In 2026, the G20 Presidency will pass again to the Global North after four consecutive years of Southern leadership. As the US now takes on the baton, early signs indicate that the impetus for development may whittle down to a neo-liberal playbook driven by private-sector interests and the rollback of protective governance structures.
In this essay for ODI Global, our Executive Director, Anita Gurumurthy, and Deputy Director, Nandini Chami, chart the digital agenda that has taken shape over the past four years, identifying the gains for developing countries, noting unfinished business, and thinking through a future strategy for the South vis-a-vis the G20.
"Political imaginaries of data and AI systems and associated demands for privacy, data protection, transparency and accountability are, no doubt, non-negotiable. But they fall short of a much-needed historically-situated analytical frame that offers an astute agenda on political-economic justice. Knowing where the rubber meets the road in this regard is fundamental to any tactical action to secure contemporary democracy and development for all," they observe in the article.
Read the full article here.