Democratization of value in emerging markets
There’s something interesting happening in West Africa. Known for its fashion sense and style, exuberantly patterned textiles dominate men’s and women’s apparel. Until now, the impact of cheaper Chinese imports had been felt by the traditional manufacturers, in Ghana particularly. But this is not where the story ends. Today, the majority of Dutch designs available […]
In which countries is it hardest for young people to find work in 2016?
I’m currently working on a study within a team of 5 people (including myself): 2 senior and 2 junior level men. The seniors have retired from public service. The two young men have graduated 5 years ago from local public and private universities, top of their class but could not find stable jobs. Thus, they […]
Research Question: Why is the informal retail sector so persistent and resilient?
Retailing in India is currently estimated to be a USD 200 billion industry, of which organised retailing makes up 3% or USD 6.4 billion. By 2010, organized retail is projected to reach USD 23 billion and in terms of market share it is expected to rise by 20 to 25%. (Sinha et all, 2007) These […]
Bedrock of trade
A general merchant in Karatina market, Kenya. Photo credit: Niti Bhan
Going back to design’s first principles in problem solving with some words from the Eameses
Wikipedia does no justice to the legends that are Charles and Ray Eames, especially for those who navigated the obstacle race of the multi-stage admissions process at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, India. For those of us who studied design more than 25 years ago, before our markets liberalized and a thousand design schools […]
People-centered systems design thinking out loud
This morning I was pondering the complexity involved in weaving together four separate threads of ‘innovation’ into one holistic system. They were not unrelated to each other, and the end users are more or less the same for each, but each is also a standalone solution to a pain point in an ecosystem. I was […]
A holistic perspective
Most maps on economic affairs tend to focus on either the developing or the developed world, or a preselected set of countries such as BRICS or G20. Stepping back for the big picture changes the frame of reference entirely. Dark brown denotes the fastest growth.
Japan’s Indian Strategy for the African Consumer Market
One of the most high-profile events Kenya has hosted since independence begins this week when heads of state from across Africa and the Prime Minister of Japan Mr Shinzo Abe jet in for the Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD). It will be the first time that Ticad has been held outside Japan and […]
Lowering the barriers to effective communication is the key to sustainable development
One of the challenges that we discovered during our multistakeholder workshop in The Hague a few years ago was that people tended to fall back on their expertise when faced with the discomfort of empathizing with farmer’s needs. Particularly so when the farmers in question were from Africa, and not from their own regions. Our […]
Design of Digital Financial Services for Inclusion Needs More Respect and Humility to Succeed
In the past week alone, I’ve seen three glaring cases of unquestioned assumptions around the design and implementation of Digital Financial Service (DFS) particularly for financial inclusion, but also otherwise. This gives rise to the question whether the industry is prepared to undertake the mission they have set for themselves. The first is that their […]
