Opportunities and Challenges of Using ‘Big Data’ for Development
Claire Cullen | January 25, 2015
January 22, 2015
Week 1: Priorities for the Development Agenda
Before Dr. Jim Kim’s inaugural Global Futures lecture, bloggers responded to the question of what they see as the biggest development issue of the next decade.
- Jennifer Lentfer worries about a tendency to quash grassroots leadership. Far too few resources actually reach the poor, notwithstanding the well-proven strengths of poor communities. She hopes and demands a more truly people-centered approach in the future.
- Satish Chand, pointing to the power of technology and the enormous challenges it presents, speaks hopefully of the urgent need for global institutional reform that might avert disaster while channeling the potential for good.
- Claire Cullen takes on the question of how big data can serve development. She is optimistic that there is great potential for good, notes that applications in poorer countries are less advanced than in wealthier economies, and underscores the importance of practical tools needed to turn potential into reality, among them regulatory policies.
Responses
Recognition for Grassroots Leadership
Jennifer Lentfer | January 24, 2015
Addressing the Paradox of Rising GDP and Increasing Inequality
O. Felix Obi | January 24, 2015
Harnessing Technology for Good or Else See It Deployed for Destruction
Satish Chand | January 24, 2015