New Research on Policy Impacts in Developing Countries

Women hold out their voter registration cards as they wait to cast their votes in India. (Source: Browseyard.com)

As the US moves steadily towards its electoral process in November, I find myself pondering the purpose of democracy and how effective it is in the Developing World. Having immersed myself exclusively in Asia for the past two years (and much longer in parts before), this time living in Singapore and experiencing firsthand the merits (and demerits) of a "faux-democracy," as well as a range of governance mechanisms across Asia, I am struck by the significant differences between the US democracy and that of several Asian nations.

Recently, I was reading a "briefcase" of information provided by the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (JPAL), a respected economic think-tank based at MIT.

About a month ago, JPAL and the ADB had an "Impact and Policy" conference, that focused on research that highlighted how policy might impact three areas: governance, financial inclusion, and entrepreneurship. Thankfully, many of the presentations are linked to the main conference page, which I would highly encourage you to take a look at.

Among them are a few that have already caught my eye:

• a keynote address given by India's former Election Commissioner, who gives a quick overview of the world's largest democracy; one that is larger than the entire electorate of North and South America put together!!

• Fascinating research from Brazil  and Pakistan that highlights the need and impact of transparency/outreach prior to elections (eg. independent audits performed on corrupt vs non-corrupt politicians, released to the public has an immediate impact on how likely they are to be elected or re-elected).

• The impact that a good NGO can have on limiting fake drugs in Uganda.

• Data shows that poverty positively corelates with conflict. It also shows that political representation of all groups in high conflict areas, helps lessen conflict and violence in these areas.

There's much more...check it out here.

X PRIZE for efficient cookstoves??

Inefficient cookstoves are a major problem for the poor in the developing world. The soot has serious implications on health and poverty; and population growth, and rising energy costs leave the poor with no choice but to forage for their fuel resulting in environmental degradation, . (Picture source: columbia.edu)

One of the organizations I consulted for a couple of years ago, called the X PRIZE Foundation, where I helped develop the Global Development vertical has moved forward with a partnership with IIT Delhi and the Government of India to develop and launch a prize for developing efficient cookstoves.

Approximately 70% of Indian households -- more than 160 million households, comprising about 770 million people – are estimated to depend on simple but polluting cookstoves that burn solid fuel, mainly wood or coal. It also is estimated that approximately 400,000 to 550,000 people – primarily women and children – die of the resulting indoor air pollution each year in the country. This makes the cookstoves problem in India and the potential market for cleaner cookstoves amongst the largest in the world.

The cookstoves competition falls under the X PRIZE Foundation’s Education & Global Development prize group, which tackles major challenges in areas such as learning, hunger, health and water. Addressing the grand challenges of our time, the X PRIZE Foundation generates innovation through incentivized competition. Through the strategic design of ground-breaking competitions with significant, multi-million dollar prize purses, X PRIZE spurs collaboration among the world’s most brilliant minds to tackle the most pressing issues and create radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. More here.

Looks pretty interesting and exciting. Definitely a worthy issue. More about the cookstove problem is here and here.

Ubuntu: I am Because WE are

I Am Because We Are. Watch it!! (photo credit: http://blog.photoshelter.com)

I saw a beautiful documentary film today called I Am Because We Are (entire film is available below).

I had heard about it in the Spring, even gone to the official launch party in NYC. But it was made and backed by Madonna, and in the age of haute celebrity endorsements, I have become skeptical of their attention to something. How much do they really know? How much do they really care?? How long will their attention last?? Long after the cool is gone, will they still be around??

Today, in search of inspiration, I picked it up. I am glad I did.

I Am Because We Are claims to be a look at Malawi, but its really a more universal story of poverty in the developing world. The film looks at the bigger picture, examining a smaller problem (the increasing number of orphans) against the larger backdrop of economic development (where the orphaning is coming from and how it affects global poverty). There is an interconnectedness to their theory that I so believe in-- examining the history, the need for responsibility, the lack of leadership, a variety of indigenous perspectives, the positives, the negatives...its all in there. Alongside the development porn, there is an equal showcasing of the laughter, community, and resilient spirit of the locals. There are perspectives of kids, adults, Malawians, Africans, and international people with a vested interest in the country or region. The opinions are educated. It is REFRESHING to hear Malawians analyze their own country's situation in a most educated manner examining causes and effects, and solutions, rather than the typical western viewpoints. Its wonderful to hear Africans speak about their continent in an intelligent manner. I GREATLY appreciated this. The West, doesn't have all the answers. Each country needs to come up with its own.

