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NexThought Monday – Cash Transfers, Prejudice and Mental Health: MIT researchers discuss some overlooked aspects of their RCT on GiveDirectly
Cash transfers to the poor are often criticized as “handouts,” which dilute incentives to work, instill dependency, and may be wasted on alcohol, tobacco or other potentially harmful activities. But the researchers behind the recent randomized controlled trial on the cash transfer charity GiveDirectly argue that these criticisms are based on prejudice rather than fact, and that the economic impact of cash transfers is only part of the story.
- Categories
- Health Care, Impact Assessment
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Engaging Diasporas in Development Through Investment – Part 2: Calvert explores ways to facilitate migrant investment flows
Calvert Foundation explores ways to engage diasporas and migrants in international development through investment flows in their recent post, published in two parts on NextBillion. Part two discusses topics like how to appeal to younger investors, and whether social and environmental impact should play a role.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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Engaging Diasporas in Development Through Investment – Part 1: Calvert explores ways to facilitate migrant investment flows
There is increasing interest among development organizations and aid agencies in harnessing the financial resources of global migrants to fund development needs in their countries of origin or heritage. Calvert Foundation shares lessons learned and key issues to consider when creating a strategy to engage diasporas in investment and international development.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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From Financial Education to Capability – A Paradigm Shift: Financial education on its own is not enough to improve consumers’ financial health
Classroom-based educational programs for improving financial health have mixed results. Improved methods that support behavior change as well as knowledge gains are needed. Sarah Gordon, Vice President, Innovation Labs at CFSI spoke with the Citi Foundation’s COO, Brandee McHale, about the importance of these new approaches, and the organizations that are pioneering them.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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Weekly Roundup – 5/10/14: Every investment is an “impact investment”
Every investment has a social/environmental impact on some level - a fact that more and more investors are taking into account. We discuss Stanford University’s decision to divest its $18.7 billion endowment of stock in coal-mining companies, and a recent J.P. Morgan/GIIN survey of top impact investors, in this roundup.
- Categories
- Education, Impact Assessment
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A Small Drop in a Large Bucket: The World Economic Forum’s Abigail Noble, on why impact investing needs to go mainstream
In 2012, less than $40 billion of capital had been committed to impact investments - out of tens of trillions in global capital. The World Economic Forum’s Mainstreaming Impact Investing initiative wants to help change that. In part 1 of our Impact Investing Insights series, we spoke with the initiative’s leader, Abigail Noble, about how to bring “$40 billion” a bit closer to “tens of trillions.”
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment, Investing
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Weekly Roundup – 5/3/14: An Arab Spring for global health?
Amartya Sen once said that famines don’t occur in democracies. His statement still largely holds true. Unfortunately, democracy is under siege in many parts of the world.
- Categories
- Education, Health Care, Impact Assessment, Technology
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More Questions than Answers: Impact investors struggle to present their sector to the general public
What qualifies as “impact” investing – and how exactly should non-financial impacts be measured? Those may seem like pretty basic questions. Yet at the recent Sustainatopia Impact Conference, clear answers were in short supply, as a young sector works toward a consensus on the best way to present itself to mainstream investors.
- Categories
- Environment, Impact Assessment
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