TechPlus+

10 February 202317 February 2023

Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, Economics, Human Development, ICTD

Undoubtedly, the infrastructural requirements used to produce the 2020 175 billion GPT-3 model are hefty by most standards. But, of course, that just means that competitors now striving to generate their own creatures on the same genre must have access Read more

AI’s Seemingly Elusive Infrastructure – I

31 January 20234 February 2023

Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, Economics, ICTD

ChatGTP’s sudden and arguably premature success has yet again exposed the usually overlooked link between so-called “virtual” digital technologies and very tangible infrastructure. Indeed, early adopters of the latest incarnation of GTP-3-based bots directly experienced repeated network and login failures. Read more

ChatGPT’s New Version

Artificial Intelligence, e-governance, Economics, Innovation

Yesterday, OpenAI released a new iteration of ChatGPT, version 3.5. To quickly check, I decided to ask some of the same questions I did back in December. The table below compares the results. ChatGPT November 2022 v3.0 January 30 2023, Read more

Best Films – 2022

1 January 202314 January 2023

15 December 20222 February 2023

I read somewhere that 2022 was an excellent year for filmmaking. After all, the pandemic has become endemic (learn to live with it, no matter what). And previous virus constraints have now evaporated. Back to 2019, so to speak. Almost. Read more

Chatting with ChatGPT

Artificial Intelligence, Economics, Governance, Human Development

OpenAI’s new shiny chatbot, with the not-so-brilliant name of ChatGPT, has taken the world by storm, surprising most, company staff included. Evidence of the latter stems from the fact that whenever one tries to access the platform, a message announcing Read more

How Green is AI?

1 December 202215 January 2023

19 November 202213 December 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Climate Change, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Playing Games My father taught me how to play chess when I was nine years old or thereabouts. He played his fair share of games while he was studying engineering. He told me that a few of his classmates quit Read more

ICTs and Emissions – V

12 November 202213 November 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Walking Around the Main Gallery Unlike its basement, the abode’s main gallery is noisy, crowded and chaotic, offering a maze-like layout we need to navigate safely. Indeed, one can easily get lost, and while checking in is pretty simple, finding Read more

Digital Technologies and Sustainable Development: The Missing Link

5 November 20229 November 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Context Nowadays, digital technologies occupy most interstices of society. While the global pandemic exposed glaring gaps, especially in developing countries, avoiding their mantra seems torturous. Undoubtedly, their rapid diffusion in the last 30 years is historical (Comin & Mestieri, 2018). Read more

ICTs and Emissions – IV

27 October 20229 November 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Environmental Footprints As previously mentioned, data centers (DCs) depend not only on energy consumption but also require plenty of water for survival, just like humans. We thus have increasing competition for a critical resource, especially when droughts and wildfires are Read more

ICTs and Emissions – III

20 October 202222 October 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development

The Abode is a Humongous Shopping Mall As some pundits have observed, data centers (DCs) are the backbone of the digital realm – hiding in plain sight, I would add. However, they do not live alone in their noisy, albeit Read more

ICTs and Emissions – II

1 October 202212 October 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Cyberspace Mansions In 2009, amid the Global Financial Crisis, the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) announced plans to create a 1.2 billion dollar data center (DC) in Utah. Indeed, surveillance once again proved it is immune to economic disasters, regardless Read more

ICTs and Emissions – I

20 September 20221 October 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Digital technologies’ social ubiquitousness is indisputable. Indeed, escaping their mantra seems unreal, almost dystopic, regardless of location or connectivity. The TINA (there is no alternative) principle appears to be entirely at work here. It is thereby paradoxical new ICTs are Read more

RegTech is Here!

10 September 202226 September 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Economics, Governance

Modern FinTech saw the light of day with the launching of ATM machines in the late 60s. A few years later, NASDAQ was born, credit cards exploded and banks started to deploy mainframes and minicomputer computers to support their operations. Read more

Economic Growth and Sustainable Development

1 September 202211 September 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Human Development, ICTD

In a previous entry, I explored the connections between digital technologies, economic growth and the environment, using the concept of Sustainable Development (SD) as analytical reference. The figure below depicts yet another way to see the three development outcomes that Read more

More Carbon Inequality

Climate Change, Human Development, Inequality

IPCC reports usually include an annex containing a climate glossary where key terms are succinctly defined. The latest report is no exception, providing an extensive dictionary consuming over 30 pages of text – yet less than 1% of the report’s Read more

