Bookshelf: African markets, philanthrocapitalism and new solutions to poverty

by Nathaniel Whittemore · 2008-10-27 07:31:00 UTC
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I’m working on a few different books that I’ll review here as I finish. Some of the goodies:

Philanthrocapitalism – Matthew Bishop and Michael Green
Philanthrocapitalism is an exploration of a new class of philanthropic-minded investors who are trying to leverage market-based solutions to global problems. As one of the first attempts to take a comprehensive look at the emerging “blended value” space, I’m interested to see what conclusions Bishop and Green come to. To join the discussion of the book, go to the corresponding website, Philanthrocapitalism.net, or to get a preview, check out my post of Bishop’s keynote at SoCap08.

Out of Poverty – Paul Polak
For 25 years, Paul Polak has been exploring how design and “bottom of the pyramid” entrepreneurship could work to increase the dignity and economic opportunity of the world’s poor. I think all of us interested in the relationship between business and development would do well to listen and learn from those who have been exploring these questions since before it became a trend.

Africa Rising – Vijay Mahajan
A new one I just picked up in the airport and interesting so far. There is a buzz and a hum around Africa and its entrepreneurial spirit and I’ll be interested to see how convincing this macro-level assessment of its market opportunities.

Check out our Top Ten Social Entrepreneurship Reads for more book recommendations.

Nathaniel Whittemore is the founder of Assetmap. Previously he was the founding director of the Northwestern University Center for Global Engagement.
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