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Author: Tony Roberts

Digital Development: what’s in a name?

Digital Development: what’s in a name?

Richard Heeks recently asked whether the emerging relationship between digital technology and international development should be referred to as “Digital Development” or “Digital-for-Development”. I use these two terms to refer to different things…

Interview with Nanjala Nyabola

Interview with Nanjala Nyabola

In this episode of of the IDS “Between The Lines”, podcast I spoke to Kenyan journalist and political analyst Nanjala Nyabola, about her book ‘Digital Democracy, Analogue Politics: How the Internet Era is Transforming Politics in Kenya’. The book focuses on how social media has impacted Kenyan politics both positively and negatively, and the consequences for democracy…

Digital Imperialism & How We Tackle It

Digital Imperialism & How We Tackle It

I recently ran a session on Digital Development here at IDS for staff from two bilateral donors. Preparing for that session amid news revelations about the abuse of social media by governments and corporations in countries across Africa & Asia turned my thinking on Information and Communications Technology for Development (ICT4D) on its head…

Class Divisions in Technology Access

Class Divisions in Technology Access

Mobile internet use in the Philippines is growing rapidly, but so are associated digital inequalities. I’ve just published a new research report with my colleague Kevin Hernandez based on our study in the Philippines, which suggests that far from creating equality of access to information, the use of mobile and internet technologies is creating new class divisions in technology access and new forms of digital inequality…

Digital Technology Excludes

Digital Technology Excludes

This month I have been in the Philippines researching participatory technology initiatives designed to include Filipino citizens in participatory governance programmes…

Decent Work in a Digital World

Decent Work in a Digital World

The last few weeks have been super busy here in the Digital and Technology Team at IDS. I’m preparing for fieldwork in the Philippines at the same time as we are juggling a raft of exciting new research proposals at various stages of development. Last week we ran the inagural Digital Development Summit at London’s South Bank Centre with partners Nesta and the Web Foundation and with funding from DFID…

Cheat Sheet on ICTs & SDGs

Cheat Sheet on ICTs & SDGs

Last month I did some research on the role of ICTs in pursuing the Sustainable Development Goals and I thought that it might be useful to share some of those links here as an open resource. Hat tip to Anand Sheombar and to Linda Raftree for their help to me along the way…