Hystra, Aqua for All, BoP Innovation Center

September 2011

Scaling-up access to safe water and reaching out to the 2.1 billion people without this common good is possible, and can even be profitable. For the fast growing urban population in developing countries (expected growth: almost 70% by 2030) piped distribution networks seems to be the most appropriate. Good opportunities lay ahead for utility operators (public and private), especially if they join forces and create hybrid water utilities which focuses exclusively on serving fast growing communities in towns and slums of large cities. These urban areas could be served with relatively low capital investments. For different reasons, such hybrid utilities could not be purely public or private, but rather require a blend of both, in terms of governance and financing.

Wageningen University - LEI

Sertse, Y., M. de Ruyter de Wildt, Y Dijkxhoorn and M. Danse
LEI Memorandum 11-005

May 2011

The ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, through the BOCI Programme (International Policy Support Research) requested LEI to portray alternative business models that increase inclusiveness, improves competitiveness and enhance food safety and security in the Ethiopian oilseed sector. The BoP Innovation Cycle was used to identify accessible, acceptable and affordable innovations.

International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

June 2010

A report by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) argues that international initiatives on agricultural investments should go beyond trying to minimize the negative impacts of large-scale land acquisitions and, instead, promote investment models that maximize opportunities for local smallholder.

World Resources Institute

Sharon Smith

September 2004

WRI’s business case studies go deeper into some of the most promising projects represented in the Digital Dividend Clearinghouse, providing detailed description and analysis of each business model, the market segment in which it operates, its successes and challenges, potential replicability and scalability. If possible, the study also documents the social impact of the venture.

Harvard Business Review
Ashish Karamchandani, Mike Kubzansky and Nishant Lalwani
February 22, 2011

The market for products and services aimed at the bottom of the pyramid—people living in poverty in developing economies—is vast, with 4 billion people representing $5 trillion in purchasing power. However, succeeding in this market is far from easy, write Ashish Karamchandani, Mike Kubzansky and Nishant Lalwani—who lead Monitor's Inclusive Markets practice—in this article for the March issue of Harvard Business Review.

Design for Social Wellbeing: A Case Study of Normative Design Thinking in Industrial Design
Edan Weis -University of Melbourne

January 2010

This study investigates industrial design practice which aims to contribute to poverty alleviation and economic development in poor nations. The practice of “Design for Social Wellbeing” (DSW) generally operates in three capacities: 1) Commercial product/service development for low-income markets through social enterprise; 2) Technical assistance and capacity building with local artisans or micro-enterprises; 3) Product, service and infrastructure development assistance for communities and organizations.

For further reading, download the article here.

  World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)

  September 2010

This document presents a „mapping‟ of key publicly-available tools and resources that support the initiation, development and scaling of inclusive business models. It is primarily aimed at practitioners but will also be of use to other actors in the inclusive business domain, including donors, investors, business associations and communities.

Download the article here.

ICCO & OXFAM Novib

Karolien Bais

June 2008

This paper explores the possibility of aligning the goals of poverty reduction and economic profit through the marketbased approach of the BoP. In other words, can this approach be as much a development strategy as a business strategy? Can the productive capacity of the poor be leveraged in creating products and services that ultimately raise their own incomes and not only those of the companies involved? What does it take to work in BoP markets, combining profit with cultural appropriateness and environmental sustainability?

Dowload the article here.

Access to Energy for the Base of the Pyramid
October 2009

A study by Hystra, in collaboration with international network of social entrepreneurs Ashoka, on projects allowing energy access to poor sections of the population from developing countries.

Enhancing MDG1 through a new Dutch initiative aimed at connecting the private sector, NGOs and government