Digital development

Source: https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/ Parent: https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/study/taught-masters/

The challenge

To date, digital technologies have contributed only incremental benefits in economic, social and political development, and a step-change will be required if they are to deliver the transformational ambitions of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Given the growing embedding of the technology in all development sectors and processes, digital technology is moving from being a tool to achieve development outcomes to being the platform through which development processes are mediated.

Digital development can provide new routes out of poverty. But unless digital alternatives are developed, we risk foregoing the development benefits of new technology; entrenching new digitally-enabled systems of inequality; and enabling digital harms that damage rights and promote injustice.

How we are addressing it

GDI has the specialist research of the Centre for Digital Development and teaching of the Human and Digital Development group.

The constancy of technological change creates knowledge gaps and a broad digital development research agenda for GDI at all stages of the innovation cycle:

Infrastructure: supporting systemic policy and strategic actions that develop inclusive digital ecosystems (human, technical, institutional infrastructure)
Innovation: supporting new digital technologies that promote the achievement of the SDGs
Implementation: identifying and promoting good practices in design and operationalisation of digital technology
Impact: tracking the emerging development implications of digital technologies at micro-, meso- and macro levels

Research projects

[## China’s digital expansion in the Global South

China has emerged as a global digital superpower, with digital exports and activities reaching out around the world.](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/china-digital-expansion-in-the-global-south/) [## Fairwork in the gig economy in the Global South

Fairwork is improving pay and conditions in the gig economy, particularly in the Global South.](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/impact/taking-action-to-improve-gig-work-in-the-global-south/)

[## The Centre for Digital Development

The centre examines the role of information and communication technologies in socio-economic development.](https://www.cdd.manchester.ac.uk) [## Using digital datasets to identify positive deviants in development

A multi-country programme to identify and propagate outperformance in delivery of development goals.](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/impact/data-powered-positive-deviance/)

[## Scale-up of a primary care intervention for cardiovascular risk management in Indonesia

Building on the potential of mobile technology in the hands of community health volunteers.](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/smarthealth/) [## Development Implications of Digital Economies (DIODE)

This strategic networks researches the digital economy and its role in developing countries.](https://diode.network)

[## Resilience Assessment Benchmarking and Impact Toolkit (RABIT)

Defining resilience, applying resilience metrics, and using those metrics to shape action.](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/resilience-assessment-benchmarking-and-impact-toolkit/) [## Digital Transformation for Development (DX4D)

'Digital transformation' has become something of a buzz term within international development. But what does it mean, and how should it best be implemented?](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/digital-transformation-for-development/)

[## Artificial Intelligence for Development

Emerging from Manchester’s research on digital transformation for development is a growing thread of work on artificial intelligence for development (AI4D).](https://www.gdi.manchester.ac.uk/research/groups/digital-development/artificial-intelligence-for-development/)

Our teaching agenda

People and publications

Click on the names below to read their latest publications or read the latest publications from the Global Development Institute and from the Digital Development working paper series.

Dr Shamel Azmeh - Senior Lecturer, Technology, Labour and Production
Dr Katarzyna Cieslik - Lecturer, Global Development
Dr Natalie Cunningham - Lecturer, Leadership for Development
Dr Richard Duncombe - Senior Lecturer, Information Systems and Development
Dr Christopher Foster – Lecturer, Industry 4.0
Dr Ping Gao - Senior Lecturer, Information Systems
Prof Richard Heeks - Professor, Digital Development
Dr Gianluca Iazzolino - Lecturer, Digital Development
Dr Negar Monazam Tabrizi - Lecturer, Information Systems and Digital Development
Dr Rose Pritchard - Presidential Fellow, Socio-Environmental Systems
Dr Smith Ouma - Leverhulme Early Career Fellow
Dr Jaco Renken - Senior Lecturer, Information and Communication Technology for Development
Dr Gindo Tampubolon - Senior Lecturer, Poverty, Inequality and Growth

PhD researchers and post-doctoral fellows

Godfred Amankwaa - From policies to practicalities? Digitisation of urban water services in Ghana
Anuradha Ganapathy - Beyond inclusion to inequality reduction: evidence from three digital interventions in India
Azim Harun - The impact of digitalisation of public services towards older people in Malaysia
Epiphania Kimaro - ICT4D champion support as a seedbed of ICT4D leadership
Hairui Liu - Rural e-commerce in China
Julin Liu - Value co-creation in smart tourism systems
Minjung Park - Digital platforms and urban informality
Yingqian Wang - Digital transformation and employee wellbeing in China
Taiyuan Zeng - Value co-creation in platform ecosystems
Yue Zhai - Governance and stakeholders of smart cities: the case of “X Smart City” projects in China
Weiyi Zhang - Government services, digital transformation, digital divides and disability in China
Mengfei Zhou - Managing innovation ecosystems to co-create value in a service-dominant platform: multiple case studies in Chinese universities
Yi Zhou - Evolution of digital social innovation: a case study of smart elderly care in China