article thumbnail

Women as Microfinance Leaders, Not Just Clients

Harvard Business Review

We're a network of microfinance organizations; we exist to share practices and develop the leadership skills required by a sector that has grown up fast. And as you might be aware, microfinance is a phenomenon that, while it did not set out to be "for women," has mainly turned out to be.

article thumbnail

The Innovation Mindset in Action: Shantha Ragunathan

Harvard Business Review

Sasikala, a Block Development Officer (BDO), talked to the Kodapattinam villagers about microfinance , only Shantha, of all the villagers, saw the opportunity and took action. The bank (in this case Indian Bank ) would then loan a matching amount, bringing the available funds to $400. Shantha was driven, focusing on outcomes.

Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

article thumbnail

How Social Entrepreneurs Can Have the Most Impact

Harvard Business Review

That year, two global headlines raised the profile of social enterprise: Mohammed Yunus and the Grameen Bank won the Nobel Peace prize. Civic Ventures had recently released its first survey of baby boomers and found at least half were interested in “ encore careers ” helping others. In the broader U.S. In the broader U.S.

article thumbnail

Entrepreneurship Needs to Be a Bigger Part of U.S. Foreign Aid

Harvard Business Review

” And the Legatum Institute, when aggregating data from the World Bank, the United Nations, and elsewhere to formulate its Prosperity Index , has found that of its many indicators, “entrepreneurship & opportunity” correlates most strongly with a country’s overall prosperity. .” We are talking about the U.S.