RSS
June 24, 2008
Muhammad Yunus: World's #2 Public Intellectual
Email | 
Digg | 
Del.icio.us
Foreign Policy's long-awaited ranking of "top public intellectuals" is now available, and earning second place is Muhammad Yunus, a pioneering microfinancer and a member of the board of the UN Foundation, which sponsors this site. FP's description:
More than 30 years ago, Yunus loaned several dozen poor entrepreneurs in his native Bangladesh a total of $27. It was the beginning of a lifetime devoted to fighting poverty through microfinance, efforts that earned him a Nobel Peace Prize in 2006. Over the years, his Grameen Bank, now operating in more than 100 countries, has loaned nearly $7 billion in small sums to more than 7 million borrowers--97 percent of them women. Ninety-eight percent of the loans have been repaid.
Check out the full list here; it includes some names you might not have expected.