Two unsolicited ideas on how to invest some of Melinda French Gates’ $12.5 billion
The case for bold risk taking to boost women-owned businesses and intensify learning on how to improve subnational service provision that targets women
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I: How can private philanthropies improve the practice of international development?
The last two decades has seen the rise of private philanthropies and other unofficial actors (like think tanks, research networks, and consultancies) as key players in international development. These unofficial actors’ influence has grown not just because of the sheer amount of cash they’ve mobilized (see below), but also because they have been able to set the agenda — including through their funding of specific initiatives in multilaterals, sponsorship of research, influence over government officials, and direct programming. For these reasons, it’s important to think about what philanthropies could be doing differently to catalyze transformative economic development in low-income countries.