More Light on Financial Inclusion

20 August 202226 September 2022

10 August 202226 September 2022

Blockchain, Economics, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

In a couple of recent posts, I briefly traced the history of financial inclusion and its links to the emergence and diffusion of digital technologies. A recently published book by Nick Bernards tackles the same issue more comprehensively while taking Read more

Carbon Inequality

1 August 202219 August 2022

Climate Change, Governance, Human Development, Inequality

My previous post highlighted a gap between the Glasgow CoP26 mitigation targets and GHG emissions data. The best example here is the selection of methane as a priority while the big elephant in the room, CO2, mentioned in passing, escaped Read more

Net-zero Emissions and Developing Countries – II

20 July 202214 August 2022

Climate Change, Governance, Human Development, Inequality

As discussed in the previous post, low-income and most low-middle-income countries play almost no role in methane emissions. Therefore, embarking on related targets and projects will not make a dent on a global scale. Instead, it might end up increasing Read more

Net-zero Emissions and Developing Countries – I

Climate Change, Governance, Human Development, Inequality

If Climate Change rings to many of us as an almost insurmountable global challenge, then net-zero has recently emerged as its apparent universal solution. The coin has finally been imprinted with two clearly defined sides, in constant and inseparable opposition. Read more

Towards a Public Internet?

10 July 202230 July 2022

Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Memory insists on telling me every so often that the first time I ever used the Internet was at the tail end of the 1980s. A couple of years earlier, the college where I was struggling to finish my Ph.D. Read more

Digital Technologies and Sustainable Development

1 July 202217 July 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

1. Overall context Much water has already gone under the bridge on this topic. Yet the flow shows no signs of coming to a halt soon. In the early days of the so-called “Internet revolution,” only a few were connecting Read more

Financial Inclusion and Democratizing Finance – III

20 June 20224 July 2022

Blockchain, Economics, Human Development, ICTD

Show me the money The impact of initiatives such as Grameen Bank (Village phone included) and M-Pesa is still under discussion. From a poverty reduction perspective, the effect has been much more limited. Many countries in the Global South have Read more

Financial Inclusion and Democratizing Finance – II

10 June 202219 June 2022

Blockchain, Economics, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

Where are the banks? It seems paradoxical that the mainstream history of micro-finance/financial inclusion does not consider banks. After all, banks are supposed to “bank the unbanked.” So banks are not only missing from such a narrative. They are also Read more

Financial Inclusion and Democratizing Finance – I

30 May 202219 July 2022

Blockchain, Economics, Human Development, ICTD, Social Innovation

From Noise to Signal A couple of weeks ago, El Salvador’s CryptoPopulist President shared on social media news about an international “Bitcoin” meeting his country was hosting starting May 16. He also listed the names of the 44 entities participating Read more

Open Data and Big Pharma

15 May 20221 June 2022

Economics, Innovation, Open Data

In 1980, the U.S. Congress passed the Bayh-Dole Act that modified patent and trademark law by allowing universities and small businesses to own inventions created under the funding of the Federal Government. Its core idea was to expedite the commercialization Read more

The Environment and “Socialist” States

1 May 202211 May 2022

15 April 202227 April 2022

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Human Development, Inequality

Thirty-six years after it first broke the news for the wrong reasons, Chernobyl is back in the headlines thanks to the horrible and absurd Russian invasion. Sixteen months before the well-known Soviet nuclear meltdown of 1986, a plant located in Read more

ICTs and Development Theories – II

1 April 202227 April 2022

Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Linking ICTs to development External researchers and experts poking for the first time into ICTD might assume that the field has, 30 years after its birth, a cohesive theory on how ICTs impact development. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Read more

ICTs and Development Theories – I

15 March 20225 April 2022

Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

ICTD overview The field of ICTD first saw the light over 30 years ago1 Selected references are provided at the end of the 2nd part of this post. Its overall scope is ambitious as it covers several sectors and thematic Read more

More Bitcoin Inequality

1 March 202222 March 2022

Blockchain, Inequality, Innovation

While still prone to seemingly unpredictable dynamics, Bitcoin’s price seems to have found a new center of gravity in the last year. Since February 2021, the Cryptocurrency has oscillated around 4ok per unit, give or take. It peaked at 67.5k Read more

