Discussion Pieces

Discussion pieces, written by our Interns, Research Affiliates, and staff members, offer in-depth analyses on topics related to our scope of work.

Discussion Pieces

  • Blog

Who Builds, Who Bears: Gender, Design, and the Architecture of Technology-Facilitated Violence

The relationship between technology and society has never been one of passive adoption. Every technological object carries assumptions about who will use it, under what conditions, and with what risks. These assumptions are often treated as neutral because STEM (Science,...

  • News

Gender Responsive Budgeting in Pakistan: Analyzing the 2025–26 Federal Budget for Equity and Inclusion

Current economic models and budget processes often overlook gender dynamics, leading to fiscal policies that unintentionally reinforce inequality. In countries like Pakistan, where gender disparities are deeply entrenched, this can exacerbate unpaid care burdens or stall progress on women’s rights....

  • Blog

Pausing Progress: The Uncertain Future of the DHS Program

For over 40 years, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program “has shaped policies, informed research, and transformed lives” (Brookings, 2025). The termination of the Program in February 2025 raises serious concerns about the future of health—including sexual and reproductive...

  • Blog

A Mudança de Verificação de Fatos da Meta: Uma Declaração Política na Era da Pós-Verdade

English No dia 7 de janeiro, as redes sociais foram inundadas com reações ao anúncio de Mark Zuckerberg sobre mudanças radicais na Meta, especialmente com o fim do Programa de Verificação de Fatos nos Estados Unidos. A notícia repercutiu globalmente...

  • Blog

Meta’s Fact-Checking Shift: A Political Statement in the Post-Truth Era

Português Meta’s Fact-Checking Shift: A Political Statement in the Post-Truth Era On January 7th, social media feeds were flooded with reactions to Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement of sweeping changes to Meta, most notably the end of its Fact-Checking Program in the...

  • Blog

Uncovering the Invisible: Maternal Mental Health and Obstetric Violence Against Indigenous Women in Brazil

DISCUSSION PIECE Although I was born and raised in Mato Grosso do Sul, the Brazilian state which is home to the country’s second largest Indigenous reserve, it was only upon moving to the city of Dourados to pursue a degree...

  • Blog

Unnatural Disasters: The Türkiye Earthquake and Open Data to Fight Corruption 

DISCUSSION PIECE ShutterStock In the days following the recent earthquake in Türkiye (February 6, 2023), I was glued to my phone, grieving the loss of thousands of lives and the destruction of homes and historical cities in southeastern Turkey and...

  • Blog

The Return of East India Companies: AI, Africa and the New (Digital) Colonialism

DISCUSSION PIECE Image created Dall-E (Open AI technology) While Silicon Valley’s tech giants are increasing their investments in Africa, terms like “Data Colonialism,” “Digital Colonialism,” and “AI Colonialism” have been increasingly used to describe the situation at play. When it...

  • Blog

Disinformation and Democracy: Reimagining Data Access for Policy-Making

DISCUSSION PIECE Photo by visuals on Unsplash In the last ten years, the world has watched the power and influence of tech platforms grow, largely unregulated by law, while also becoming increasingly interdependent with media and politics. Along with the...

  • Blog

Migration and Gender in the Global South through a Decolonial Lens

DISCUSSION PIECE Núbia Rodrigues at the “2nd Psychology and Migration Seminar: Connecting Knowledges” Author’s Note: For Portuguese speakers, here is the link to watch the original presentation, as well two additional roundtables from the event. On October 8, 2022, the...

  • Blog

Women and ICT Access: Bridging the Digitial Divide for Disaster Resilience

DISCUSSION PIECE ShutterStock Women are often on the front lines of disasters, both in experiencing their impacts and in being powerful agents of change. According to the UNDP, women and children are 14 times more likely to die during natural...

  • Blog

Why Gender-Responsive Due Diligence in Agribusiness Value Chains Matters

DISCUSSION PIECE ShutterStock Although relatively new, the discourse around Business and Human Rights (BHR) has become increasingly relevant in recent years. This is especially true due to the increasing amount of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into African countries, as well...

  • Blog

Data-Driven Hope: The August 4th Tragedy in Beirut

DISCUSSION PIECE Pexels It was a calm Tuesday afternoon, my fiance and I had just come back from work and put on our favorite TV show. We were sitting at our dining table, and I noticed it shook. “Please stop...

