Development and Democracy

2019

The platform model has emerged as a game changing force, transforming economic activity across key sectors. Platformization as the process of such a shift towards new modes of production and exchange serves as the pièce de résistance of global economic organization in the…

2019

“In your opinion, what is the most prevalent problem faced by the residents of your area?” three of us from IT for Change, asked the youth of Old Baiyappanahalli a few months ago.

It didn’t take long for the youth to unanimously respond – the traffic at the railway gate, which had been the bane of their existence.

“It’s becoming…

2019

Digital data and the pervasive intelligence it provides about people and artefactual and natural phenomenon, is the very basis of a digital economy. With the industrial revolution, machines soon became practically unavoidable everywhere. The same will be true of much of digital intelligence-based economic processes and systems as a digital…

2019

Going by the chapter on data in the Economic Survey released on July 4, it seemed that the government’s new Budget would carry new thinking on the digital economy. If data of, for, and by, the people was going to be an important digital mantra, then the Budget had to build on this. However, the BJP government’s digital imaginary, read in the…

2019

It is becoming increasingly evident that the far-reaching impacts of machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) warrant immediate attention to the digitalisation of society itself. AI is not just another technology that has emerged on the horizon. On the contrary, it is a general purpose technology akin to…

2018

This report presents emerging insights from the research studies being undertaken under the project. Covering 14 countries and a range of domains and sectors, it examines the current trends in platformization, mapping the emerging policy responses and challenges.

Read more from the 'Policy Frameworks for Digital Platforms' research…

2018

The digital paradigm with its arsenal of technologies promises to solve the most pressing social and economic challenges of our time. Breakthroughs in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things, block chain, and other developments are being heralded as possible solutions for a diverse range of problems. Yet technology-…

2018

The gagging of free speech and its direct fallout in the form of self-censorship are slowly but steadily moving from being exceptions to becoming the norm in India. Proof of this downward spiral has been the recent backlash following a tweet from IAS officer Shah Faesal of the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) cadre. The tweet which seemed to…

2018

Anita Gurumurthy was invited to participate in the 2018 United Nations Public Service Forum hosted by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA) at Marrakesh, The Kingdom of Morocco from June 21, 2018 to June 23, 2018.The theme of the conference was “Transforming governance to realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)”.…

2018
Public Statement Walmart-Flipkart Deal: Continuing attack on retailers, producers, farmers & labour, and on India’s digital sovereignty

The US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) Walmart’s acquisition of Flipkart undermines India’s economic and digital sovereignty and the livelihood of millions in India. If the $ 16 billion deal goes…