State Capacity and Digital Technologies – I

Economics, Governance, Human Development

To the Moon and Back It was my elder sister’s 25th birthday when Apollo 11 landed on the moon. We watched the unprecedented event on B&W TV – our grandma openly expressing total skepticism. We then went out for a Read more

Hacking Public Policy Making with AI

15 February 20221 March 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Crowdsourcing, e-governance, Human Development

Modern Evidence-based Policy Making (EBPC) has been around for 25 years, imported into the mainstream from the health sector and its success with randomized controlled trials. The latter has now spread to many other sectors and research areas. A few Read more

Blockchain Adoption in the Public Sector – II

30 January 20222 February 2022

15 January 202231 January 2022

Blockchain, Governance, ICTD, Innovation

Regulatory frameworks are usually perceived as counter-productive and even nefarious by innovators, pundits and followers. Together they will go out of their way to stop them, arguing that their impact on innovation is lethal, as discussed in a previous post. Read more

Blockchain Adoption in the Public Sector – I

31 December 202114 January 2022

Blockchain, e-governance, Governance, Innovation

Over ten years after its creation, the hype on Blockchain Technology (BCT) continues to dominate the scene compared to actual implementation. However, that does not necessarily imply it has remained immune to change. At the very onset, Cryptocurrencies, led by Read more

Best Films – 2021

15 December 20214 January 2022

The pandemic has been a blessing in disguise, to a point. Many films continued to be available online at the start of the year, but as vaccines increased and panic subsided, theaters started to reopen, albeit not at lightning speed. Read more

Global Wealth Distribution

Climate Change, Economics, Human Development

GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the statistic most frequently used to measure wealth creation in terms of goods and services, has been the subject of critical review for the last 25 years. Green National Accounting (GNA) and the ensuing Green National Read more

A Fuzzy Das Kapital Word Cloud

1 December 202117 December 2021

Economics, Human Development

A few months ago, the top U.S. General was summoned by a Congressional Committee to explain why “Critical Race Theory” was being taught in the military. The General’s response built on the idea that the better one knows the enemy, Read more

Digital Government and Social Leaders

15 November 20213 December 2021

1 November 202115 December 2022

e-governance, Gender, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

As part of an online course on Digital Government for Social Leaders, I was asked to develop a script for a five-minute animation where an Avatar will introduce the topic and entice the leaders to embrace it as part of Read more

AI National Policies – III

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Policy Evolution Comparatively speaking, AI national policies and strategies have evolved much slower than other digital strategies such as ICT, Digital Government, and Open Data. That might seem paradoxical given the systemic benefits and risks of the revived and now Read more

AI National Policies – II

15 October 202115 December 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

As mentioned in the previous post, policymakers should skip over the dominant technology-centered AI perspective and instead position AI as a multi-dimensional structure cutting across all sectors. Indeed, national AI policy effectiveness depends to a large extent on the AI Read more

AI National Policies – I

1 October 202115 December 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

National policy development on new digital technologies has become a staple since the emergence of the Internet in the early 1990s. It has certainly not been limited to most advanced countries. Nations in the Global South have also climbed the Read more

Contesting Innovation

15 September 202124 January 2022

Human Development, Innovation, Social Innovation

Innovation is always good. Innovation regulation is always wrong. These are the two innovation axioms we repeatedly hear in unison from mainstream media, innovators and innovative companies, big and small. Indeed, the two are connected. They are, in fact, two Read more

Digital Public Policy Development – II

2 September 20211 December 2021

26 August 202123 September 2021

The various policy instruments mentioned in the previous post play a critical role in the policy development process. However, providing a succinct description of each is first required. That will ensure policymakers and stakeholders are on the same page when Read more

Digital Public Policy Development – I

2 August 202114 December 2022

Unexpectedly, the ongoing pandemic has enshrined national states as the indisputable leader in pushing back the deadly SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. It now seems evident that no other sector in society is better positioned to effectively confront the virus that needs no Read more

AI Topography

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

For the last 30 years, the seemingly endless number of so-called technology revolutions invading our expansive yet decaying landscape has been accompanied by a proliferation of wide-ranging publications, usually playing catch-up while trying to predict the future on the spot. Read more

Waiting for yet another Industrial Revolution

5 July 202126 July 2021

11 June 202114 October 2021

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, e-governance, Economics, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

The PC revolution. The Internet revolution. The mobile revolution. The social media revolution. The blockchain revolution. And the AI re-revolution. We seem to be living in times of Permanent Revolution. Also reminds me of the Age of Revolution that thrived Read more

CryptoPopulism

1 April 20211 December 2021

Undoubtedly, cryptocurrencies have gained substantial territory since their inception over a decade ago, Bitcoin leading the charge. What began as a brilliant albeit complex innovation seemingly open only to techies and geeks is now going mainstream, at least in media Read more

AI Nationalism?

