The world of 2024 should be much safer, fairer, more empathetic, sustainable, and hospitable than it currently is. AI’s contribution to this vision should also be much more positive than the trajectory we see today. Anger and frustration can either fuel despair and cynicism or ignite determination and commitment; renouncement or resolve. We choose the latter path, driven by one … Read More
Community-Based Social Protection Mechanisms in Africa’s Borderlands – Liberia and Sierra Leone Case Study
The report on “Community-based social protection mechanisms in Africa’s borderlands – Liberia and Sierra Leone case study” is the outcome of case studies undertaken in Liberia and Sierra Leone that are part of a larger sub-Saharan Africa regional study that includes Ghana, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe. This study focuses on the borderland regions in Liberia and Sierra Leone. These regions face … Read More
Overview and Outlook 2022-2024
10 YEARS IN REVIEW: A LETTER FROM OUR DIRECTOR Finding appropriate metrics to summarize a decade of work by and at Data-Pop Alliance is not easy. It could be the number of projects completed (over 100), of our publications (92), of countries where we have worked (over 30), or partners we have collaborated with (countless). It could also be our … Read More
The Continued Impact of COVID-19 on the Western Sahel and Lake Chad Basin (English/French)
The unprecedented shock caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and its evolving aftermath, have put our globalized economic and societal systems to a stress test laying bare the pre-existing fault lines, inefficiencies, and fragilities. For the seven countries of the Western Sahel and Lake Chad basin – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal, it arrived amidst a high … Read More
Links We Like: A Compilation of 40 Editions
Links We Like Turns 40! Technically, Links We Like (LWL) has been around for seven years, and in that time we have produced 40 editions, all of which are compiled here in a downloadable PDF form. LWL began in 2015 as a way for us to take stock of the debates and conversations around the data landscape, as well as … Read More
Overview and Outlook 2021-2023
Even for the most optimistic, any hopes that 2021 and the first half of 2022 would constitute a decisive upward inflection from recent and old trends should, by now, unfortunately have been put to rest. The past year has been generally more of the same, or worse, as pre-existing fissures and excesses have continued to be exposed and often exacerbated: … Read More
Assessing the Socioeconomic Impact of COVID-19 on Agriculture, Food Security, Livelihood and Food Systems in Liberia
This study carried out by Data-Pop Alliance with guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization in Liberia and with support from the European Union (EU), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Liberia, provides evidence on the socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 on agriculture, food security, livelihoods, and food systems in Liberia. By combining the insights emerging from the … Read More
Overview and Outlook 2020-2022
Last year exposed and exacerbated pre-existing fault lines that had been previously ignored or minimised by those who claimed that 2019 was “the best year in history” only weeks before the pandemic shredded this illusion. Data exposed systemic inequities and structural imbalances when it showed that COVID-19 could severely affect many—even while infecting few—in the poorest regions because of its … Read More
Leveraging Big Data Sources to Estimate the Demographic and Economic Impacts and Implications of COVID-19 in Maldives
The COVID-19 pandemic is having an unprecedented global impact on societies and economies across the world. In the Maldives, while the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases remains relatively low compared to many other countries and the number of deaths is under 50 as of December 14, the socio-economic toll is significant. According to the Ministry of National Planning, Housing and … Read More
Rapid Assessment of Covid-19 Impact and Roadmap for Recovery in Liberia
This report presents the Rapid Assessment of the Socio- economic impact of COVID-19 and the Roadmap for Recovery in Liberia. It has been produced by the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) in Liberia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP), and Development Partners. Through this exercise, the United Nations (UN), Government and Partners have sought to … Read More
Policy Paper: Using Data to Fight COVID-19 – And Build Back Better
The policy paper looks at how digital technologies and data have been applied to fight the Coronavirus. The paper summarizes main debates and questions around these initiatives to reflect on their usefulness, implications, limitations, risks and their requirements. Furthermore, it explores how the learnings of the first wave of the pandemic could provide an opportunity to use data more efficiently … Read More
Analyse synthétique des effets principaux de la COVID au Togo
