Microcapital.org reviewed two recently released papers this week; here is a summary of those. 1. “Should Access to Credit Be a Right?” by Marek Hudon This is a very interesting question as fields like microfinance have gained so much popularity and success. The paper takes both practical and normative approaches to this issue and frames [...]

One of the ongoing discussions that is linked ot the field of social entrepreneurship is the very nature of what this concept truly means. In a talk held at Stanford University this week, Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen eloquently and concisely spoke to the issues of empowerment and enlightenment, and I feel as though his words [...]

Here is an interesting video on social networking and the advent of open-source economics. This is a trend that I believe will have significant positive effects on the social entrepreneurship scene. [vodpod id=Groupvideo.1104575&w=425&h=350&fv=bgColor%3DFFFFFF%26file%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fstatic.videoegg.com%2Fted%2Fmovies%2FYochaiBenkler_2005G_high.flv%26autoPlay%3Dfalse%26fullscreenURL%3Dhttp%3A%2F%2Fstatic.videoegg.com%2Fted%2Fflash%2Ffullscreen.html%26forcePlay%3Dfalse%26logo%3D%26allowFullscreen%3Dtrue] from www.ted.com posted with vodpod

Gender Budgeting: In order to promote the concept of gender budgeting at all levels of governance, the Ministry of Women and Child Development is developing manuals on this topic. This is part of a larger movement to address gender specific barriers. Education: Proctor & Gamble’s global philanthropy program, “Live, Learn, and Thrive” has partnered with [...]

Recently, the NYTimes featured an article entitled, “Can the Cellphone Help End Global Poverty?”, in which it highlighted a new wave of “human behaviour” research funded by cellphone companies such as Nokia in order to tap into less developed markets. The author of the article centers around a series of conversations/interactions with Jan Chipchase, a [...]

One of the most effective ways in ensuring that individuals maintain a decent standard of life is to provide them with the necessary tools to establish independence and self-sufficiency in their lives. Sanmitra aims to do just that by helping women that are HIV positive reenter the mainstream workforce. The NGO also targets sex workers [...]

NYU Stern professor and former WSJ editor Tunku Varadarajan, writes an interesting op-ed about the Washington Redskins Cheerleading squad which just landed in Bangalore to select and train cheerleaders for the local cricket team, Bangalore Royal Challengers [via NY Times]: According to the Redskins’ Web site, the cheerleaders will “conduct a national audition of Indian [...]

An article by Meera Shenoy (Executive Director of Employment Generation and Marketing Mission, Government of Andhra Pradesh) focuses on a paradox faced by India – a booming population of youth, but a shortage of skilled manpower.  Shenoy discusses the downfalls of the approaches of a variety of stakeholders – government, companies, and the rural poor, and emphasizes [...]

A recent post on Avashya commended the Pune Municipal corporation for fully embracing the benefits of technology to reach out to its constituents. The city has recently overhauled its website and has provided the community with much needed services and features. One feature in particular, aims to facilitate the “better roads” initiative. Any web user [...]

We have decided to condense the headlines to be posted once each workday. Please comment here, if you prefer the Midday and Evening posts. Global Warming and Energy: P. Chindambaram speaks on measures taken by India to combat global warming. In similar news, in Haryana the government has granted a 27 crore contract to a [...]