21 March 20213 April 2021

Globalization seemingly inexorable world conquest, kick-started during the last quarter of the 20th Century, found an unexpected ally in the unpredictable fall of the Berlin Wall. While pundits sitting in the right-side section of the human theater saw the latter Read more

Vaccine Inequality

Economics, Governance, Human Development

Already under siege in many quarters, Globalization has now added the seemingly unstoppable spread of the Corona Virus to its already dubious credentials. As expected, not one single country has been spared, rich and poor suddenly standing on the same Read more

AI and Development Policies

28 February 202114 December 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

Strongly supported by behemoth tech companies, the “ethical and responsible” AI discourse has almost completely overshadowed the relevant conversation on the potential socio-economic impact the resurgent technology might have in developing countries. While such discourse’s subtle agenda, apparently now failing, Read more

Bitcoin Inequality Revisited

13 February 202129 March 2021

22 January 202114 December 2022

The Bitcoin bulls are back in full strength, driving the price of the cryptocurrency to unprecedented heights. The digital currency is now approaching 50k. Nevertheless, pundits and fundamentalist supporters still see the sky as the only possible limit. Go figure. Read more

Greater “AI for Good”

19 January 20211 December 2021

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, ICTD, Inequality

The proliferation of top, best, fails and prediction posts on almost any topic is now a staple of the annual transition from one year to the next. As the new year starts seeing the light of day, we seem compelled Read more

A Few Reflections on ICTD

12 January 202115 January 2021

As a multi-disciplinary field, ICTD research hosts a wide variety of knowledge and expertise initially developed in other academic areas, ranging from specialized information theory to broad economic development. That should not be a surprise as ICTs emerged from the Read more

Better “AI for Good”

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Human Development, ICTD

While the dystopian camp perceives digital technologies as a formidable, perhaps even unsurmountable threat to society, those on the other, much more optimistic side do not seem to get tired of repeating its almost countless benefits. The latter camp apparently Read more

Best Films – 2020

31 December 20208 January 2021

16 November 202017 December 2022

Film

Bellocchio’s The Traitor was the last film I saw in a theatre. The film was only playing once a day at 1pm, so an early lunch was required. The calendar said it was the last day of February. The very Read more

Ethics in Ethical AI

1 November 202026 April 2022

Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO) is one of the oldest computer programming commandments. It was first coined in the same decade as AI, the 1950s, thus suggesting the connection between the two goes back to their birth dates. GIGO is Read more

A Glimpse at Development Economics

18 October 20201 April 2021

ICT for Development (ICTD) has been around for over three decades. A multidisciplinary field involving researchers and practitioners from many different areas and backgrounds, ICTD has one clear objective: to deploy new ICTs in society to foster development. The first Read more

Digital Government in Jamaica

16 September 202014 December 2020

e-governance, Human Development, ICTD

The last time I visited Jamaica was in the early 2000s. A few years before, we had launched the national node of the old and now defunct Sustainable Development Networking Programme (SDNP). It was labeled JSDNP and did quite a Read more

Evolving COVID-19

Human Development, Inequality

Over six months after its official birth, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to expand globally, as expected. Long-term lockdowns and other complementary measures have impacted, especially in industrialized countries that, back in June, were leading in cases and deaths. Not that Read more

Digital Government Governance Models

1 September 20201 April 2021

10 August 20201 April 2021

e-governance, Governance, ICTD

Governments should fully understand the scope and reach of the various Digital Government (DG) institutional functions described in my previous post and their proper sequencing before they embark on comprehensive digital transformation processes. The policy units’ actual institutional location leading Read more

Digital Government Revisited – III

e-governance, Governance, Human Development, ICTD, Open Government

Institutions matter, more so for the development and implementation of Digital Government (DG), whose core target is public institutions’ transformation. On the one hand, public institutions should have an array of capacities to ensure public investments in digital technologies are Read more

