C[omp]ute

From: andrew cooke <andrew@...>

Date: Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:32:10 -0400

Romanticizing the Poor -
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/romanticizing_the_poor/
http://www.ssireview.org/pdf/RomaticizingthePoor.pdf

"Market solutions to poverty are very much in vogue. These solutions, which
include services and products targeting consumers at the “bottom of the
pyramid,” portray poor people as creative entrepreneurs and discerning
consumers. Yet this rosy view of poverty-stricken people is not only wrong,
but also harmful. It allows corporations, governments, and nonprofits to deny
this vulnerable population the protections it needs. Romanticizing the poor
also hobbles realistic interventions for alleviating poverty."


Microfinance Misses Its Mark -
http://www.ssireview.org/articles/entry/microfinance_misses_its_mark/
http://www.ssireview.org/images/articles/2007SU_feature_karnani.pdf

"Despite the hoopla over microfinance, it doesn’t cure poverty. But stable
jobs do. If societies are serious about helping the poorest of the poor, they
should stop investing in microfinance and start supporting large,
labor-intensive industries. At the same time, governments must hold up their
end of the deal, for market-based solutions will never be enough"


Andrew