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At the SEEP 2014 conference (September 22-25), members of the private sector and development community ambitiously set out to answer the question: How do we scale impact in inclusive market systems?

The Independent Evaluation Group describes lessons on how well the World Bank Group is promoting inclusive growth, in particular for private sector development.

On September 22–25, 2014, over 70 contributing organizations came together at the SEEP Annual Conference to leverage their collective knowledge around the theme “Scaling Impact in Inclusive Market Systems.”

Big Data buzz and hype is catching everyone’s attention, including development practitioners. Is Big Data as the “new oil” for development a blessing or a curse?

Blog post by Elebthel Gebrehiwot, FIELD-Support intern, FHI 360 According to the World Economic Forum, in Tunisia, 40% of university graduates are unemployed compared to 24% of non-graduates. This suggests that youth graduating from university are lacking “21st century workplace skills,” such as digital literacy, inventive thinking, and effective communication. Many other countries are facing a similar problem. So how do we bridge the gap between unemployed or under employed youth, new job opportunities, and the right skill sets?

Within the Feed the Future initiative, there is a lot of interest in achieving strong, positive results at scale.

To find solutions for reductions in global poverty and hunger, it is important to check assumptions and ensure we learn and adapt. The SEEP 2014 conference provided a space for people to reflect and ask the difficult questions.

Assessing the Impact of Microfinance Services (AIMS) addressed both sides of the client assessment coin: how to improve impact and how to use client data to improve operations.

Jennefer Sebstad provides key takeaways from her presentation at USAID Breakfast Seminar #61, "Behavior Change Perspectives on Gender and Value Chain Development." Jennefer Sebstad, an independent consultant working with ACDI/VOCA, has over 30 years of work experience as a researcher, evaluator, program designer, and donor in the areas of microfinance and enterprise development in developing countries with an emphasis on women, young people, and vulnerable groups.  

Cristina Manfre provides key takeaways from her presentation at USAID Breakfast Seminar #61, "Behavior Change Perspectives on Gender and Value Chain Development." Manfre is a gender and development specialist with extensive experience working in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. She is currently a consultant to Cultural Practice, LLC, and is also involved in a project to apply a behavior change perspective to address gender issues in agricultural value chains for ACDI/VOCA.

Jennefer Sebstad, Marian Boquiren, and Lindsey Jones report about their session, "Understanding Gender and Culture in Market Systems," from the February 7-8, 2012 USAID Learning Event, "Meeting the Challenges of Value Chain Development."

Caren Grown, Senior Gender Advisor in USAID's Bureau of Policy, Planning and Learning is interviewed by Ruth Campbell, Managing Director at ACDI/VOCA, on why social dimensions matter for value chain development programs.

Elizabeth Dunn and Don Snodgrass report about their session, "Learning and Evaluating Within Dynamic Systems," from the February 7-8, 2012 USAID Learning Event, "Meeting the Challenges of Value Chain Development."

In this wrap-up post, the IRC concludes with key points from their mini-series on orphans and vulnerable children.

Plan Canada assesses the benefits of the Youth Microfinance Project as well as its effect on youth economic empowerment.

In this post, Dr. Samson Radeny reviews where we are today with caregiver community-based microfinance.

Jessie presents Freedom from Hunger's AIM Youth initiative, which tested different models of integrated financial services to help young people successfully transition into financially literate adults.

This post highlights the November 20 webinar, hosted by Microlinks, titled “Youth Savings Services: Are They Worth It?”

Community-based, savings-led microfinance for children and youth is a promising new approach toward addressing the needs of the most vulnerable kids in poor countries. What could it mean?

How should private capital be mobilized for development outcomes? How can we ensure gains are equally distributed? Welcome to our latest series in Financing Growth!

Have the financial and business service sectors gone far enough to “read” the unique needs of agricultural small and medium enterprises? Find out what Chris Chibwana thinks.

The International Rescue Committee launches "Financial Inclusion: A Case for Orphans and Vulnerable Children" as a mini-series on Microlinks.

What is the relationship between market systems and resilience? Explore this "gray area" with USAID's Greg Collins.

Watch attendees of USAID's Private Sector Engagement Training talk about what USAID can bring to the private sector to address real private sector issues.

Eric Derks of Tetra Tech provides key takeaways from his presentation during MPEP Seminar #5.