Earth observation data is increasingly used to fill the environmental data gaps that constrain climate adaptation planning in mountain areas. But what makes it genuinely useful in practice? Drawing on cases from the Andes to the Himalaya, this post follows the information value chain from satellite data through to real-world results, and draws out a lesson at each step.

Digital systems are seen as important elements in the governance and management of the water sector. For instance, systems such as digital meters, IoT applications, digital payments, etc can signif…

How does context affect new digital start-ups in the global South? The open-access paper, “Embeddedness of Digital Start-Ups in Development Contexts” provides some answers, using the Triple Embedde…

What lessons can be learned from current use of earth observation data to support climate adaptation planning in mountain areas? Before we get to that, let me first review why this question is importa...

Nations around the world are struggling with their response to the Covid-19 pandemic.  In particular, they seek guidance on what works best in terms of preventive measures, treatments, and public h…

Appreciative Inquiry offers a natural methodology for positive digital development, but what about criticisms that it is too rose-tinted or a-political? This post explores two variants that respond…

YouTube video by CDDManchester

Platform companies, with the help of data, have the potential to formalise the processes of transport systems in global South cities, especially in African cities which are characterised with infor…

Appreciative Inquiry offers a natural methodology for positive digital development, but what about criticisms that it is too rose-tinted or a-political? This post explores two variants that respond to those concerns, showing how generative and critical approaches can incorporate problems, power and inequality while retaining a focus on strengths and better futures.

YouTube video by CDDManchester

A study with the Cumbria Digital Inclusion Network identified six best practices for effective digital inclusion: strengthening digital foundations, facilitating support, providing physical spaces, integrating digital aid into existing activities, focusing on purposeful use of technology, and building networks. These strategies emphasise both access and relational support in driving meaningful digital engagement.

What impact do ICT-in-agriculture projects have on rural resilience? To cope with short-term shocks (e.g. conflict, economic crisis) and long-term trends (e.g. climate change), rural areas in devel…

In my previous blog “Crowdfarming: Platform-enabled Investment in Nigerian Agriculture”, I talked about how digital platforms are being mainstreamed into agricultural finance markets in Nigeria. Th…

Are ICTs about to deliver a new type of socio-economic development: personalised development? ICTs can only have a significant development impact if they work at scale; touching the lives of thousa…

What makes for effective digital inclusion? My recent study with the Cumbria Digital Inclusion Network sought to answer this question through interviews with 17 of its most active members. From their ...

Positive digital development calls for approaches that start from strengths rather than problems. This post introduces Appreciative Inquiry and its 4-D cycle, Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny, …

The story of mobile money in Africa, such as Mpesa, is one of the success stories to have arisen from the continent in recent years. A World Bank report in 2016, featured mobile money services, tog…

Inclusive innovation, creating goods and services for and by marginalised groups, faces failures in development, design, diffusion, and use. A working paper outlines five policy objectives to addre…

Inclusive innovation, creating goods and services for and by marginalised groups, faces failures in development, design, diffusion, and use. A working paper outlines five policy objectives to addre…

“What drives development” has long been a fundamental question for many scholars and policymakers. One consensus reached is that financial inclusion – access to and use of formal financial se…

The idea of building trust is often central to the adoption and use of technology platforms in general such that the processes and governance of these platforms ought to align with the realities of…

Positive digital development calls for approaches that start from strengths rather than problems. This post introduces Appreciative Inquiry and its 4-D cycle, Discovery, Dream, Design and Destiny, as one way to put that idea into practice, sketching examples for digital inclusion, public services, AI4D and platform work.

The development of every country partly depends on how strong and reliable its educational system is to produce the best minds to innovate and bring new solutions to that country’s challenges. Ofte…

What should be the action research agenda on digital data/tech and sustainable mountain development? This new post identifies four priorities drawn from a multi-stakeholder workshop held recently in Kathmandu: 1. Digital early warning and disaster resilience in mountain areas 2. Climate—health data systems for mountain populations 3. Digital technologies and the strengths of mountain communities 4. Whose digital futures? Community voice and participatory design in mountain contexts

Learn about the role of digital technologies in climate change adaptation efforts in mountains in this A@A Knowledge Network event summary.

Data is playing an ever-growing role in international development.  But what lens can we use to analyse the impact of data on development? The emerging field of “data justice” offers some valuable …

What should be the action research agenda on digital data/tech and sustainable mountain development? On 26th May, 20 stakeholders – an international mix of researchers and practitioners – gathered to ...

In a previous post, we provided a discussion of how the analysis of user-generated content (e.g. comments/posts on social media and/or job review sites) can help in understanding perceptions of dig…

Innovation can help fight inequality and social exclusion. But, at present, there are too many barriers to this form of “inclusive innovation”. New government p

PDF | On Jan 1, 2015, Christopher Foster and others published Policies to Support Inclusive Innovation | Find, read and cite all the research you need on ResearchGate

China’s next digital divide may not hinge on access to AI but on whether firms can turn AI agents into governed organisational capabilities. While agents could help SMEs manage research, inventory …

Glaciers are losing ice at an accelerating rate, and the science documenting that change has never been stronger. But stronger science doesn't automatically mean stronger decisions. This post identifies three gaps — between glacier science and policy, practice and community — and asks what it would take to close them.

Positive digital development needs more than critique or naïve optimism. Drawing on earlier work on ICTs and hope, this post shows how hope can be used analytically to examine whether digital initi…

New research from the Centre for Digital Development at Manchester, covering data and environmental justice, digital inclusion, platform economies in informal settings, and digital transformation. …

Positive digital development needs more than critique or naïve optimism. Drawing on earlier work on ICTs and hope, this post shows how hope can be used analytically to examine whether digital initi…

What are the key gaps around glacier science that need to be addressed? Glaciers have become central symbols of climate change, water insecurity, mountain hazards and cultural loss. Alongside this, th...

YouTube video by CDDManchester

Positive digital development needs more than critique or naïve optimism. Drawing on earlier work on ICTs and hope, this post shows how hope can be used analytically to examine whether digital initiatives create credible goals, workable pathways and strengthened agency, opening research into grounded possibilities for better digital development futures.

YouTube video by CDDManchester