innovation

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Financial Inclusion

Lessons learned: How Japan's small businesses are rebuilding after the 2011 tsunami

After the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan in 2011, thousands of small businesses were literally wiped out. As they began to rebuild, many found they didn't qualify for loans. Here's what they did:

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Sustainable Energy

Get Your Great “Green” Idea to the Masses

Up to 10 innovators will be selected to present their idea. Are you among them?

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Value Chains

Make your clothes worth wearing: how global brands are (finally) investing in factory workers

Companies have been taking steps to improve workers’ lives in emerging markets for years--this project stands out for involving the biggest of the big brands.

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GLOBAL IDEAS NEWS BRIEF: UNLIKELY PARTNERSHIPS + CONFLICT

A weekly roundup of mainstream news about the context in which Mercy Corps works, focused on economic development and innovations.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Mobile tech + India

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Accountability

Staff picks for the week of June 24th, 2014.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Scalability + Iraq

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Philanthropy + Toilet malls

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Twisting aid in Somalia + NextGen investors

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Financial Inclusion

How Typhoon Haiyan opens a door to financial inclusion, and long-term recovery

IDEO.org brings its human-centered design approach to the Philippines to help Mercy Corps and BanKO design a new financial product for those hit by the typhoon.

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Mobile Technology

Calling for coverage: How the global poor are cashing in mobile minutes for insurance

A start-up microinsurer in Sweden has figured out how to sell insurance products to the very poor: Bundle it with their mobile-phone package.

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Global Ideas News Brief: Entrepreneurs vs. Multinationals

Staff picks: What we're reading this week.

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Value Chains

Solving the world’s water issues: How focusing on profit can help the poor

When leading water technology company Xylem started manufacturing simple pumps for smallholder farmers, it wasn't for charity, the company expected to profit.

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Social Enterprise

Doing development better by thinking like a designer

If development professionals thought like designers, they would be much more successful in helping communities lift themselves out of poverty. That’s the argument of Heather Fleming, a PopTech Social Innovation fellow, who recently gave a talk at the Mercy Corps Action Center.