C’est dans ce contexte, et s’appuyant sur la stratégie dedonnées du Togo lancée en 2019, que le Programme desNations Unies pour le développement (PNUD) au Togo fait recours à Data-Pop Alliance (DPA) pour aider les autorités et la société togolaises à faire face à la COVID-19. Afin d’identifier les impacts de la pandémie de COVID-19 au Togo, le PNUD, en … Read More
Socioeconomic Assessment of the Impacts and Implications of COVID-19 in South Sudan
This paper assesses both the direct and indirect effects of the pandemic and, weaving together the forementioned triple transitions, identifies implications for the donor community, including the UN System. First it looks at macroeconomic and fiscal prospects, noting a dearth of options in the absence of sustained structural changes (Section 2); then at the effects of COVID-19 on human development … Read More
Socioeconomic Impact Assessment of COVID-19 in Equatorial Guinea
This publication compiles extensive work focused on understanding the effects of COVID-19 in Equatorial Guinea and coordinating a response based on 5 pillars: i) putting health first, ii) protecting people through social protection and basic services, iii) promoting social cohesion and community resilience, iv) supporting the macroeconomic response and multilateral collaboration. All with the objective of advancing towards the Sustainable … Read More
Overview and Outlook: 2019-2020
Data-Pop Alliance was born 7 years ago out of the recognition that the defining element of the 21st century would be data. Since, phrases such as ”Big Data” and “Data Revolution” have been largely replaced by “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and “Artificial Intelligence”, but the key question remain essentially the same: how can data-infused systems and societies be shaped to foster … Read More
Sharing is Caring: Four Key Requirements for Sustainable Private Data Sharing and Use for Public Good
How data are shared and used will determine, to a large extent, the future of democracy and human progress. In this context, the authors of the paper “Sharing is Caring” describe four key requirements that must inform European efforts to ensure that private data are shared and used for the public good in a safe, ethical, and sustainable manner. This … Read More
Women in the gig economy: Paid work, care and flexibility in Kenya and South Africa
This report presents findings from an in-depth study of women’s engagement in the gig economy in Kenya and South Africa, two middle-income countries at the forefront of developments in digitally mediated work in sub-Saharan Africa. It aims to understand the impact of this engagement on workers’ lives, considering the quality of work on offer and its implications for workers’ management … Read More
Big Data – Predicting and Preventing Climate-Related Shocks
Big Data as a socio-technological phenomenon has the potential to generate new insights on the functioning and interaction of human and natural ecosystems. In particular, Big Data can improve our understanding of how societies deal with shocks related to climate change, and inform policies and actions to foster adaptive mechanisms. However, such positive effects will not occur automatically and investments … Read More
Socio-Physical Vulnerability to Flooding in Senegal
Each year thousands of people and millions of dollars in assets are affected by flooding in Senegal; over the next decade, the frequency of such extreme events is expected to increase. However, no publicly available digital flood maps, except for a few aerial photos or post – disaster assessments from UNOSAT, could be found for the country. This report tested … Read More
Big Data for Climate Change Resilience
This paper (in progress) outlines the Data–Pop Alliance’s ongoing research on Big Data, climate change and environmental resilience. The paper dives deeply into the conceptualization of climate change resilience, both specific and general; addresses Big Data contributions to understanding the components of climate risk; and identifies gaps and challenges to Big Data applications to climate resilience decision-making. Finally, authors offer … Read More
Big Data for Climate Change and Disaster Resilience: Realising the Benefits for Developing Countries
This report explores the opportunities, challenges and required steps for leveraging this new ecosystem of Big Data to monitor and detect hazards, mitigate their effects, and assist in relief efforts. Ultimately the goal is to build resilience so that vulnerable communities and countries as complex human ecosystems not only ‘bounce back’ but also learn to adapt to maintain equilibrium in … Read More
Eradicating Global Poverty: A Noble Goal, but How do We Measure It?
All agree that eradicating absolute poverty should remain at the forefront of a new goal on poverty, but opinions differ as to what constitutes extreme poverty and how we should measure it. Proposals to broaden the definition of poverty include incorporating relative poverty, a poverty line high enough to reflect poverty in rich countries too, and a measure of multidimensional … Read More