Event Archives: 2012

Kenya’s financial market has caught the world’s attention. The rise of mobile money in Kenya has become the interest of financial inclusion experts, the excitement of mobile network operators, and an opportunity for financial institutions to rethink their products and services. However, the data behind this transformation and the impact on financial inclusion efforts are often much less examined and understood.

Science and technology in America have been guided by the same set of ideas for more than half a century. The conventional wisdom is that if we feed more money and more scientists into our existing “knowledge enterprise” complex, society will derive proportionately more benefits. In the face of the global economic downturn, political disarray at the national level, and protracted challenges to the nation’s public health, environmental quality, industrial base, and energy system, this simplistic assumption is long overdue for a reckoning.

To help families succeed and low-income families thrive, quality child care is critical. Yet too many of America's children are in early care settings that lack well-prepared teachers, lack the infrastructure to do background checks, and lack the ability to offer safe child-to-adult ratios that give children the attention they need to learn and explore.  Parents worry about the quality of care their children receive, yet often can't afford better programs and feel powerless to do anything about it.

Civil society—broadly conceived—played an important role in instigating the Arab uprisings and will continue to be a decisive force. With new spaces for collective action, civil society leaders are poised to play a bigger role in the social and political future of the Middle East and North Africa than ever before. The Middle East Task Force held this discussion with the Arab NGO Network for Development (ANND) and member organizations.