Publication database

The emergence of health microinsurance (HMI) programmes worldwide provides hope that the poor will receive, at a minimum, a reliable, adequate level of access to affordable healthcare. Led by the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill and the ILO's Microinsurance Innovation Facility, Briefing Note #5, which is based on a longer thematic study that includes a literature review of 68 documents covering the period from 1999 to 2010 and expert interviews with more than 31 experts representing 25 organizations, focuses on private sector HMI and discusses the challenges that limit the growth and impact of HMI. In addition to identifying barriers to success, the authors present innovations that may move the field forward, including collaboration with public programmes.

This document provides a map of publicly-available tools and resources that support the initiation, development and scaling of inclusive business models. It covers resources of action including concept development, implementation, and measurement and evaluations; and resources for support which include case studies, networking, visibility and advocacy.

Consumer education can be one important component of microinsurance schemes; it benefits microinsurance practitioners by stimulating demand and helps low-income households make informed decisions. Led by ILO's Microinsurance Innovation Facility, Briefing Note #3 summarizes feedback collected by the Microinsurance Network's Insurance Education Working Group from more than fifty practitioners who were early implementers of consumer education schemes. The authors highlight key design features for content and delivery of education and provide examples of organizations that have successfully implemented the features in consumer education programmes. In the last section, they review the challenges of sustainability and monitoring and evaluation that are especially relevant for practitioners who want to integrate education into their business models.

One important lesson from behavioural economics is the understanding that small changes in the design of products and marketing can sometimes make a surprising difference in how and whether financial products are used. Led by the Financial Access Initiative, Briefing Note #4 presents laboratory and field research examples from the field of behavioural economics to provide eight recommendations for microinsurance providers. The authors describe new insights into how households think about losses and gains, weigh present and future trade-offs, struggle with self-control, and are influenced by the way choices are framed. These insights can help insurers navigate how to improve product design, marketing, insurance education, pricing, and take-up.

Este articulo presenta diez consejos para que las empresas puedan construir y aprovechar el mercado que representa la base de la pirámide. Cada consejo está acompañado de breves casos de empresas latinoamericanas que de alguna u otra forma han aplicado dicho consejo.

This factsheet provides data on the size, opportunity and scope of the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) market in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This guide describes the ‘what and why’ of more responsible or sustainable tourism, and provides practical tips on how to do it. It describes various approaches including: how to bring local producers into the supply chain; building links with local farmers; employing local staff; how to involve local people and products in tours, packages and excursions; and how to manage internal change for developing local linkages.