IT for Change is excited to be a member of the Fair, Green and Global Alliance (FGG) – a consortium of eight global organizations – whose goal is to expand civil society voices to make trade and global supply chains just and fair in Global South contexts.
As part of this five year program starting in January 2021, IT for Change will focus on digital value chains, extending our work on Big Tech/platform regulation, data economy, platform worker rights and gender justice.
To learn more about the alliance, its members and its work, visit the FGG website or follow the alliance on Twitter.
Watch this space for updates on the new initiatives we will be working on as part of this venture.
Research Outputs
Digital Economic Integration of MSMEs in the Global South
In this project, IT for Change, the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), and country partners unpack how micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) participation in the global economy is increasingly shaped by the rapid deployment of digital technologies, as well as the mediating impact of regulatory frameworks around digitalization, data governance, and industrial policy.
The project attempts to make connections between MSME digitalization and the political economy of the digital marketplace and global value chains in order to frame opportunities and challenges in relation to development outcomes, with a particular focus on gendered consequences. Going beyond the barriers of gender-based discrimination, and the efficiencies brought about by digitalization strategies, the study delves into emerging policies on global digital trade, international data flows, AI governance, etc., in order to understand how they (re)shape MSME integration into digitalized marketplaces and what implications they may have for the productive capacities of women-led MSMEs. The project focuses on Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Know more about the project here.
Digital Transformation for Development - A program of action on techno-institutional and human capabilities for LDCs
In this policy brief, the authors examine the challenges that currently prevent Least Developed Countries (LDCs) from harnessing a capabilities-based approach to leveraging digital transformation for development. The challenges examined include the lack of financing for public digital innovation, trade, and Intellectual Property regimes that prevent the emergence of robust domestic digital economies, and the absence of a human-centered approach. If LDCs are to determine their autonomous pathways to development and realize Agenda 2030, radical shifts are needed at the multilateral level with corresponding road maps for contextually relevant transformation at national levels. This policy brief outlines critical strategies for action that can effectively respond to these challenges.
You can read the complete brief here.
Recasting Land Tenure Rights in the Data Epoch: Insights from a Country Case Study of India
IT for Change, in collaboration with FIAN International, has embarked on authoring a case study to explore emerging land and agricultural digitalization trends in India, and their impact on the tenure rights of marginal farmers, small-scale producers, and forest communities. Through a series of key informant interviews with farmer-activists, civil society members, and academics, the case study – a country-wide broad brush analysis – aims to elaborate on governance and policy interventions necessary to not only secure rights of tenure and livelihoods of India's marginalized communities, but to also amplify the need to hold sustainability of farming, fishing, and forestry ecosystems as central to the argument of land ownership.
Workers’ Data Rights in the Platformized Workplace - A New Frontier for the Labor Agenda
In this research paper, we explore how the context of society- and economy-wide platformization and an expanding spectrum of platform workplaces necessitates a re-think of labor rights at the intersection of data, data-enabled algorithms, and work process reorganization. This working paper takes stock of emerging debates in this frontier domain of workers’ data rights, evaluating the efficacy of national level legal-policy frameworks in addressing them, and highlighting the gaps that need to be bridged. It spotlights four critical considerations: recognition of algorithmic control as a key yardstick in the employment relationship, workers’ right to explanation in automated systems for workplace decision-making, workers’ data rights in social security programs, and collective data rights of workers in their aggregate data commons. The paper concludes with some reflections to restore worker autonomy and labor share of value in relation to the platformized workplace, calling for a new social contract for labor in the 21st century. The paper concludes with some reflections to restore worker autonomy and labor share of value in relation to the platformized workplace, calling for a new social contract for labor in the 21st century.
Response to the Public Consultation on India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA)
Read it here
June, 2021: IT for Change responded to the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare's consultation paper on the India Digital Ecosystem of Agriculture (IDEA). The response identifies the potential benefits that may be realized through the implementation of IDEA and the additional steps required to achieve them. Specifically, the response highlights issues of farmer centricity, decentralization and federation of data architectures, the need to recognize farmer community data through the data exchange, and differing roles for public and private sector entities in development and maintenance of IDEA.
Workshop on 'Social Security for App-based Transport Workers'
You can view the presentation here.
IFAT in partnership with FES organized a two-day workshop in Kolkata on 'Social Security for App-based Transport Workers', which saw participation of close to 25-30 workers belonging to different worker unions from various regions and states of the country. Sakhi Shah from IT for Change attended the workshop and presented to the group the meaning and importance of the Social Security Code, 2020 along with the central and state-level rules formulated for the implementation of the Code. The presentation focused largely on the impact of these rules on gig and platform workers. All the workers present were a part of a state regional-level union, the presentation and discussions also focused on the importance of unionization for gig and platform workers, and how the respective unions can and should participate in the public consultation process as and when their respective states introduce rules to complement to the Code.
Events
Unlocking the Platform Dividend for the Indian Economy - A Policy Roundtable on NITI Aayog’s Roadmap for an Inclusive Future of Work
August 24, 2022: In June 2022, the NITI Aayog published a research report Titled "India's Booming Gig and Platform Economy - Perspectives and Recommendations on the Future of Work", mapping the opportunities and challenges in India’s platformizing economy, and coming up with recommendations for a future of work agenda.
In order to engage with this report and deepen the debate on leveraging the platform dividend for an inclusive future of work in the Indian economy, IT for Change is hosting a round table consultation on August 25, 2022 at the Indian International Centre, New Delhi. This workshop is supported by EU and FGG.
