Category Archives: Migrant worker

Mapping global seasonality: national times of abundance and scarcity?

Posted on June 4, 2012 by

Connecting some dots made me think of this exercise. If national governments are increasingly looking at ways to bridge the informal economy with the formal, in order to provide more inclusive benefits to their citizens and at the same time … Continue reading →

Posted in ASEAN, Bottom of the Pyramid, Business Models, Culture, Philipines, User research, Banking, India, Informal & Flexible, Africa, Buyer Behaviour, Income, Rural, Strategy, Sub Saharan Africa, Indigenous & Traditional, South Asia, Economy, Cashless transactions, Assumption filter, Migrant worker, South Africa, Kenya, global, Senegal, China | Leave a comment

African Traders in Guangzhou, China: Routes, Profits, and Reasons

Posted on January 15, 2012 by

While digging around for information after my recent flight where I was offered an upclose and personal look at increasing informal trade between Africa and China, I came across this research paper by Yang Yang from the Chinese University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Assumption filter, Business Models, Buyer Behaviour, Cashless transactions, China, Culture, Economy, global, Informal & Flexible, Literature review, Migrant worker, Urban | Tagged , , , ,

Observations: Rural BoP and the cash economy

Posted on July 22, 2009 by

Investment or Independence?          Photo Credit: Goverdhan Meena Across the board, the particular characteristic that most stood out during my conversations with the rural populace in India and The Philippines, as well as prior experiences elsewhere, was their … Continue reading →

Posted in Assumption filter, Bottom of the Pyramid, Buyer Behaviour, Cashless transactions, Culture, Economy, Expenses, India, Indigenous & Traditional, Migrant worker, Philipines, Project report, Rural, Savings, South Africa, South Asia, User research, Value

Coming soon: more stories from Malawi

Posted on February 4, 2009 by

Our friend, John Lumbe, who blogs at Ambitious and has his own Flickrstream,  will be helping the Prepaid Economy project remotely from Malawi. Studying at the Malawi College of Accountancy, John is working his way through school. Expect to hear … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Airtime, Bottom of the Pyramid, Buyer Behaviour, Migrant worker, Mobile platform, Rural, Savings, Sub Saharan Africa, User research, Value

Boot polish

Posted on January 24, 2009 by

Chandni Chowk, Old Delhi, January 9th 2009 Yes, I've been sitting right here in this very spot for the past 8 or 10 years. Its not bad work really, I average about Rs 200 to Rs 250 per day in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Expenses, Income, India, Informal & Flexible, Migrant worker, Urban, User research

‘Life Is Like A Casino – We Live Each Day As It Comes’: from Zimbabwe

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

From IPS News comes  a fascinating account of life at the bottom of the pyramid on an irregular and unpredictable income, some key snippets: Long lines of stalls, run by women, have sprung up next to many of Zimbabwe’s highways, … Continue reading →

Posted in Africa, Bottom of the Pyramid, Buyer Behaviour, Cashless transactions, Culture, Economy, Income, Indigenous & Traditional, Informal & Flexible, Migrant worker, Rural, Sub Saharan Africa, Urban, User research, Value

Migrating back to the village

Posted on January 22, 2009 by

Master craftsman, Dasktkar Ranthambhore, India January 1st 2009 I used to work in Jaipur but recently came back to my home village because its cheaper, my Rupee stretches further. Yes, I was very lucky to get this job in my … Continue reading →

Posted in Bottom of the Pyramid, Culture, Design, Economy, Expenses, Income, India, Migrant worker, Rural, Savings, Urban, User research