Digital Government Revisited – II

15 July 20201 April 2021

e-governance, Human Development, ICTD, Inequality

Since the early 1980s, Governments have taken a bad rap. Menacing fingerpointing from most quarters ended up on a consensus that loudly declared them personas non-gratas. The 2009 Global Financial Crisis started to turn the tide. At the time, governments Read more

Digital Government Revisited

1 July 20201 April 2021

15 June 20207 August 2020

e-governance, Human Development, ICTD

Overview Running on the coattails of electronic commerce, Digital Government (DG) first saw the light of day over 20 years ago. Initially christen as electronic government or e-government, it has since experienced multiple name changes, ranging from e-governance and transformational Read more

Contentious Politics in the AI Age

Artificial Intelligence, Economics, Governance, Human Development, ICTD, Inequality

Initially touted as revolutionary and progressive in the 1990s, the lightening evolution of digital technologies, running on the coattails of continuous innovation, has been accompanied by the rise of both extreme socio-economic inequalities and loud and widespread populism, nationalism and Read more

Covid19: A “Swedish” Model?

25 May 202031 May 2020

Economics, Human Development, Open Data

Having been trashed for the last forty years or so, Governments have unexpectedly taken back center stage thanks to the Covid19 pandemic. The virus does not need a passport to travel around the world, nor any tough immigration legislation has Read more

Deadly COVID19

26 April 20205 May 2020

Human Development, MyTake

Over a week ago, a mainstream media news outlet published an article (behind a paywall) suggesting that the disease caused by the SARS–CoV-2 virus, COVID19, was not as deadly as initially thought. The article cited the results of a non-peer Read more

Innovation in the Public Sector

5 April 202015 October 2021

15 March 20204 April 2020

e-governance, Governance, Human Development, ICTD, Inequality, Social Innovation

I. Introduction For the last 30 years, relentless technological innovation has seemingly conquered most, if not all, corners of the world. While the focus was on infrastructure and social networks in its early stages, the latest phase has set its Read more

Natural Disasters and Carbon Concentration

Climate Change, Economics, Human Development

In 1988, the Brussels-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) launched the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) with the idea of promoting national and international humanitarian support to countries and regions affected by such events. Having a structured Read more

AI and Development

2 March 202031 May 2020

28 February 20205 March 2020

The current long wave of digital innovation has finally broken the last bastion of socio-economic resistance. While early advances transformed communications infrastructure and enhanced consumer interactions, the resurgence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all its relatives, alongside new technologies such Read more

Carbon Removal Policies for the U.S?

10 February 20203 March 2020

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Innovation

Founded almost 40 years ago with the financial support of the MacArthur Foundation, the World Resources Institute (WRI) is one of the U.S most prominent research organizations working on environmental issues since its inception. The entity centers its efforts on Read more

Technology and Earth Hacking

15 January 20204 February 2020

Climate Change, Governance, Inequality, Innovation

Hacking the Sky Low, angry gray clouds, seemingly non-stop light rain and damp breathing air were hometown weather traits that most bothered me when I was growing up. Like most other children, I had a fascination with airplanes and could Read more

Deep Learning and Breast Cancer: Improving Detection?

Artificial Intelligence, ICTD

A recent paper published under the auspices of Google Health makes a case for using deep learning algorithms to improve breast cancer detection. The research has been positively received by most and widely publicized as yet another victory of smart Read more

Blockchains in the Public Sector

8 January 202011 January 2020

31 December 20196 January 2021

My paper on blockchains for the public sector in developing countries has been published by Frontiers, one of the leading open-access and community-driven academic publishers. The paper develops an analytical framework that combines sustainable development, state capacity and digital technologies. Read more

Best Films – 2019

10 December 201930 December 2019

Film

I have a distinct impression that, in my book, 2019 was not a stellar year for high-quality films. I actually saw a few fewer films this year and lack of time was not really the issue. The latest by Bi Read more

Yet Another Global AI Index

Artificial Intelligence, Human Development, ICTD

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) seemingly continues to permeate all interstices of society, measuring its undaunted progress in the age of data is more than a priority. In a previous post, I share some insights on the Global AI Readiness Index Read more

