CIBER Focus: "Entrepreneurship after Haitian Earthquake" with Thomas Davies and Trent Williams

Trent Williams and Thomas Davies discuss how entrepreneurship has emerged in the wake of the Haitian earthquake. Williams and Davies are both PhD candidates at Indiana University and recently took a trip to Haiti to study how local entrepreneurs have responded to the crisis. They were focused on discovering how organizations emerge in resource-deprived areas. Williams paints a picture of a Haiti that is still very much crippled by the damage of the earthquake despite the three years that has passed since it occurred. Refugee camps are still the home to thousands of Haitian citizens and this is where much of the entrepreneurship has sprung from. Davies discusses how initially citizen entrepreneurs responded to immediate needs in order to survive and help the community. The organizations/businesses have evolved as new needs have become apparent over the years with some even evolving into advocacy groups for the citizens. Williams explains that in spite of the good intentions of nongovernmental organizations, NGOs sometimes cause more harm than good by flooding markets and hurting local business. The two discuss many different examples of entrepreneurship that they encountered on their trip. They end the interview by highlighting the common characteristics among the successful organizations. *This video was recorded as a part of the Indiana University CIBER Focus Vodcast Series.