The title comes from the Zulu word "Ubuntu" meaning "I am because we are." Think about it!! I can't think of a better term to showcase our interconnectedness.

Good News. I learned that you can watch the entire film for FREE on YouTube. Check it out here on YouTube and below (NOTE: I recommend watching it on the YouTube site. Its much faster and you get the larger, widescreen version!)

Garden Tutors, poop for food, cruelty and poverty

I wanted to put these in "Links I liked" but had a short commentary to add with each one. So I made a separate post of them all.

1. PSFK put up this great post about Garden Tutors. It got me thinking about what if we gave more educated farming tutorials to farmers in India and other parts of the world, to both start kitchen gardens of their own (so that they have something to eat during the year that is nutritious), as well as to teach them better farming techniques to survive the drought and pests. "Agricultural Tutors" of sorts.

I just loved this Garden Tutors program and how people are signing up madly. I'm a bit of an amateur gardener and I think working with the earth really makes you want to protect and take care of it better.


2. This post from Wronging Rights, downright cracked me up. When nuts rule the world, this is the kind of nonsense we can expect.


3. I found this post from the PSD Blog about the differences in the way women and men are approached in terms of entrepreneurship to be fascinating. My own personal view from my fieldwork has been that women face a myriad of pushback in terms of entrepreneurship, particularly if they are poor. Firstly their lifestyles are such that they have very little time to build a business --- between motherhood, housechores (which take a LOT of time), their job, and taking care of their demanding families (husbands and in-laws)--- the playing field is not even. Women who often speak of starting a business get shot down quickly by their families, by their communities and of course by banking institutions (though micro-credit is changing this a little bit).

4. Alanna Shaikh in Blood and Milk, muses about whether poverty causes cruelty or inequality?? I had to really pause and think about this. I have to disagree with both of these. I know plenty of people who have been extremely poor, harboring the several injustices and inequalities that are unpardonable, and I've never seen them be cruel. Cruelty comes from a lack of morals, and human weakness or greed. Cruelty happens irrespective of socio-economic circumstances, religions, castes or cultures. And in this case, i had to ask for a definition of cruelty. It seemed so unfair to label someone as "cruel" who had unknowingly given his child up as a servant (and she had ended up as a prostitute instead). This is one of those hard questions to answer.

Rafe Esquith: Teaching hero

Someone I met recently told me about Rafe Esquith, teacher extraordinaire, who has been teaching 5th graders in the Los Angeles inner city schools for almost 25 years. A little research showed me what an extraordinary teacher he is. See this video (also embedded below)



Look at a write-up on Rafe here and his young crew of the Hobart Shakespeareans here.

Links I liked

1. 5 Things to do when you are unemployed.

2. How Behavioral Economics is changing the fight against poverty.

3. How to make a terrorist in pictures.

4. Offices made entirely out of cardboard.

5. A photographic tour of open sewers from around the world. I've slept and worked around these. I can assure you, they are even ickier than they look. :-)

6. The flying car or the roadworthy plane...you decide.

Getting Kids Involved in the Poverty Dialogue

Get kids involved in the dialogue early! (photo courtesy: Josh Hough)

BOPreneur blogger, Paul Hudnut has written an excellent blog entry about getting kids engaged in the poverty dialogue. He provides 6 ideas for moving forward:

It is that time of year... students are coming back on campus, faculty are scrambling to finalize syllabi. Sustainable design, social entrepreneurship, and and international development are hot topics on campus. If you are a teacher planning coursework in these areas (or at their "intersection"), or if you are a student that wants to do a project in one of your classes, check out these resources [...]

Links and Opinions: Tworque Tweets for the week

I think I'm going to start a thing called "Tworque Tweets." Henceforth, like other bloggers, I'll add my cool links of the week, along with a one line ('tweet' from "twitter") opinion. Its more efficient for you and me.

