Building Inclusive Platforms- A Conversation with Jumia and Lazada

The rapid digital transformation underway in many emerging markets has the potential to have an equally transformative impact for women entrepreneurs. However, critical gaps in access to the internet and mobile phones can limit the ability to work in tech-enabled jobs or to compete as entrepreneurs. This event draws on recent IFC research on the rise … Continue reading Building Inclusive Platforms- A Conversation with Jumia and Lazada

A conversation with Bolt, PickMe and Uber

Photo via Unsplash, Andy Art What role are women playing in the ride-hailing market? Can ride-hailing improve women’s mobility and work opportunities? From addressing safety to designing new products, hear about the results of three global studies and share in a discussion of practical challenges and solutions from Uber, Bolt, and PickMe. To watch the … Continue reading A conversation with Bolt, PickMe and Uber

Using AI for women’s economic empowerment: How can it work?

Photo via Unsplash, Jayshoots Caroline Rubin, Julia Hakspiel and Bobbi Gray from the WEE Working Group spoke with Alexa Roscoe, Disruptive Technology Lead at IFC’s Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, and Lana Graf, Principal Industry Specialist for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at IFC about ways in which digital technologies can support the women’s economic empowerment. … Continue reading Using AI for women’s economic empowerment: How can it work?

Navigating the debate on women-only transport

Photo Via Unsplash, Jenny Ueberberg Segregated transport remains heavily debated both in terms of its benefits to women and its efficacy within broader transport systems. Proponents claim that it helps meet women’s urgent needs for safe transportation, one of the biggest barriers to women’s economic participation, and represents an important step forward for women whose … Continue reading Navigating the debate on women-only transport

Five things a global study on ride-hailing tells us about women and the sharing economy

Photo via Unsplash, Courtney Cook The opportunities and risks of sharing economy models are particularly relevant for women, as they both have more to gain from greater participation and more to lose if they are excluded from new forms of income or assets. With this new research, ride-hailing companies are well-placed take the lead in … Continue reading Five things a global study on ride-hailing tells us about women and the sharing economy

Women and innovation: Making the connection

Photo via Unsplash, Andy Kelly There is growing evidence that greater gender equality leads to increased business innovation, and companies that pay attention stand to reap great rewards. This article was initially published on the Stanford Social Innovation Review.  For the full article, please visit the website. For more of Alexa's work, read her profile or visit her … Continue reading Women and innovation: Making the connection

Towards an ecosystem for women’s financial inclusion- what next?

Photo via Steve Johnson, Unsplash Recently I had the honor of presenting at the PowerShift Conference on Women in the World Economy, hosted by the Oxford University Saïd Business School. PowerShift was hands down the most inspiring conference I have ever attended, largely because it drew together companies, NGOs and academics in a way which … Continue reading Towards an ecosystem for women’s financial inclusion- what next?

Microfranchising for development: The case of Krishi Utsho

Via Unsplash, Theodore Grout The development world has long embraced micro-finance, and there is a lot of hype about micro-entrepreneurs, but what exactly is a micro-franchise? A micro-what? Micro-franchising "has its roots in traditional franchising, which is the practice of copying a successful business and replicating it at another location by following a consistent set of … Continue reading Microfranchising for development: The case of Krishi Utsho

Three insights on feminist economics from Oxford PowerShift

Photo via Unsplash, Tetiana Shynsky Last week I had the honor of speaking at Oxford’s PowerShift Conference on Women in the World Economy. Rarely have I been in one room with so many accomplished women and rarely have I come away from any event feeling so inspired. Part of the feeling came from the many … Continue reading Three insights on feminist economics from Oxford PowerShift

Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women

Photo via Unsplash Duncan Shaffer I’ve written previously that there is business case for companies to empower women; what I didn't mention was that even if there were not, there would still be a strong legal case for them to do so. The global standard for the responsibilities of business vis-à-vis human rights is the … Continue reading Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women

The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector

Photo via Unsplash, Sazzad Bin Jafor In the months since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh sparked a drive to address worker health and safety in the garment sector, I’ve been suffering a severe case of déjà vu. Here’s how it has played out: high-profile exposure of human rights abuses, coupled with intense lobbying … Continue reading The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector