrastructure to provide 24-hour, 365-days-per-year access to data, via text message or e-mail. Voxiva's flexible solution can be adopted by any end user - whether they are in a developed or developing country setting.

Read the Full Case Study.




What Works: Educar's Strategy for a Nation Connected & Learning
Author: Norissa Giangola. Digital Dividend Business Case Study, July 2001.

The Argentine Government and some dedicated entrepreneurs have set out to transform the national education system through the Educ.ar project. The goal is to provide a nationally and internationally competitive education to all Argentine students by connecting every Argentine school to the Internet, training every teacher in its use, and providing an entire national curriculum online. Educ.ar, structured as a novel public-private collaboration, is already being replicated in Chile and other Latin American countries.

Go to Executive Summary or read the Full Case Study.




What Works: The Infocentros Telecenter Model
Author: Yacine Khelladi. Digital Dividend Business Case Study, July 2001.

El Salvador's Infocentros has a business model that is unique among telecenter networks. Not only it is based on a sophisticated franchising approach, but each telecenter operates as an incubator for new businesses based on local content and knowledge. Successful businesses are replicated across the telecenter network, with Infocentros gaining a share of the revenue. Infocentros is an example of a development-centered ICT strategy based in a unique partnership between government and civil society.

Go to Executive Summary or read the Full Case Study.




ViaSebrae: E-Commerce Solution for Small Businesses in Brazil
Authors: Jason P. Hekl and Carlos Waack. Digital Dividend Business Case Study, June 2001.

There are approximately 4.5 million recognized small and micro enterprises (SMEs) operating in Brazil. Another 13.5 small million businesses operate informally. It is no surprise that a large majority of these businesses do not have access to digital technologies, specifically Internet tools. ViaSebrae is an e-commerce platform developed through a joint venture between a for-profit software company-Paradigma-and a non-profit organization-Sebrae/SC, the Santa Catarina unit of the Brazilian Association of Small and Micro Businesses (Sebrae). The ViaSebrae platform has enabled Brazilian small businesses to undertake e-commerce initiatives they could not otherwise afford.

Go to Executive Summary or read the Full Case Study.




Reprinted with permission from World Resources Institute -- Digital Dividend Project. Voxiva, Peru case study © University of Michigan Business School, 2003.

To read another Global Envision article about the value of Information Technology in developing countries, see What Can Computers do for the Poor?.

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