Here are this week's Tworque Tweets (TT):

1. Time Magazine has two interesting and insightful photoessays:

• India's Health Care Crisis outlines the awful healthcare problems facing India's poorest. On this note, I wonder where agencies like the WHO should intervene and incentivize/encourage basic health care provisions for the poor; and how much other countries who want to eradicate disease (eg. the US) need to interfere in an issue like this.
• Psychic Scars of Kashmir outlines the psychological consequences of a long enduring war and where the people are turning for help. Its just a beautifully narrated and covered piece. I also ask you to read about Sufism before passing any judgement, it is one of the more tranquil sects of Islam.

2. Good Magazine highlighted the world's first billion dollar home being built in Mumbai, India, by and for an Indian petrochemical magnate. No place in the world is poverty more starkly visible than in India, where gaps like this (a billion dollar home and the world's largest slums) are so blatantly visible.

3. Rising rice prices have the world's largest rice producers considering a rice cartel. Good idea, but somehow I don't think this will fly. It would need good leadership...something Asia is desperately lacking (in my opinion!).

4. The geekiest science fair is on this weekend (may 3 and 4) in San Francisco. Check out video of the Maker Faire.

5. Check out the preview for the impressive film Africa Investment Horizons. I really do think that Africa is the place to be right now...so much happening, SO much potential, so badly needed.

6. The World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) has an impressive Youtube channel with excellent videos from around the world highlighting sustainable and socially responsible businesses in developing countries.

Contests as Sources of Technology Innovation: The X-Prize

I love contests. They serve as brilliant incentive for technology development. Quite often far more money is spent on the technology development, than the prize money that is won in the end.

This is probably most obvious from the X Prize Foundation, where Peter Diamandis decided to take the idea of technical innovation to a whole new level with his prize. His Ansari X-Prize for space travel pushed space technology so far that it suddenly seemed possible for anyone to buy a ticket to space. Example, Virgin Galactica.

Peter Diamandis talks about the origin of the X Prize Foundation.


Peter is pushing the envelope in other fields as well. His recently announced Progressive Automotive X-Prize will reward US$10 million to the first team that produces a car that meets EPA standards and can do about 100 miles per gallon. Of course there are more details than that and you can read about them here. But briefly in their own words:

The Progressive Automotive X PRIZE will place a major focus on affordability, safety, and the environment. It is about developing real, production-capable cars that consumers want to buy, not science projects or concept cars. This progress is needed because today’s oil consumption is unsustainable and because automotive emissions significantly contribute to global warming and climate change.

So you might be wondering why I'm going off on these X-Prizes. Well, I'm highlighting them for two reasons:

A. Efficient technology development is good for the world at large, because of their primary and secondary benefits. For one, it levels the playing field in terms of technology development, i.e. Bangladesh can produce an entry and earn the prize money just as well as the United States. Prizes level the playing field in that it mitigates the risk of investing in technology development...essentially you can possibly make the money back once you win the prize. Some people might argue that prizes give a fake sense of security, but in reality even teams that don't win the prize, spur secondary benefits such as entrepreneurial ventures based on the new technology, economic development, increased environmental quality because of increased efficiency and much more.

B. X-Prizes for poverty alleviation and other social problems. Diamandis is already talking about expanding X-Prizes into the social areas of water purification, poverty alleviation, etc. Imagine the possibilities of innovation and the lives that could be changed as a result.
It would also serve to attract and involve the minds of people who may not have otherwise been engaged. When I think about what could happen if the world would get together to think about social problems, I feel overwhelmed. On one hand the possibilities are extraordinary, on the other, its sad that it should take economic incentives like these to bring people to think about caring about their own fellow human beings.



I'd recommend watching other videos from the X-Prize here.

The power of mobile phones

A cellphone shop in Accra, Ghana, carries and repairs a variety of handsets (photo credit: Shaul Schwarz/Reportage, for The New York Times)

My first couple of posts on this blog focused on mobile phones, and I've been sorta quiet on the subject since...mostly because I've been trying to focus on one subject at a time (right now its water, because its one of my specialties). But information about the power of mobile phones and how they are improving connectivity, and REALLY impacting the lives of the poor is everywhere. Today I read a brilliant article on Jan Chipchase's work in the NYT, which got me all excited again. I had to share it and in addition, while I'm on the topic, I thought I'd add a bit more...

