Changes at the base of the pyramid will transform markets in Latin America and the Caribbean
By Lourdes Gallardo, Senior Specialist, Opportunities for the Majority at the Inter-American Development Bank From 2000 to 2010, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) enjoyed a remarkable wave of sustained economic growth which helped improve the incomes and welfare of millions of people living at the base of the pyramid (BoP). According to the World Bank, nearly 70 million people increased their purchasing power significantly and 50 million Latin Americans escaped poverty over the decade. This sea change dramatically altered their aspirations, priorities, and interactions with their societies.
Expo Milano 2015 – an unlikely place for sustainable business?
While critics call it a bloated global extravaganza for its escalating public expenditure, the 2015 Expo in Milan, Italy, also brings opportunities for sustainable business globally. This year’s topic of the World Fair - Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life – seeks to highlight solutions to one of the greatest development challenges the world faces today. There are still 805 million people suffering from hunger and malnourishment globally, while at the same time an incredible 2.1 billion people are obese or overweight, an increase of 28 percent in adults and 47 percent in children since 1980. In addition, about 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted every year, causing economic losses of about $750 billion.
How to celebrate Earth Day? Five ways to go about it.
“Why should I care about future generations? What have they ever done for me?” American comedian Julius “Groucho” Marx once joked. Fortunately, there is Earth Day. It offers an opportunity to reflect on that very question. Today marks the 45th anniversary of the conception of the modern environmental movement. And by celebrating Earth Day in companies, schools and households, we can raise awareness and explore why we might want to care about future generations.
Social Media in Latin America and the Caribbean Private Sector
*By Eric Schwartzman If you’re curious if and how the Latin America and the Caribbean private sector uses social media, this post is for you.
STEM minus Women = Private Sector Problem
By Kristin Dacey & Sanola Daley* Math and Science are for Men Women are not smart enough to be engineers. Women are not good at math. Isn’t this why globally men earn 70% of doctoral degrees in mathematics and the world rejoiced recently that a woman – Maryam Mirzakhani –won the top prize in mathematics for the first time?
Something New in BOP Housing
By Christy Stickney, author of Many Paths to a Home: Emerging Business Models for Latin America and the Caribbean’s Base of the Pyramid; and Lina Salazar Ortegón, Opportunities for the Majority at the IDB I’m intrigued by FOMEPADE, a rising star in Mexico’s financial scene. Conceived by microfinance veteran Juan José Gutiérrez Chapa (a founding partner of Banco Compartamos) to provide quality housing to underserved markets, FOMEPADE launched in 2012 a housing loan program that incorporates housing providers into a unique value chain for the families at the base of the pyramid (BOP). FOMEPADE’s promising ventures in affordable housing for the BOP offer evidence that new players and business models are emerging, forging inroads into BOP housing markets in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).