A marketplace developed in rural India for low-income artisans to sell their wares sits largely vacant, used by only a select group of higher-income exporters. The reason: When planning the facility, government officials consulted only with people of similar high status. Elsewhere, a Panamanian entrepreneur with a bold vision of introducing organic techniques to coffee farmers shuttered his business after just a few months. Although local farmers were interested, they were unable to assume the financial risk inherent in making the change.
Image: Photograph by Jan Doering
