Columns
"Links I Like" on Business
Ideas/Model/Paper
Charter cities by Paul Romer, economics professor at Stanford University
Powerful, bold "outside of the box" idea/approach to economic development.
There are two parts to the idea: 1) uninhabited land and 2) a charter granted and enforced by an existing gov't or collection of gov'ts. With the right rules from the charter, the city attracts people, infrastructure, business. Hong Kong is a modern day example of city that has these characteristics. Romer gives three examples of possiblities: 1) Canada develops a Hong Kong in Cuba 2) Indonesians flock to a manufacturing hub in Australia 3) States in India compete for the chance to build a charter city. #BUSINESS
http://www.chartercities.org/concept
http://www.chartercities.org/faq
http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_romer.html (about 20 min)
Powerful, bold "outside of the box" idea/approach to economic development.
There are two parts to the idea: 1) uninhabited land and 2) a charter granted and enforced by an existing gov't or collection of gov'ts. With the right rules from the charter, the city attracts people, infrastructure, business. Hong Kong is a modern day example of city that has these characteristics. Romer gives three examples of possiblities: 1) Canada develops a Hong Kong in Cuba 2) Indonesians flock to a manufacturing hub in Australia 3) States in India compete for the chance to build a charter city. #BUSINESS
http://www.chartercities.org/concept
http://www.chartercities.org/faq
http://www.ted.com/talks/paul_romer.html (about 20 min)
McKinsey Report – Africa’s path to growth: Sector by Sector; quick read – two page summaries on agriculture, banking, consumer goods, infrastructure, mining, oil & gas, and telecommunications; found agriculture, con goods, & infra most interesting; requires free registration, I can email you the pdf also. #BUSINESS https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Economic_Studies/Productivity_Performance/Africas_path_to_growth_Sector_by_sector_2602
Stanford business news – “D.Light’s Lofty Goals Meet Practical Challenges” Hands down favorite article; Student group builds highly useful light technology to serve poor; however, must address distribution, adoption,& financing challenges. #BUSINESS
Thinkers
Hernando de Soto - Peruvian economist famous for advocating property rights for the poor.
Main idea - impossible to have a strong market economy as long as most of the people remain on the outside looking in. There are two types of economies in a country: 1) legals - an elite minority who enjoy economic benefits from laws & globalization & 2) extralegals - majority of many possible entrepreneurs who are stuck in poverty. Assets of extralegals amount to almost $10 trillion worldwide and not fully utilized - "dead capital" in shadow of law. Extralegals create own rules to protect assets, but these are not enforceable. Property rights allow extralegals to have stake in economy, allow for information sharing, limited liabilities for businesses, access to credit and mortgages, provision of housing & infrastructure. Common framework/language/transparency of conducting business. #BUSINESS
de Soto heads Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) located in Lima, Peru
http://www.ild.org.pe/who-we-are
Author of "The Mystery of Capital"
Newsweek interview from Feb 2009
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/02/19/slumdogs-vs-millionaires.html
Main idea - impossible to have a strong market economy as long as most of the people remain on the outside looking in. There are two types of economies in a country: 1) legals - an elite minority who enjoy economic benefits from laws & globalization & 2) extralegals - majority of many possible entrepreneurs who are stuck in poverty. Assets of extralegals amount to almost $10 trillion worldwide and not fully utilized - "dead capital" in shadow of law. Extralegals create own rules to protect assets, but these are not enforceable. Property rights allow extralegals to have stake in economy, allow for information sharing, limited liabilities for businesses, access to credit and mortgages, provision of housing & infrastructure. Common framework/language/transparency of conducting business. #BUSINESS
de Soto heads Institute for Liberty and Democracy (ILD) located in Lima, Peru
http://www.ild.org.pe/who-we-are
Author of "The Mystery of Capital"
Newsweek interview from Feb 2009
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/02/19/slumdogs-vs-millionaires.html
Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business
includes Lady Gaga, Jay Z, Jamie Oliver, Spike Jonze, and others : )
Paul Polak – proponent of developing small appropriate technologies to serve poor. Author of “Out of Povery: What Works When Traditional Approaches Fail” & founder of International Development Enterprises (http://www.ideorg.org/) & D-Rev (http://www.d-rev.org/) #BUSINESS http://paulpolak.com/html/paul.html
Stuart Hart – Cornell University; into sustainability/design /innovation; “disruptive technologies” & “building native capability” #BUSINESS
Group/Organization
Doing Business - World Bank initiative to give investors/business people an understanding of a country's business regulations and practices. Doing Business issues pdf's on each country and breaks down barriers to doing business in the developing world. # BUSINESS
http://www.doingbusiness.org/
http://www.doingbusiness.org/
Kick Start (HANDS DOWN favorite organization; Amazing five-step process (1. Identify opportunity, 2. Design product, 3. Establish a supply chain, 4. Develop the market, 5. Measure & move along) I love this group. Kickstart has a growing portfolio of technologies that are given to indigenous entrepreneurs to start businesses. Amazing model. #BUSINESS
Technoserve (approach – empower entrepreneurs, build businesses & industries, transform lives) #BUSINESS
CDC development solutions (engages MBA’s in supply chain development, tourism development, global citizenship & volunteerism w/ "MBA’s w/o borders", & stability and economic recovery); great way of mobilizing volunteer MBA’s to serve. #BUSINESS
Enterprise Works (work in Energy, Water & Sanitation, Natural Resources, & Agribusiness) #BUSINESS
Kito International – new startup in Kenya, helping street children start up small businesses, interesting 3 part model; interesting but i don't know how i feel about it. #BUSINESS
Trickle Up – alternate model to microfinance; uses grants to build small businesses #BUSINESS
