Avon's apparent success in using entrepreneurship to help women escape poverty, as well as its staying power in circumstances where similar efforts have failed, has captured the attention of the international development community. This study, the first independent empirical investigation,...

The bottom-of-the-pyramid (BOP) approach is championed as a way to deliver both corporate profits and poverty reduction. This article explores how “the poor“ are repurposed as the instruments of ethical capitalism through the archetypal BOP model—Avon Cosmetics. A harbinger of...

This paper seeks to understand how small-scale entrepreneurs in Nairobi, Kenya understand the relationship between religion and commerce through an analysis of shop advertising signs. While the sacred and profane are often theorized as mutually exclusive categories, the paper describes how these...

Increasing numbers of corporations are vying to capture one of the largest untapped consumer markets – the world's poor – in ways that are not only economically profitable but socially responsible. One type of initiative that has gained increased traction is trading partnerships between...

The education of girls is a primary focus of development efforts in poor countries because female achievement, especially at the secondary level, is believed to have long-lasting and far-reaching economic effects. Complex multiple factors work against girls’ education in developing countries,...

Despite notable progress in girls' education over the last decade, gender-based differences continue to shape educational outcomes. One of the most overlooked of these differences is the process of maturation itself, including menstruation. This paper presents the findings of a study that...

Background Increased education of girls in developing contexts is associated with a number of important positive health, social, and economic outcomes for a community. The event of menarche tends to coincide with girls' transitions from primary to secondary education and may constitute a barrier...