It is no exaggeration to say that popular platforms with loyal users, like Google and Facebook, know those users better than their families and friends do. Many firms collect an enormous amount of data as an input for their artificial intelligence algorithms. Facebook Likes, for example, can be used to predict with a high degree […]
Web3 is a new paradigm that could define a new internet era. It is based on blockchain, a technology through which a network of computers – called nodes – can execute and validate changes to a public ledger. Blockchains can be used to record ownership of goods and claims to services, and because this information […]
The production of a cash crop like sugar is widely expected to increase social inequality, particularly in a colonial context. This column analyses Java, Indonesia, where the reverse was true. Using detailed data across 368 districts in colonial Java, the authors find that sugar production in the 19th and early 20th centuries stimulated the expansion […]
Throughout the pandemic, and particularly before vaccines became available, Black and Latinx people in the United States have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The Rockefeller Foundation saw an opportunity to promote equity in the COVID-19 response through vaccination, and in April 2021, launched the Equity-First Vaccination Initiative (EVI). The primary goal of the EVI was to reduce […]
The state of education in a country has cascading impacts across multiple facets of development. In line with SDG 4, providing equitable quality education remains a key mission for countries, especially those with low literacy rates. Zooming in on Tanzania, results from the National Panel Survey (NPS) show that while the country has made progress in […]
When Alvin lost income because of reduced work hours at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he was able to access the COVID-19 Recovery Grant, one of the Singapore Government’s measures to protect the livelihoods of Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. The application process was done completely online, and there was no need to […]
The COVID-19 pandemic strained health systems around the world and disrupted the delivery of health services, including maternal and child health care. It also slowed down progress toward universal health coverage (UHC). As the world marks UHC Day, we look at four priorities to ensure that low- and middle-income countries can resume progress toward providing […]
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a global crisis. Today, 200 million women and girls suffer from the consequences of FGM and more than 70 million are at risk of FGM by 2030. FGM is defined by the WHO as “all procedures that involve partial or total removal of the external female genitalia, or other injury […]
As Mediterranean countries look to chart a path forward in the wake of the multiple crises that have upended economies, accelerating regional integration becomes more critical than ever. Increased trade flows, two-way investments, and mobility across the Northern, Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries would be major drivers of a sustainable recovery. And while there are […]
Low-carbon hydrogen is a unique fuel with a high potential to address climate change and development. It can help accelerate decarbonization of hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and global transport, while also promoting sustainable growth in the developing world. Low- and middle-income countries are emerging as leaders to produce and export this unique fuel that […]
