Publication database

This white paper seeks to articulate the impacts of connectivity and propose a framework of financial, social and economic key performance indicators for the last-mile connectivity (LMC) sector, in order to ultimately drive investments in the sector. The purpose of the framework is to illuminate impact pathways that link investments in LMC enterprises to positive development outcomes.

Bringing essential services to the poor, whether in remote rural areas, provincial towns, or in the slums of megacities, is a great challenge for governments in developing countries. Endeva has supported the World Bank’s Innovation Unit to systematically assess innovative business models that provide products and services to the poor, thus better understanding how to raise awareness of problems and solutions, designing products that address their needs, and making these products available and affordable.

Luminus Education is committed to transforming technical and vocational education (TVET) in Jordan and advancing the Education 4 Employment philosophy. Based in the region with the highest youth unemployment rate in the world, Luminus offers high-quality, market-oriented programs and recognizes that equipping Jordanian youth with vocational skills is important for both economic and security reasons. 

Xi’an Eurasia University provides high-quality, employment-focused private education in Shaanxi, China and is changing the perception of privately-run tertiary education in the country. With an education philosophy to maximize the employment potential of its students, Eurasia is committed to offering a combination of an applied curriculum and student-centred learning with hands-on industry experience. In 2016, 85 percent of students secured a job prior to graduation.

Angkor Mikroheranhvatho Kampuchea (AMK) participated in the ILO Microfinance for Decent Work (MF4DW) action research from 2008-2012. As part of this global experimental research, AMK introduced a financial education programme in two rural branches. The programme aimed to address challenges that clients faced in regard to the risk management strategies they use and their levels of indebtedness. The impact of the financial education programme on clients’ financial attitude and behaviour, risk management strategies, asset building, over-indebtedness and multiple borrowing, and vulnerability, was measured employing a difference-in-difference methodology. The econometric analysis is based on a balanced three-wave panel data set with target and control groups. It shows that AMK’s financial education programme had the strongest impact on the repayment behaviour of clients with a significant reduction of 3.4 per cent in late repayments. The innovation also had significant and positive impact on asset building outcome variables such as insurance take-up with a 10 per cent increase. The programme positively influenced financial attitude as shown by a significant decrease in client belief that it is impossible to save, clients’ association of savings and security increasing by 1 per cent as well as changing attitudes towards borrowing. However, the analysis also shows insignificant and/or unexpected results for other outcome variables, which may be due to some issues with the experimental design of the research and the survey instrument. It is therefore possible that the innovation may have had a stronger impact than actually measured and reported in this document.

Index-based insurance is an innovative financial service that can help smallholder farmers manage some of the risks related to weather conditions. On one hand, the increasing availability of this financial service offers a big opportunity to both farmers and providers. On the other hand, the complexity of this risk management tool can lead to poorly-understood index insurance products that may do more harm than good. This Briefing Note has been produced as part of the Global Action Network to advance agriculture insurance, a partnership between the Facility, USAID and the BASIS Assets and Market Access Innovation Lab/I4 Index Insurance Innovation Initiative at the University of California Davis.

Index-based insurance is an innovative financial service that can help smallholder farmers manage some of the risks related to weather conditions. Considering the lessons and insights gathered from index insurance and financial education projects, as well as from the field of behavioural economics, the Global Action Network to advance agriculture insurance (GAN), coordinated by the International Labour Organisation’s Impact Insurance Facility and supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has worked to put together guidelines for index insurance education to support the industry to deal with this task.

In the last decade, some insurance associations (IAs) have expanded beyond their traditional core functions to develop insurance consumer education (ICE) programmes.  IAs, as the representatives of the industry are well-positioned and ideally suited to invest in ICE. By investing in ICE they not only promote consumer protection but they also contribute in improving the reputation of the industry. Excerpted from Microinsurance Paper no. 31, this brief summarises steps that the IAs should take during the preparation of an ICE.

In the past decade, some insurance associations have expanded beyond their traditional core functions to develop insurance consumer education (ICE) programmes. While the motivations for doing so are diverse, ICE programs ultimately aim to improve the perception, and spread the culture, of insurance.

Microinsurance Paper #34 discusses the different approaches available to insurance associations in Latin America to effectively deliver ICE. Emphasis is placed on a business model for associations, while providing key general lessons and links to useful reference material. The discussion is based on a review of the experiences of insurance associations in Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico. 

In the last decade, some insurance associations (IAs) have expanded beyond their traditional core functions to develop insurance consumer education (ICE) programmes. Based on a review of the experiences of IAs in five countries, namely Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, Mexico and South Africa, Microinsurance Paper #31 discusses the steps that should be taken during the preparation of an ICE. These include assigning responsibility internally, defining funding mechanisms, setting clear goals, defining the programme target and identifying partnership opportunities. It goes on to summarize key lessons for IAs on content, delivery and monitoring and evaluation.