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Are the Poor the New Middle Class?
Multinational companies like Procter and Gamble sure think so and they are making large investments into developing areas such as China, India and Africa. On the surface, it makes sense. Not only is this potential group of consumers enormous- according to a recent World Resource Institute report the group (depending on income but usually below […] More
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End the Witch Hunt for Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Microfinance
There’s no doubt that the news from Andhra Pradesh, India about indebtedness crippling microfinance clients is troubling. SKS, India’s largest microfinance bank, raised cash last year by selling shares at 95 times their initial value. And now comes an increased chorus from politicians in Andhra Pradesh about fraud, corruption and impoverishment linked to SKS — […] More
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The Microcredit Industry May Need a Bailout
Believe it or not, this is not some twisted April Fool’s Day joke, but as highlighted in today’s New York Time article “India Microcredit Faces Collapse From Defaults”, is something that is actually taking place in India and could potentially be akin to the sub-prime crisis in the United States. This is clearly terrible news […] More
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New Law Passed in India Requires Businesses to Engage in CSR
Over the last few weeks I’ve talked about the difficulty in determining appropriate CSR metrics, finding metrics useful for comparison of businesses and whether the annual CSR report is obsolete, however I have to admit, I did not see coming a mandate by a national government (of a enormous country for that matter) requiring businesses […] More
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Halosource Raises $80 Million and Expanding Clean Water Services
Today is Blog Action Day, and Halosource is one company taking action to bring clean drinking water to developing countries around the world. Founded in 2002 in Seattle, Halosource has grown by focusing on providing their clean water technologies to emerging markets. In 2006, Halosource partnered with a domestic water purifying company in India. Two […] More
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Emerging Markets and Foreign Opportunity for Energy Efficiency Service Companies
Energy efficiency service companies (ECOs) soon may be venturing abroad to take their businesses into regions where the demand for energy is growing tremendously. The most notable countries in need for energy efficiency technology and services are China, India, and countries in the Middle East. Although China’s solar energy industry is among the world’s largest, […] More
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Inspired Economist: Pick of the Week
This column highlights the top economic stories of the week. Having children is the surest way to send your carbon footprint soaring, according to a new study from statisticians at Oregon State University. The study found that having a child has an impact that far outweighs that of other energy-saving behaviors. More on this story here. […] More
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Inspired Economist: Pick of the Week
This column highlights the top economic stories of the week. Shell has announced that a new service station in Ottawa, Ontario will quietly begin selling cellulosic ethanol blended into regular gasoline. The biofuel is made locally from wheat straw, and is the first time cellulosic ethanol has been made publicly available. More on this story […] More
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Solar Lanterns Could Save Money, Reduce Greenhouse Gases in Rural India
When we start talking about fossil fuels, most of us immediately think of coal, oil, and natural gas. But in the developing world where many people have little to no access to electricity — or even in places that do but have regular issues with outages — these are all secondary to kerosene. More
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Saint Obama: The Green Messiah of Climate Change
Environmentalists, politicians and eco-minded individuals everywhere have begun to view President Obama as a new Green Messiah. In just a few weeks the President has elevated the fight against global warming to higher levels of seriousness. More
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Don’t Take Charity At Face Value….It Sometimes Funds Terrorism
Even though in its pure definition, the word ‘charity’ connotes positivity and humanitarianism, in a world of increasing doom and gloom, one cannot always assume that this is the case. The New York Times has published an article talking about the detainment of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed, the founder of Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the charity that fronts for the militant group, Lashkar-e-Taiba. More
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The Future World Economy : Bretton Woods II in Washington Must Deliver
As the G20 leaders gather in Washington for what has been dubbed “Bretton Woods II”, here’s a brief list of the economic opportunities they need to discuss: The World’s population is estimated at 6.7 billion: of this, 15% live in slums and are permanently hungry yet the USA, the EU, the UK, Russia, China, India […] More