Moving toward universal access to financial services is within reach, thanks to new technologies, transformative business models, and ambitious reforms. Instruments such as e-money accounts and mobile accounts, along with debit cards and low-cost traditional bank accounts, can significantly increase financial access for those who are excluded. Bringing e-Money to the Poor: Successes and Failures examines the lessons of success from four country case studies of “gazelles†?†•Kenya, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Thailand†•that leapt from limitation to innovation by successfully enabling the deployment of e-money technology. These countries have thereby transformed the landscape of financial access to their poor. In addition, two country case studies (Maldives and the Philippines) yield lessons learned from constraints that stalled e-money deployments. Because technology is not a silver bullet, the case studies also explore other strategic elements that need to be in place for a country to expand access to financial services through digital technology.

Moving toward universal access to financial services is within reach, thanks to new technologies, transformative business models, and ambitious reforms. Instruments such as e-money accounts and mobile accounts, along with debit cards and low-cost traditional bank accounts, can significantly increase financial access for those who are excluded. This publication examines the lessons of success from four country case studies of Kenya, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, that leapt from limitation to innovation by successfully enabling the deployment of e-money technology. These countries have thereby transformed the landscape of financial access to their poor. In addition, two country case studies (Maldives and the Philippines) yield lessons learned from constraints that stalled e-money deployments. Because technology is not a silver bullet, the case studies also explore other strategic elements that need to be in place for a country to expand access to financial services through digital technology.

Sub-Saharan Africa's turnaround over the past couple of decades has been dramatic. After many years in decline, the continent's economy picked up in the mid-1990s. Along with this macroeconomic growth, people became healthier, many more youngsters attended schools, and the rate of extreme poverty declined from 54 percent in 1990 to 41 percent in 2015. Political and social freedoms expanded, and gender equality advanced. Conflict in the region also subsided, although it still claims thousands of civilian lives in some countries and still drives pressing numbers of displaced persons. Despite Africa’s widespread economic and social welfare accomplishments, the region’s challenges remain daunting: Economic growth has slowed in recent years. Poverty rates in many countries are the highest in the world. And notably, the number of poor in Africa is rising because of population growth. From a global perspective, the biggest concentration of poverty has shifted from South Asia to Africa. Accelerating Poverty Reduction in Africa explores critical policy entry points to address the demographic, societal, and political drivers of poverty; improve income-earning opportunities both on and off the farm; and better mobilize resources for the poor. It looks beyond macroeconomic stability and growth—critical yet insufficient components of these objectives—to ask what more could be done and where policy makers should focus their attention to speed up poverty reduction. The pro-poor policy agenda advanced in this volume requires not only economic growth where the poor work and live, but also mitigation of the many risks to which African households are exposed. As such, this report takes a "jobs" lens to its task. It focuses squarely on the productivity and livelihoods of the poor and vulnerable—that is, what it will take to increase their earnings. Finally, it presents a road map for financing the poverty and development agenda.

Technology is rapidly changing the way we think about money. Digital payment has been slow to take off in the United States but is displacing cash in countries as diverse as China, Kenya, and Sweden. In Reimagining Money, Sibel Kusimba describes the rise of M-Pesa, and offers a rich portrait of how this technology changes the economic and social landscape, allowing users to create webs of relationships as they exchange, pool, borrow, lend, and share digital money in user-built networks. These networks, Kusimba argues, will shape the future of financial technologies and their impact on poverty, inclusion, and empowerment. She describes how urban and transnational migrants maintain a presence in rural areas through money gifts; how families use crowdfunding software to assemble donations for emergency medical care; and how new financial groups invest in real estate and fund weddings. The author presents fascinating accounts that challenge accepted wisdom by examining the notion of money as wealth-in-people—an idea long-cultivated in sub-Saharan Africa and now brought to bear on the digital age with homegrown financial technologies such as digital money transfer, digital microloans, and crowdfunding. The book concludes by proposing a new theory of money that can be applied to designing better financial technologies in the future.

Meeting the targets of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires contributions by scientists focusing on understanding, monitoring, protecting, managing and restoring the natural environment, including geoscientists. This book presents the first detailed discussion on the role of the geological sciences (geosciences) community in the implementation of the SDGs. Unlike traditional geosciences textbooks, it is structured according to development priorities, framed in the context of the 17 SDGs. Written by international experts from diverse range of geosciences / development disciplines, it explores themes linked to both science and the professional practice of science (e.g., ethics, equity, conduct, and partnerships). The book is intended for graduate and senior undergraduate students in the earth sciences, as well as practicing geologists and experts from other sectors involved in sustainability initiatives.

Le redressement de l’Afrique subsaharienne a été spectaculaire au cours des deux dernières décennies. Après de nombreuses années de déclin, l’économie du continent a commencé à reprendre de la vigueur au milieu des années 90. Grâce à cette croissance macroéconomique, la santé de la population s’est améliorée, le nombre des jeunes fréquentant l’école a augmenté, et le taux d'extrême pauvreté a diminué de 54 % en 1990 à 41 % en 2015. La région a connu moins de conflits (en dépit de ceux qui couvent dans certains pays et du nombre inquiétant des personnes déplacées), un élargissement des libertés politiques et sociales, et des progrès dans l’égalité hommes-femmes. Malgré ces avancées, les défis sont énormes. La croissance économique a ralenti au cours des dernières années. Les taux de pauvreté affichés dans de nombreux pays sont les plus élevés du monde. Et la croissance démographique africaine provoque une augmentation du nombre des pauvres du continent. Au niveau mondial, on assiste à un déplacement de la pauvreté de l'Asie du Sud vers l'Afrique. La stabilité et la croissance macroéconomiques sont certes des composantes essentielles de la réduction de la pauvreté et de l’amélioration du bien-être, mais elles ne sont pas suffisantes. Ce rapport explore les points d’entrée critiques et les domaines d’action prioritaires pour l’accélération de la réduction de la pauvreté en Afrique. Au-delà de la stabilité et de la croissance macroéconomiques, il cherche à savoir ce qui peut encore être fait et à identifier les points sur lesquels les décideurs devraient se concentrer pour réduire la pauvreté. Un agenda des politiques favorable aux pauvres requiert de la croissance aux endroits où ceux-ci vivent et travaillent, ainsi que de s’attaquer aux nombreux risques auxquels les ménages sont exposés. En conséquence de quoi, le présent rapport a ajouté une optique « emplois » à son travail. Il met carrément l’accent sur la productivité et les moyens de subsistance des pauvres et des personnes vulnérables, autrement dit sur ce qui est nécessaire pour accroître leurs revenus. Il s’attache enfin à la manière de financer l’agenda de lutte contre la pauvreté et de développement.

The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.