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This paper argues that to promote inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction, gender must be integrated into market systems development (MSD) approaches. It provides a gender and market development framework and recommendations at the intervention and the program level.

This case is one of a series specifically prepared by SNV and local partners for the “Seas of Change” event, taking place in The Hague, 11-13 April 2012. The Enhancing Milled Rice Production in Lao PDR (EMRIP) Project has been able to develop fair trading relations between 21,361 small holder rice producers and 21 selected rice mills within 23 months of the project’s duration. 

The microinsurance sector has grown to 500 million in 2012 due to the successes of many schemes. However, for every scheme that has succeeded, many more have struggled to reach scale, become viable or provide client value, and some have failed altogether. Research paper #42, titled “Learning from others’ mistakes” identifies the most common challenges that are likely to cause a scheme to fail using the experience of 12 cases.

“Can health microinsurance (HMI) schemes achieve sustainability?” As with many seemingly simple questions, there is no simple answer. The answer to this question is of interest to a variety of parties. Insurance providers seek to understand if there is a viable business case for offering an HMI product. Health-care providers and pharmaceutical companies are interested in whether or not HMI can be a means for broadening coverage. Donors and other funding organizations want to know if HMI is a viable investment as a means to improve health-care access, health outcomes and financial protection for the low-income population. Governments consider how to use HMI schemes as a step towards universal health coverage.

Briefing Note 35 presents results from a review of the financial performance of five schemes in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The microinsurance sector has grown from 78 million policies in 2007 to 500 million in 2012 and the exponential growth is expected to continue, since the potential market is estimated at 3–4 billion policies. However, for every scheme that has succeeded, many more have struggled to reach scale, become viable or provide client value, and some have failed altogether. Many innovations have resulted from efforts to convert these near-misses to successes. Briefing note 36 draws on the experience of 12 such attempts to identify the most common challenges that caused severe problems. The challenges are organized in five clusters: Viability, Client Value, Operations, Partnerships and External.

Given their limited capacities to cope, low income people can experience major setbacks when hit by even seemingly small shocks and can experience serious losses of wealth and welfare when big shocks strike. And merely the spectre of shocks can lead to underinvestment that makes even a smooth climb out of poverty take much longer than it otherwise might. 

Briefing Note 34 presents highlights from an analysis of risk within the Kenyan Financial Diaries, considering how 300 low-income people think about, experience and prepare for risks in their lives.

This guide helps companies see the value in investing in the economic empowerment of women in their workplaces and communities and offers guidance on how companies can do so through gender diversity and community investment programmes.

Insurance is an effective mechanism to complement or extend social protection schemes. By using insurance mechanisms and the insurance industry, governments can achieve various public policy objectives, such as improved food security and universal health coverage. Effective public-private partnerships (PPPs) can achieve scale and improve the quality of social protection programmes by leveraging the skills and resources of the partners. This brief presents ten recommendations that governments and insurers should follow when designing and implementing a PPP in insurance.

This report discusses the importance of small businesses in poverty reduction, income equality and competitiveness, and the approach of Swiss Contact in small and medium sized enterprises (SME) promotion.

“Can health microinsurance (HMI) schemes achieve sustainability?” As with many seemingly simple questions, there is no simple answer. The answer to this question is of interest to a variety of parties. Insurance providers seek to understand if there is a viable business case for offering an HMI product. Health-care providers and pharmaceutical companies are interested in whether or not HMI can be a means for broadening coverage. Donors and other funding organizations want to know if HMI is a viable investment as a means to improve health-care access, health outcomes and financial protection for the low-income population. Governments consider how to use HMI schemes as a step towards universal health coverage.

This paper seeks to answer this simple yet crucial question based on the experiences of five schemes in South Asia.