In the largest survey of its kind, The Africa List Business Barometer reveals a high degree of confidence in the business environment across Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia, despite ongoing challenges. Produced by The Africa List, a membership community of Africa’s rising private sector leaders, and developed in partnership with The Wheeler…
State fragility drives some of the biggest problems in our world today: extreme poverty, mass migration, terrorism, trafficking, and more. Why are some countries ‘fragile’, chronically affected by insecurity and political and economic instability? How can private initiatives contribute to better outcomes? On 8 and 9 October, 2019 the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development…
Improving poorer populations’ chances of getting necessary care The challenge A low attendance rate for urgent, high-consequence treatment is prevalent in the developing world. In poorer countries, ignorance about the illnesses people have, allied to the financial costs of attending for treatment, are two of the main reasons why they fail to show up for…
Evaluating a private-sector initiative to increase technology adoption Of the 14% of the world’s population that live without access to modern electricity, 95% live in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Studies have shown that clean-energy technologies such as solar-powered lighting and cook stoves can increase income and save household energy costs in emerging markets. Rooftop solar-technology…
The political economy of displacement and refugee flows Large-scale population movements disrupt the economies and social fabrics of many countries. Understanding how substantial populations of involuntarily displaced individuals fare economically and how host communities are affected is crucial. This research explores the developmental impacts of refugee flows and the effect on host communities, and whether…
Antecedents and implications of the Expanded Access Programme in the pharmaceutical industry The lack of access to drugs that treat deadly diseases is a massive global health challenge, especially in developing countries. In 2016, of nearly 37 million people living with HIV, one million died due to a lack of effective drugs and therapies. This…
A randomised controlled trial of push vs. pull marketing strategies in rural India For millions of rural consumers in developing countries, the means used for everyday tasks such as cooking, drinking water, and lighting are potentially lethal acts, even though less harmful alternatives are widely used by their urban contemporaries. The quality, availability and affordability…
Investigating ways to cure disease, reduce mortality rates and improve life expectancy The challenge Research and development (R&D) expenditure in the pharmaceutical industry is extremely high. However, developing countries face severe resource constraints and weak institutions, and their urgent need for medicines can only be met by profit-driven, big pharmaceutical firms. Why do (some) firms…
Helping parents make better child nutrition and immunisation decisions The challenge Undernutrition contributes to more than half of all deaths of children under the age of five and is directly linked with economic development (Unicef, 2018a). Lack of immunisation is also a widespread problem in poor communities. Liquidity constraints can make food products unaffordable, resulting…
Understanding the effects of regulation on start-up activity and wage inequality The Challenge Reduced entrepreneurial activity and wage inequality is one of the world’s most pressing challenges and a cause of friction between large and small firms. Increased regulatory burden, especially on smaller firms, can explain the 50% decline in start-up activity in the US…
