Views from the Center

The Future of Work is all the rage—the latest World Bank World Development Report is dedicated to the issue, the World Economic Forum and McKinsey have issued multiple reports, and "your job is being stolen by a robot" articles are being churned out at a rate that suggests IBM’s Watson has been reprogrammed to deliver 50 think pieces a day. We’ve been here before, of course: dire warnings of a machine age of mass unemployment have been around for at least a century. Is this time different?

What has the growth of ride-hailing platforms meant for employment in Africa? Taxify claims to have “hundreds of thousands” of drivers across the continent, but exact numbers are hard to come by.

In July, CGD launched a study group on Technology, Comparative Advantage, and Development Prospects. This project builds on a large body of existing research from its members and other scholars at the Center. To give you a quick primer on the group’s work, let’s look back at some of their key findings and recommendations below.