The Development Onion

30 November 201917 December 2019

10 November 201922 December 2019

Human Development, ICTD

Governments in developing countries are just one of the many players involved in promoting sustainable development – in many cases, with direct support from bilateral and multilateral donor organizations. However, governments are, in principle, bound by the overall development commitments Read more

More CO2: Consumption-based Emissions

Climate Change, Human Development

In a previous post, I explored the relationship between C02 emissions, country income levels and population looking at production data only. Here, emissions are assigned to the country where goods or services are produced or generated, disregarding final consumption. In Read more

Barefoot, like Abebe Bikila

25 October 201930 December 2019

1 October 20196 December 2019

MyTake

The age of reason. No, not the Enlightenment but rather the age when children supposedly start thinking “rationally.” For some irrational reason, I remember my parents and their adult friends having conversations on the topic in front of us, children, Read more

A Glance at Carbon Dioxide Emissions Data

10 September 201915 February 2021

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Social Innovation

Lack of data is certainly not one of the issues at the table when discussing energy production and carbon emissions. Well-known sources for the former include the UN Statistics Division, the International Energy Agency (IEA), the U.S. Energy Information Administration Read more

Blockchains and Food Safety

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Climate Change, Human Development, Innovation

Trade is one of the main trademarks of the globalization process. Nowadays, most countries exchange products and services regularly and use local comparative advantages to specialize in specific trade sectors and/or commodities. Food and agricultural products are important components of Read more

Measuring Artificial Intelligence Development

3 August 201920 October 2019

10 July 201915 February 2021

Artificial Intelligence, e-governance, ICTD, Innovation

In the last decade, Artificial Intelligence (AI), including siblings machine learning and deep learning, has been growing by leaps and bounds. More importantly, the technology has been deployed effectively in a wide range of traditional sectors bringing real transformational change Read more

Blockchains and Digital ID, II

20 June 201915 February 2021

Blockchain, e-governance, Governance, Innovation

The Evolution of Digital identity The emergence of digital technologies provided the ground to shift from traditional systems based on physical identity. In the past, both foundational and functional identity mechanisms were centralized, with individuals getting a physical document containing Read more

Blockchains and Digital ID, I

Blockchain, e-governance, Governance, ICTD, Innovation

Overview Like previous technologies, such as the Internet, blockchains have been driven by a high degree of techno-optimism not yet backed up by on the ground impact or reliable evidence. Undoubtedly, the technology, which is still rapidly evolving, has enormous Read more

E-government Development II

30 May 201914 July 2019

e-governance, Governance, Human Development, Open Government

In this sequel post, I will look at the various components of the UNDESA e-government index and then introduce the EIU democracy index to explore potential interlinks between the two, Components The e-government development index (EGDI) comprises three distinct components Read more

E-government Development I

10 May 201910 July 2019

21 April 201915 February 2021

e-governance, ICTD, Innovation, Open Government

Birth Running on the coattails of the now infamous dot-com bubble, e-government first saw the light of day before the end of the last Millennium. At that time, where hype overtook the tech scene yet again, adding ‘e’ (as in Read more

On Blockchains Research

15 March 20198 April 2019

Blockchain, ICTD

Blockchain technology development has been accompanied by a substantial increase in related research. The latter usually trails new technology innovations, but it does tend to catch up in the short-term. Ten years after the emergence of blockchains, there is plenty Read more

Powering the Internet

6 February 201914 December 2022

Infrastructure development has been one of the main concerns of Internet promoters. It is usually posited as one of the key obstacles impeding universal access to the global network. Digital divide concerns and calls to connect the next billion are Read more

Biased Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Innovation

A recent piece in MIT’s Technology Review nicely summarizes the issue of bias in AI/ML (AI) algorithms used in production to make decisions or predictions. The usual suspects make a cameo appearance, including data, design and implicit fairness assumptions. But Read more

The Global Centralization of (Dis)Intermediation

15 January 201916 February 2019

31 December 201830 April 2019

Governance, ICTD, Inequality

Merchants are perhaps the most famous image of an intermediary, the not-so-loved “middleman” that buys cheap, sells dear, and becomes rich doing little work. Even in the supposedly dark Middle Ages, merchants were able to openly operate creating in the process Read more

Best Films – 2018

10 December 201814 December 2022

Film

While I managed to watch a film every 2.5 days on average, online sources were instrumental in making this a reality. The astounding public library system of the US county where I happen to live at the moment also played Read more