Here are three things that I believe will really make you consider the amazing impact mobile phones are having on the developing world:

1. Jan Chipchase's work on mobile phones and their impact on the Third World have been captured most recently (this morning) in print in The New York Times, and on video this weekend on TED.



2. Iqbal Quadir knew about the impact of mobile phones in his native country of Bangladesh. This Wharton grad returned to Bangladesh to start Grameen Phone which brought mobile access to the poorest of the poor. Suddenly they were all connected, and they could reach beyond their village into the larger international space. It changed everything. Here Quadir talks about his project and how it worked:


3. Pangea Day (that I blogged about earlier) will broadcast live across the globe on May 10, 2008. To make sure EVERYONE has access, the four hour independent film festival will be broadcast so that mobile phones will have access. This way even the poorest in some of the farthest regions of the globe will be able to connect. So you better be there, viewing with them...in your own home, office or shack!

Water 102: Water Distribution

Men, women, and children rush to get water from a well in Ethiopia (photo credit: Andrew Heavens)

Now that we've covered the processes involved in water treatment, the next stage is water distribution.

As stated in the Water 101: What is the Water Problem post, a huge part of the larger "water problem" is the transportation, storage, and distribution of clean water. In developed countries like the U.S, Canada, and most European countries, and urban parts of some developing countries, water is generally treated and distributed the same way. Its generally treated at a treatment plant, then distributed in pipes. The water usually comes disinfected and ready for drinking. People don't need to store the water, because the distribution system keeps the water clean and disinfected until you need it.* Once water comes in contact with contaminated areas or is exposed to the air, it gets contaminated.


Water flows out of a pipe in the UK countryside (photo credit: Martin Anataman)

*This may NOT be true of developing countries. Quite often there are water shortfalls, or the water distribution is so low that even in urban centers, families have their own boreholes that they pump water out of for use. They then regularly boil the water for drinking or order drinking water from wholesale providers.

In most developing countries, particularly in peri-urban, slum, semi-rural, and rural communities, water needs to collected from a central point (either from a tap, tubewell, borehole, river, lake, pond or other open water source), then carried to their homes. This is generally the work of women and children, who walk six miles (9.6 kms) to and from the water collection area. Water is heavy, weighing approximately 1 kg per litre or 8.34 lbs per gallon of water. Often the water collection and storage units are contaminated; if not, the pots or other collection units are open to the air and easily get contaminated. And finally when drinking the water, they dip their hands into the pots to get the water. Essentially, its very easy for water to get contaminated at any point.

In developing countries, people are responsible for the water collection, storage, and decontamination, which is why this is a major problem for them. The risk for illness and health issues resulting from lack of clean water or neck/head/back problems are very high. Therefore, besides availability of water, transportation and decontamination are major issues that need to be addressed when designing technology for developing countries.



L-R: A water truck carrying water into the periurban areas in Kenya (photo credit: Stig Nygaard); A line of colorful pots mark the queue for women and children in line to collect water in India (photo credit: McKay Savage).


Young women carry water back to their homes in Somalia (Copyright: Heather Arney / WaterPartners International)

Flawed Fundraising(??)

I've been following and greatly enjoying the Uncultured Project (that I mentioned on an earlier post), a series of posts done by a kid named Shawn who went looking for his own answers to the causes of poverty.

Shawn's latest post is this one:


Here Shawn talks about the flaws in fundraising and how it needs to change. Finally someone is saying it. I've been following a lot of non-profit blogs the past few weeks and they all keep saying, "there's no reason to be ashamed of fundraising." I'm sorry...but if you are feeling ashamed, there's a reason. Shame doesn't just come out of nowhere!

I'm sick of being guilted into giving money. At the moment I ain't making much money and frankly I'm close to being homeless. So I get even more annoyed by all the people who keep asking and asking. There HAS to be another way! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this as I think about this some more...another way of doing philanthropy!