  • Blog

Habeas Data and Personal Data Protection in Latin America

DISCUSSION PIECE ShutterStock “According to recent estimates, in 2022, 2.5 quintillion data are generated daily, and at least 1200 petabytes are saved and exchanged through digital media.” Wilse, 2022 Our daily lives are increasingly influenced by digital data. Its value...

  • Blog

The High Cost of Internet Shutdowns

DISCUSSION PIECE ShutterStock At the beginning of 2022, the Kazakh government removed the price cap on fuel, leading to protest movements in the Central Asian republic. The population has long been dissatisfied with the regime, but the increase in natural...

  • Blog

Opinion Polls and Democracy: A Case Study of France

The rise of advanced public opinion technology was supposed to take the uncertainty out of elections, but what is its effect on democracies?...
  • Blog

Embracing the Principles for Digital Development: Leveraging Big Data Sources for Policy Evaluation in Crisis Settings

“Leveraging Big Data Sources for Policy Evaluation and Analysis in Crisis Settings'', is a web platform for policymakers to draw insights to assist with crisis responses (including COVID-19)....
  • Blog

The Women Leading the Fight Against Land Expropriation in Latin America

An exploration of how Indigenous women are leading efforts to curtail land expropriation in Latin America. An exploration of how Indigenous women are leading efforts to curtail land expropriation in Latin America, including how Earth Observation technology can aid these...
  • Blog

The High Cost of “Free” Data: Zero-Rating and its Impacts on Disinformation in Brazil

This discussion piece explores the ways in which "zero-rating" programs facilitate the spread of misinformation and also help to maintain unequal power dynamics between the Global South and the Global North....
  • Blog

Digital Transformation in the Global South: Enhancing Citizens’ Trust

If governments in the Global South integrate digital transformation into their public services’ agenda, will they be able to enhance citizens’ trust?...
  • Blog

Africa’s Poverty Tsunami: Do Cash Transfers Work Best?

DISCUSSION PIECE Africa’s GDP is poised to grow exponentially in the next decade. According to the African Development Bank, GDP growth is expected to rise by 3.4% in 2021, an increase from 2.1% in 2020. Despite this anticipated gain, the...

  • Blog

The CODE for Building Participatory and Ethical Data Projects

DISCUSSION PIECE This piece was published with the support and as part of the Data Values Project (#DataValues) launched by the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, of which Data-Pop Alliance is a founding member. Photo: Rawpixel (Shutterstock) What’s the...

  • Blog

Un nuevo contrato social para la era del Big Data

DISCUSSION PIECE (SPANISH) En la era del Internet y de los datos, las sociedades han modificado a tal grado sus formas de interacción, intercambio de información, generación de valor, entre otros tantos aspectos, que se requiere un nuevo “contrato social”...

  • Blog

Addressing the Unrealized Potential of MD4D

DISCUSSION PIECE Piece originally published on DIAL’s website. Last week, the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) and Data Pop Alliance made public a free online handbook on Mobile Data for Development (MD4D), available here on the DIAL Online Catalog, as a...

  • Blog

8M: Reporte y registro de violencia doméstica en Bogotá, Ciudad de México y São Paulo

DISCUSSION PIECE Sobre el Día Internacional de la Mujer (8M) Alrededor del mundo el Día Internacional de la Mujer se conmemora cada 8 de Marzo (también referido como 8M) con el objetivo de crear conciencia y alentar la reflexión crítica...

  • Blog

Violence Against Women in Latin America: The Multiple Facets of a Pervasive Issue

DISCUSSION PIECE Photo: Analise Benevides. Edition: Paola Caile. November 25 marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a date that serves as a global reminder of what it is now refered to as the “shadow pandemic”...

  • Blog

Fortaleciendo la cultura de datos y las capacidades para alcanzar los ODS en Colombia

DISCUSSION PIECE Durante la última década, el número de organizaciones que se han interesado por explorar el uso potencial de fuentes de Big Data para medir indicadores demográficos, económicos, sociales o ambientales ha crecido exponencialmente. En 2014, las Naciones Unidas...

  • Blog

Using Data to Shed Light on the Shadow Pandemic of Domestic Violence in Mexico

DISCUSSION PIECE Violence against women and girls (VaWG) is a worldwide phenomenon that occurs in various forms and spaces, unfortunately including where one should feel safest: at home with one’s partner or family. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic,...