Algorithms and Algocracy – II

Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Governance

In the previous post, I provided a simple definition of an algorithm to then explore its use in the digital world. While algorithms live from the inputs they are feed, digital programs such as mobile apps and web platforms are Read more

Algorithms and Algocracy – I

30 November 201814 December 2022

Artificial Intelligence, Governance, Robotics

While the concept of algorithms has been around for centuries, the same cannot be said about algocracy. The latter has recently gained notoriety thanks partly to the renaissance of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) and is frequently used to Read more

Smart contracts are not that smart

15 November 201816 February 2021

31 October 20185 January 2019

Blockchain, Governance, Innovation

Smart contracts are perhaps one of the most touted features of blockchain technology. While the idea itself dates from the end of the last century, blockchains provided the platform for actual implementation in the Internet era. Undoubtedly, Ethereum was the Read more

Waste no time waiting for e-Waste data

Blockchain, Climate Change, Human Development, Social Innovation

The town where I currently reside is planning to change its e-Waste collection policy starting next year. As it is today, town people can go downtown once a month and drop their old computers, laptops, monitors and the rest. This Read more

ICOs: Endangered Species

12 October 201816 February 2021

20 September 201814 December 2022

As expected, ICOs are finally cooling down. There are several reasons for this. First, ICO oversight by regulators in many countries has substantially increased. Regulators are poking not so much into new ICOs. Instead, they are doing deep dives into Read more

Uncertainty and Artificial Intelligence

10 September 201829 September 2018

Artificial Intelligence, Book review, Economics, Inequality, Innovation

In a world where perfect information supposedly rules across the board, uncertainty certainly challenges mainstream economists. While some of the tenets of such assumption have already been addressed – via the theory of information asymmetries and the development of the Read more

Nein Uber in Berlin

29 August 201824 September 2018

Uncategorized

Arriving in Berlin from Africa via Frankfurt proved to be a nightmare this time around. While the flight and connections were almost perfect, the same cannot be said about my luggage. I checked in one bag at the point of Read more

Visa on Arrival

15 August 201814 December 2022

Innovation, On-mission

My passport seems to profess a deep love for visa stamps. Every time the possibility of travel to another country arises, I can hear its excitement of filling yet another passport page with a brand new and (maybe) shiny visa Read more

Learning about Machine Learning

Artificial Intelligence, Innovation

A few months ago, as I was finishing a paper on blockchain technology, I received an unexpected comment on Artificial Intelligence (AI from here on in) from one of the peer reviewers. While addressing the overall topic of innovation in Read more

The Scale of the Blockchain Scalability Constraints

30 July 201815 February 2021

15 July 201815 February 2021

Blockchain, Economics

According to the latest estimates, global Internet penetration was close to 54 percent by the end of 2017. That is roughly 4 billion people. Figures for the number of unique cell phone users show that 5 billion people have access Read more

Have You Ever Seen a Blockchain?

Blockchain, Human Development, Innovation

A silent but intense competition seems to be taking place when it comes to defining blockchain technology. A Google search for the question “What is blockchain” yields over 120 million possible results. This number includes thousands of guides, videos, FAQs Read more

Bitcoin Inequality

23 June 201811 February 2021

15 June 201815 February 2021

Blockchain, Economics, Inequality

In the short and medium-term, technology and inequality seemed to be positively correlated. In the long term, however, things are not as clear-cut. With the right policies and democratic institutions in place, technology could become a catalyst to reduce income Read more

Blockchain Mining Costs and Revenues

In a previous post, I pushed the idea that mining is part of the blockchain economy’s real sector. Unlike financial speculation, mining requires investment in hardware, electricity, space, human resources, etc. This also applies to small miners who will undoubtedly Read more

Checking ICOs, Again

6 June 201819 June 2018

31 May 201815 February 2021

It has already been three months since I last checked the ICO scene. At the time, I suggested ICOs were probably slowing down. New data seems to confirm this but all points to other trends not detected before. Figure 1 Read more

The Real Sector of the Blockchain Economy

21 May 201815 February 2021

Blockchain, Economics

Most cryptocurrencies are now over 60% down from their December 2017 peak. While prices are still quite volatile, the trend for the last five months is decidedly downwards. While some still expect a recovery to the glorious days of last Read more

Blockchain Mining Revisited

30 April 201819 July 2022

Blockchain, Economics, Inequality

Blockchain mining cannot catch a break when it comes to environmental sustainability. This is especially true for Bitcoin mining that seemingly has an insatiable appetite for electricity. A recent paper suggests that by 2020 Bitcoin mining will consume as much Read more

Case Study: WFP Building Blocks Jordan Refugee Pilot

Blockchain, Governance, Human Development, ICTD

[I wrote this edited draft case study for a larger blockchain research project led by The GovLab. The final project report included a shorter version of my draft.] 1. Overview Launched in January 2017, the World Food Program Building Blocks Read more

Democracy and Capitalism: Friends or Foes?

