The ‘Avon Ladies' of Africa

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/the-avon-ladies-of-africa

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

10 October 2012

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A successful program in Uganda trains village women to sell medicines, fortified foods and other important goods using the Avon model, aiming to create a self-sustaining system for delivering essential health products.

Crowdfunding Clean Energy

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/03/06/crowd-funding-clean-energy

David Bornstein

The New York Times

6 March 2013

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In Oakland, a company created an online crowdfunding platform that allows users to earn interest by financing clean energy projects and gives people with good social intentions a direct line of action. Across the world, there is a growing movement toward people-powered clean energy.

Escaping the Cycle of Scarcity

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/escaping-the-cycle-of-scarcity

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

25 September 2013

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Poor people are less likely to make smart financial decisions; however, new research in the U.S. says this is not about intelligence but rather about a brain being overwhelmed with issues related to poverty. To combat that barrier of stress, organizations around the world are making financial decisions easier for people experiencing poverty by making borrowing easier and automating future financial planning, like 401(k) contributions.

Filling the Gap Between Farm and Fair Trade

https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/25/filling-the-gap-between-farm-and-fair-trade

David Bornstein

The New York Times

25 October 2010

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The non-profit RootCaptital created a lending initiative in Mexico which helps mid-size rural farmers gain access to capital, skills, and consumer markets from which they would otherwise be excluded.

For Ambitious Nonprofits, Capital to Grow

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/fixes

David Bornstein

The New York Times

27 June 2012

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Funding with too many strings attached makes it hard for non-profits to grow and be impactful. An American organization, Nonprofit Finance Fund (N.F.F.) Capital Partners division, is finding ways to finance non-profits likes companies and has already shown great success in pilot situations.

New Mortgage Program Helps Cambodia's Poor Find Better Homes

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/04/176121367/new-mortgage-program-helps-cambodias-poor-find-better-homes

Daniel Zwerdling

NPR

4 April 2013

Radio / 5-15 Minutes

An innovative program by an unusual bank allows low-income people in Cambodia to take out a 15-year fixed mortgage with little or no documentation - contradicting traditional loan assumptions and creating means for some of the country's poorest people to completely change their lives. The bank and its investors are now making a profit, and more than 700 mortgages and building loans have been provided.

Outsourcing Is Not (Always) Evil

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/08/outsourcing-is-not-always-evil

David Bornstein

The New York Times

8 December 2011

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The United States can outsource certain kinds of "microwork," such as accurately digitizing large swaths of information, to developing countries without taking jobs from Americans ― if it’s done carefully, and ethically, as some organizations are working to do. As the author Robert Wright has argued, we no longer live in a zero-sum world, where one person’s, or one country’s gain, must be another’s loss.

Playing the Odds on Saving

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/15/playing-the-odds-on-saving

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

15 January 2014

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Lotteries aren’t usually considered part of the solution to a savings crisis experienced across America, particularly by the nation's poor, but with more hopefuls purchasing lottery tickets than setting aside rainy day funds, one organization, Doorways to Dreams, is working to change federal and state laws to allow banks to offer prize-linked savings. In Michigan, the programs have seen some success.

Green Strategies for the Poorest

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/19/green-strategies-for-the-poorest

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

19 November 2010

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The company that manufactures Lifestraw, a water purification device, has found a way to distribute their product to impoverished Kenyan families for free, while still making a profit. In the global carbon credit market, businesses receive carbon credits for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These credits can then be sold to companies who need to offset their carbon emissions, allowing green companies to make a profit off of their small ecological footprint.

Clean Water at No Cost? Just Add Carbon Credits

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/15/clean-water-at-no-cost-just-add-carbon-credits

Tina Rosenberg

The New York Times

15 November 2010

Text / 1500-3000 Words

The company that manufactures Lifestraw, a water purification device, has found a way to distribute their product to impoverished Kenyan families for free, while still making a profit. In the global carbon credit market, businesses receive carbon credits for projects that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. These credits can then be sold to companies who need to offset their carbon emissions, allowing green companies to make a profit off of their small ecological footprint.