Reading Development

Random readings on society, politics and change – Jorge Carrillo

Big data is people!

Rebecca Lemov – We live in what is sometimes called the ‘petabyte era’, and this pronouncement has provoked much discussion of the sheer size of data stores being created, as … Continue reading

Thursday, 14 September 2017 · Leave a comment

A tale of three cities, or: The smart city as will and category error

Adam Greenfield – By leveraging the decentralizing tendencies that appear to be implicit in our networked technologies, and the configurations of power they in principle give rise to, we can … Continue reading

Friday, 8 September 2017 · Leave a comment

Measuring poverty and wellbeing in developing countries

Detailed analyses of poverty and wellbeing in developing countries, based on household surveys, have been ongoing for more than three decades. The large majority of developing countries now regularly conduct … Continue reading

Tuesday, 5 September 2017 · Leave a comment

Civic Tech in the Global South

Civic Tech in the Global South is comprised of one study and three field evaluations of civic tech initiatives in developing countries. The study reviews evidence on the use of … Continue reading

Thursday, 31 August 2017 · Leave a comment

Five ways urban design can spur inclusive growth

Every week, 1.5million people move to the city. By 2030, some 60% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. Yet while cities drive economic development, generating about 85% … Continue reading

Monday, 28 August 2017 · Leave a comment

A government perspective: Tech Trends 2017

Macro forces—such as digital, analytics, cloud, core modernization, and the changing role of IT—are at the heart of the technology trends that are fueling innovation and growth in both the … Continue reading

Thursday, 17 August 2017 · Leave a comment

Scientific data and its limits: rethinking the use of evidence in local climate change policy

Climate policy is typically seen as informed by scientific evidence that anthropogenic carbon emissions require reducing in order to avoid dangerous consequences. However, agreement on these matters has not translated … Continue reading

Friday, 28 July 2017 · Leave a comment

How to build a data revolution

This video series by UNU-WIDER tells the story of Viet Nam’s data revolution. To build on its success in poverty reductions, the country needed better data to continue pressing forward … Continue reading

Thursday, 27 July 2017 · Leave a comment

Troops, Trolls and Troublemakers: A Global Inventory of Organized Social Media Manipulation

Cyber troops are government, military or political party teams committed to manipulating public opinion over social media. In this working paper, we report on specific organizations created, often with public … Continue reading

Sunday, 23 July 2017 · Leave a comment