30 April 20185 May 2018

Economics, Governance, Human Development

The post-WWII era can be arguably defined as the golden age of democratic capitalism – at least from the perspective of developed or industrialized countries. Rebuilding Europe and pumping capital into Japan triggered a long economic boom that lasted until Read more

Algorithmic Inequality

15 April 201817 April 2018

8 April 201815 February 2021

ICTD, Inequality, Innovation

Disruptive. One of the attributes that most use to describe in minimalistic terms the potential impact of new and emerging information and communication technologies (ICTs) in society. While its actual meaning can vary from one person to another, disruption is Read more

Blockchain Technology is not a Monolith

30 March 201815 February 2021

Blockchain, Innovation

Many observers seem to assume blockchain technology is an immovable monolith. While such assumption does help when trying to explain how the technology works to the general public, this is not the case when describing the actual status of the Read more

Blockchains: The Patents Are Coming!

Blockchain, Governance, Human Development

Open source is one of the core traits of blockchain technology propelling its rapid adoption and growth. The source code from the most popular platforms such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Hyperledger Fabric is freely available for download by anyone who Read more

Deconstructing the Gender-Equality Paradox in STEM, Part II

15 March 201818 March 2018

Gender, Human Development, Inequality

In the previous post, I detailed some issues that could help explain in part the gender-equality STEM paradox. Recap These can be summarized as follows: The Global Gender Gap Index (GGGI) measures gaps not levels. It is thus a relative Read more

ICO Update: A Slowdown in Sight?

7 March 20189 March 2018

28 February 201817 March 2018

ICO data for last February is now available and shown in Figure 1 below. We can immediately see that both the number of ICOs and the total investment volume has decreased. The latter, which amounted to 1.2 billion USD for Read more

Deconstructing the Gender-Equality Paradox in STEM

22 February 201815 February 2021

Gender, Governance, Human Development

A paper on the subject published a couple of weeks ago in the academic journal Psychological Science attracted plenty of attention thanks to some of its surprising conclusions.1 The paper is behind a paywall. Its main finding is that, contrary Read more

Blockchain Technology and Human Development revisited

14 February 201815 February 2018

Blockchain, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

I was invited to Canada to discuss my blockchain technology paper. Here are my opening remarks at the panel organized by Government Affairs and IDRC. Speaking about a seemingly complex subject such as blockchains poses a challenge not only for Read more

The Pervasiveness of Efficiency

7 February 201816 February 2021

Uncategorized

Were 19th-century slaves working in the US Southern plantations more efficient than the free farmers of the Northern states? This was one of the critical questions two economists, one being a pioneer of cliometrics, studied in a book published in Read more

Chasing ICOs (away?)

29 January 201815 February 2021

Blockchain, Economics, ICTD, Social Innovation

Recent events seem to suggest the cryptocurrency bubble is finally starting to deflate. Bitcoin, Ethereum and most of their crypto cousins are significantly down while regulators in several countries are finally beginning to take action on the ground. Nobel laureate economists Read more

An Overview of Blockchain Technology and Digital Identity

21 January 201827 January 2018

Blockchain, Human Development, ICTD, Innovation

Like previous digital technologies, such as the Internet, blockchain technology (BCT) has been driven by a high degree of techno-optimism not yet backed by on the ground impact or reliable evidence. Undoubtedly, the technology, which is still in its infancy, Read more

Overall Perspectives on Technology

14 January 201816 February 2021

Human Development, ICTD, Innovation, Social Innovation

Disruptive, transformative and revolutionary are some of the adjectives commonly used to describe the potential impact of new and emerging technologies on society. Joblessness, human decay, and the Singularity sit on the opposite side constantly reminding us of the darker Read more

Cryptocurrencies and Development