Decisions, Decisions: Using Psychometric Testing to Select Entrepreneurs with High Potential
In emerging economies, demand for enterprise programmes usually massively outweighs supply: there are more people who need support than can be accommodated. This results in organisations having to be selective about who to accept onto their programmes. At Balloon, we believe in selecting those who are going to make the most of that opportunity. Doing […]
What is the Informal Sector?
Poverty in emerging economies is characterised by individuals living in incredibly difficult conditions. They might be lacking access to clean water, energy, waste disposal, basic education, nutritious food, healthcare, jobs, or welfare, and that’s just the beginning of a seemingly never-ending list. Breaking out of this situation is understandably incredibly challenging. In an attempt to […]
A Short History of International Aid (Part 2 of 2)
Part Two – From the Millennium Development Goals to the Present Balloon Ventures has been invited to participate on a panel at the upcoming Bristol International Development Conference (February 6th, 2016). The panel’s topic is ‘The Future of Aid: Are we doing more harm than good?’. In preparation for this discussion, we have put together a short […]
Estimating Impact is hard – Innovation in data collection could be the answer
As a social enterprise, at Balloon we spend a lot of time thinking about our impact. Those who take part in our programmes would happily testify to the impact created (check out other blog posts for examples). In particular, a lot of the impact created is in ‘soft’ things like hope, confidence or skills (e.g. […]
Is Social Enterprise a viable alternative to international aid for development in Africa?
“I realised that, in developing countries like mine, we do not need aid. Instead, we just need to motivate the young people to take initiative and do something for themselves. I have seen it work.” – Betty, Programme Coordinator What is foreign aid, and is it a failed strategy for Africa? International aid is […]
A Short History of International Aid (Part 1 of 2)
Part One – From WWII to the Turn of the Century Balloon Ventures has been invited to participate on a panel at the upcoming Bristol International Development Conference (February 6th, 2016). The panel’s topic is ‘The Future of Aid: Are we doing more harm than good?’. In preparation for this discussion, we have put together a […]
Conflict in the developing world and its impact on development
On Saturday 20th Feb 2016 Josh will be speaking at the London International Development Conference about ethnic conflict in Kenya and the links to development. In preparation for this talk, we have written a short post here. The Link between Conflict and the Developing World There is a strong link between conflict and less developed countries. […]
Lifting Businesses into the ‘Missing Middle’
The missing middle is a phenomenon whereby developing countries’ economies consist of a large number of microenterprises (mostly informal) and some large firms but very few small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Conversely, in developed economies, SMEs make up the majority of the economy, hence the term missing middle (see Figure 1). A World Bank […]