Unleashing the Power of Business to Change the World — Raj Kumar

Although traditional approaches to aid may often have been well-intentioned, they relied heavily on large-scale endeavors initiated by a handful of aid agencies and international organizations. The situation today is very different. There are disruptive forces in the form of large corporations, Silicon Valley startups, and billionaire philanthropists, who are spearheading a paradigm shift towards data-driven and outcome-focused global development. Entrepreneurial startups are also offering a range of services to farmers and rural inhabitants as well as urban customers; and new organizations are helping individuals to directly send money to those in need via an app. 

Raj Kumar is the President and Editor-in-Chief at Devex, the media platform for the global development community. He is a media leader and former humanitarian council chair for the World Economic Forum and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. His work has led him to more than 50 countries, where he has had the honor to meet many of the aid workers and development professionals who make up the Devex community. He is the author of the book The Business of Changing the World: How Billionaires, Tech Disrupters, and Social Entrepreneurs are Transforming the Global Aid Industry, which is a go-to primer on the ideas, people, and technology disrupting the aid industry. Twitter: @raj_devex

Key highlights:

• Introduction - 00:40
• Media and global development - 03:15
• Origins and impact of Devex's journalism - 16:34
• Role of businesses in global development - 21:54
• The poor as customers - 30:00
• How billionaire philanthropists have disrupted aid world - 34:52
• Celebrities and global development - 43:30

Host:

Professor Dan Banik (Twitter: @danbanik  @GlobalDevPod)

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https://globaldevpod.substack.com/
https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com/

Host

Dan Banik (@danbanik @GlobalDevPod)

Apple Spotify YouTube

Subscribe:

https://in-pursuit-of-development.simplecast.com

https://globaldevpod.substack.com/