“This document comprises several policy briefs 1)The Innovation Revolution and its Implications for Development – the authors explore how technology-driven innovations in finance, management and accountability can catalyze scaled up development interventions that reach poor people around the world. 2)New Frontiers: Launching Digital Financial Services in Rural Areas: Cameron Peake surveys the landscape of digital financial services in rural Africa, Asia and Latin America and provides valuable lessons gleaned from Mercy Corps’s experience in implementing programs on the ground and reaching populations at the very bottom of the pyramid. 3)Harnessing Connection Technologies for Development – the authors put forward a framework to describe the different types of mass networks that have emerged from advances in communication (or connection) technologies. 4)Innovation and Technology for Green Growth: the authors categorized the various types of green growth innovations and examine recent R&D and investment trends. 5)Delivering U.S. Leadership: Roles for the Public Sector: Molly Kinder examines the role of the public sector in unlocking innovation to deliver development “better, cheaper and faster and at scale”. 6)The Importance of Business Models: Mike Kubzansky argues that designing effective business models matters far more than the technology behind a product when targeting the very poor. 7) What You Make, Not How You Make It—Why Africa Needs a Strategy for Structural Change: John Page asserts that structural change—the shift of resources in a country from low to high productivity sectors—is more important than technology in addressing the current jobs crisis in Africa and recommends specific steps to kick-start transformation and create globally competitive industries on the continent.”
