Informal Economy

share

Youth Skills

Why financial inclusion for youth will raise all economic boats

Groups fighting for financial inclusion and youth employment united in Morocco. Will their findings promote progress?

Kenyan dairy farmers using iCow saw an increase in profits and milk production. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gatesfoundation/6775839248/">Gates Foundation (flickr)</a>

share

In Kenya, a mobile dairy app drives profits skyward

A relatively new mobile app has helped dairy farmers in Kenya increase their profits by 42 percent.

Billions of dollars are zooming around the world from one wallet to another. Photo: <a href="http://worldbank.tumblr.com/post/36217284197/which-developing-countries-received-the-most?cid=EXT_TWBN_D_EXT">The World Bank</a>

share

Mobile Technology

Follow the [mobile?] money

According to a new World Bank report, most remittances are flowing to India, China, the Philippines, Mexico and Nigeria, most of it in cold, hard cash.

A young women working the fields in Egypt Photo: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/oxfamnovib/6257022866/sizes/m/in/photostream/”> oxfamnovib (Flickr)</a>.

share

Financial Inclusion

A small step for science, a giant leap for unemployed youth

As the youth unemployment rate closes in on 25 percent in the Middle East, young people are looking for jobs, and governments are looking for innovative ways to create them.

As an insurance holder, she knows the next big storm won't wipe out all her assets. Photo: Fabiola Coupet/Mercy Corps

share

Inside microinsurance, a view from Haiti

As Tropical Storm Isaac hit Haiti in late August, all eyes were watching to see whether the country would be overwhelmed by the latest storm.

Hauling a load of jute to market may lose some luster if Bangladesh fails to cope with global trade fluctuations <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelfoleyphotography/392624379/sizes/o/in/photostream/">Flickr, Michael Foley Photography</a>

share

Globalization at work: Sanctions on Iran threaten Bangladesh's cash crop

Hanging from the world trade network by a thread: developing economies are easily rocked by regional events that profoundly alter the marketplace.

A Jakarta street vendor sells fried tofu. Informally employed tofu and tempeh workers are a major force in Indonesia's economy. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tommyna/5311474069/in/photostream/">Tommy N. Armansyah (Flickr)</a>

share

Better tofu and tempe labels give Indonesian food firms a reason to clean up their act

With the population of the world's urban areas exploding, creative city planning and design is more important and vibrant than ever. Photo: <a href="http://www.designother90.org/cities/solutions/10x10-sandbag-house">Design with the other 90%</a>

share

How to find the world's best urban designs: An interview with Cynthia Smith

"Design With the Other 90%: CITIES," an exhibit of innovative designs and technologies from the world's fast-growing urban areas, debuts on the West Coast at Mercy Corps'

<a href="http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1105/african-farmers/flash.html">Infographic by GOOD in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. </a>

share

INFOGRAPHIC: Better info, seeds, tools and storage - What any farmer needs to thrive

Falling into the "easier-said-than-done" infographic category, The Gates Foundation and GOOD do have a point: straightforward solutions can often yield high returns.

With just a few simple materials, a community can map boundaries and see how they fit within the larger city. Photo courtesy "Design With the Other 90%: CITIES"

share

Portland hosts the West Coast Premier of "Design With the Other 90%: CITIES"

Of the world’s 7 billion people, 1 billion now live in urban slums.

Youth around the world want to trade in their piggy banks for the real thing. Photo: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/rosscrawford1/2738104237/sizes/m/in/photostream/”>rosscrawford1 (Flickr)</a>

share

Youth savings: Why the new piggy bank is an actual bank

The draw of the piggy bank stretches to children of all income levels; the need for security and the promise of their dreams makes kids save.

Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer in Gaza. Photo: Cassandra Nelson/Mercy Corps.

share

Q&A with Mercy Corps CEO about market innovations to poverty

Mercy Corps CEO Neal Keny-Guyer and NextBillion's editor Scott Anderson discuss where Mercy Corps is heading and how its past has informed its future, especially when it comes to business development.

A woman from the Konso district of Ethiopia makes shoes. Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mercycorps/5512259779/in/photostream">Joni Kabana for Mercy Corps(flickr)</a>

share

Different strokes for different folks: Why young entrepreneurs need customized assistance

One size doesn't fit all: Facing a youth unemployment crisis, a new report offers NGOs guidance on tailoring entrepreneurship programs to the specific needs of aspiring youth business owners.

share

Quotable: Citi and USAID partner to bring mobile payments to "last mile" customers

Mobile money is a game-changing endeavor with the potential to improve lives, create jobs, catalyze new enterprises and expand financial inclusion, particularly in the emerging markets that are critical to the growth of the global economy.