Author: Mithila Rajagopal

Africa — Africa has ceased to be just the recipient of philanthropic aid. Sub-Saharan Africa alone is now the destination of private equity investments to the tune of four billion dollars. A third of African economies are growing at six percent annually. This trend is reflected across much of the developing world, slowly building their image as emerging markets, attractive for high-risk, high-growth investments. According to CNBC, “Trillions of dollars will be required to achieve the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that the United Nations is expected to adopt.” Currently, total official development assistance is only in the order of billions.…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — The government’s role in public health is a given. Significant progress cannot be made without national support for health projects. However, the world is starting to realize that progress will be slower if the private sector is not engaged in the process. For instance, today, private sector-developed mobile health solutions are changing the way public health is delivered. The ever increasing role that non-governmental organizations are playing in reaching patients and advocating for them is another example of the importance of the private sector in this field. Throughout the years, USAID, recognizing the vast high value of the…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts – According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, or UNHCR, more than 105,000 refugees have fled Burundi to escape the political violence triggered by the president’s decision to run for a third term in office. Al Jazeera reports that, “Humanitarian agencies are struggling to cope as tens of thousands of Burundian refugees stranded on Kagunga Island in Tanzania face worsening medical conditions.” Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Waves upon waves of people have sought and still seek safety from the political turmoil in their countries.  Reports on refugees from Syria, Ukraine, Sudan and so…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Since societal problems are integrals of a variety of factors, many different approaches are needed to generate solutions. Think about oral rehydration therapy, a treatment for diarrhea and dehydration. Not only does ORT need to be supplied to people in dire need, but people also need to be aware that ORT exists and know how to use it. This is where marketing and communication comes in. Applying marketing concepts, like market research, product development, advertising and promotion to problems affecting the society at large broadens the scope of this field. Social marketing encompasses the attempt to sell ideas,…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Developing inclusive business models that can accomplish development impact as well as commercial success; this is the challenge that Business Call to Action, or BctA, issued to companies across the world in 2008. Launched at the U.N. and supported by several international development organizations, BctA provides a global leadership platform for participating companies to establish commercially-viable ventures that focus on low-income populations. One hundred and four companies across the world have taken up this challenge to “engage low-income populations as consumers, producers, suppliers and distributors of goods and services.” The BctA hopes to stimulate progress toward achieving…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — As societies continue to grow, they make room to accommodate the impact of various changes like the industrial revolution and the digital revolution. This is the age of the data revolution. From scientific research and personalized medicine to marketing, a number of fields are hopping on the big data train. Social and economic development are no strangers to the need for data. Policies and programs need to be evaluated at regular time points to ascertain that money is being put to good use. How can funding needs to be devoted to anti-poverty campaigns be determined if the numbers…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Eight hundred and five million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy life. Poor nutrition causes nearly half of the deaths among children under 5, while 13.5 percent of the population in developing countries is undernourished. With these stark statistics, there is still an urgent need to step up the efforts to address the nutritional concerns of the world. Apart from policy, aid and education, scientific research is resulting in major strides toward providing solutions and innovations in nutrition. The Green Revolution is one of science’s most successful initiatives. Research done on selective breeding…

NEW YORK — Sustainable economic progress is an important factor when it comes to achieving the Millennium Development Goal to alleviate extreme poverty, and maintaining that progress. In the age of globalization, being a competitive player in the global markets can translate to the required economic growth. According to the U.N. Chronicle, “it is estimated that annual welfare gains from trade liberalization would be in the order of 90 billion to 200 billion dollars of which two-thirds would accrue to developing countries. This could help lift 140 million people out of poverty by 2015.” Trade can keep the prices of…

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts — Science is now providing answers to most global issues – whether it is manufacturing new antibiotics or developing alternative fuels. Science and technology have reached every corner of our society— from the now ubiquitous mobile-based solutions for health, finance and governance, to high performance crops for ensuring food security. Thinking from a practical mindset, having suppliers close to consumers is efficient and effective. Of course, research has more concerns than just logistics but why should there not be research and development close to the problems that it is trying to solve? Building scientific capacity locally can have…

NEW DEHLI — In India, “decades of sex determination tests and female foeticide has acquired genocide proportions,” a UNICEF press release states. This may not be as exaggerated as it sounds. Per the 2011 census, the sex ratio was only 940 females to every 1000 males. The fact that the sex ratio has dropped since pre-independence times is alarming. The child (0-6 years) sex ratio in 2011 was only 914 females to every 1000 males. These appalling numbers have the government sitting up and taking notice. The act of aborting a foetus simply due to its crime of being a…