Ideas to Action:
Independent research for global prosperity
The recent Supreme Court judgement on Aadhaar closes one contentious chapter of its short existence and opens others at the same time. While Aadhaar is here to stay, the 1.25 billion dollar question remains: in what capacity?
The digital economy and the gig economy are on a collision course in Africa. For decades, the informal sector has been the engine of employment growth across the continent, with gig work a big part of that.
Why should countries invest in human capital? As emerging technologies impact economies and societies, how can we ensure that the most vulnerable are protected? Who will step up to finance the SDGs? Next week’s Annual Meetings of the World Bank and the IMF will convene 13,000 global policymakers, private sector executives, academics, and civil society members in Bali, Indonesia as they work to address these questions and more.
We know that technology—especially emerging technology on decentralized ID—has a huge potential in combating both these issues. We also know that technology has a huge gender problem worldwide.
India’s biometric ID, Aadhaar, is here to stay. This is the verdict of India’s Supreme Court which delivered a historic judgement today on a slew of petitions challenging the growing use of Aadhaar in the country.
It's Financial Inclusion Week. Read up on how digital ID can be used to promote financial inclusion and transform governance.
Today, we published the Commitment to Development Index (CDI) 2018, which ranks 27 of the world’s richest countries on how well their policies help the more than five billion people living in poorer countries. European countries dominate this year’s CDI, occupying the top 12 positions in the Index and with Sweden claiming the #1 spot. Here, we look at what these countries are doing particularly well in the past year to support the world’s poor, and where European leaders can still learn from others.
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.
Ongoing advances in AI, automation, and information and communications technologies (ICTs) may be fundamentally changing traditional paths to development. Academics, policymakers, and researchers in high-income countries have issued numerous reports and recommendations on the implications for jobs, education, and economic opportunities. But far less has been done to assess the effects on the developing world and global comparative advantage.
Eight years and millions of mobile financial transactions later, we came together again at a private CGD roundtable in London to discuss the potential of mobile banking and savings for women’s economic empowerment. We were pleased to hear the richness of research evidence and interventions on women’s financial inclusion that have emerged over the past decade. What follows are some takeaways from our deliberations, informed by this research and practice.
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