TechSangam

We've got cash – you've got mail

Vishy KurugantiDecember 29, 20195 mins

That’s the tag line for GiveDirectly, a 10-year old US-based non-profit making waves in 9 African countries. “Cash” for unconditional cash transfers and “you’ve got mail” for the m-Pesa notification…

Unconditional transfers approaching primetime

Vishy KurugantiDecember 05, 20193 mins

Since I first read about unconditional transfers (in Banerjee and Duflo’s Poverty Economics book), I’ve been fascinated about this seemingly this-cant-possibly-work approach to foreign aid. Later I…

Bill and Melinda Gates debunk three myths

Vishy KurugantiJanuary 24, 20145 mins

Mexico City – 1986 (left), 2011 (right) The 2014 Gates Annual Letter is out. You should read the entire letter. But since my exhortation may not be sufficient, I’ll present a few teasers from the…

Understanding moral hazards, moral imperatives and informal insurance

Vishy KurugantiMay 31, 20123 mins

Pic: courtesy pooreconomics.com I recently re-read Chapter 6 of Poor Economics (Barefoot Hedge-Fund Managers) because I was looking for a savings intervention RCT. I haven’t found that RCT yet but a…

Hunger Alleviation Lessons from Belo Horizonte

Vishy KurugantiApril 12, 20123 mins

Belo (Brazil’s 3rd largest city) – Pic courtesy trialx.com [Editor’s Note: (Sep 12, 2012): According to this Newslaundry editorial, Samar Halamkar (on whose column I based this post) might have…

RSBY: a government initiative that (Gasp!) seems to work

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 22, 20125 mins

The RSBY smart card for BPL families [Editor’s Note: RSBY expands to Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojna (Hindi for “National Health Insurance Policy”). The brainchild of IAS officer and Director General of…

Key nuggets from Bill Gates' Annual Letter 2012 – Global Health

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 09, 20123 mins

Children waiting to be vaccinated against meningitis (new vaccine). Pic: courtesy @Path, Gabriel Bienczycki/Gates Foundation This is Part 2 of TechSangam’s review of the 2012 Annual Letter from Bill…

Key nuggets from Bill Gates' Annual Letter 2012 – Innovation in Agriculture

Vishy KurugantiFebruary 08, 20123 mins

If you have time, you really should read the complete text of the 2012 Annual Letter from Bill Gates. But I know you live in a multi-screen world with thousands of tweets, status updates, and vids…

Nine Key Takeaways from HUNGaMA Survey on Hunger and Malnutrition

Vishy KurugantiJanuary 11, 20124 mins

For a few nutrients more.. (Pic courtesy hungamaforchangechange.org) In our continued coverage of Naandi Foundation’s HUNGaMA survey, we’ll look at the nine key takeaways in this post. [For the truly…

A handicapped security guard and the promise of his talented daughter

Vishy KurugantiDecember 31, 20113 mins

[Editor’s Note: Apologies for the 9 days of hiatus in blogging. It was my first vacation since I started writing this blog. To pile on the excuses, it was my first vacation where my wife was working…

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