
Dispatch from Digital Planet: June 2025
Dispatch from the Digital Planet is a monthly bulletin that talks about new updates in digital innovation across the world and their impact.
Dispatch from the Digital Planet is a monthly bulletin that talks about new updates in digital innovation across the world and their impact.
AI Culture conference featured a thought-provoking debate between Bhaskar Chakravorti and Philippe Beaudoin, skillfully moderated by Marc Nicholson. Hosted by Quilt.AI, the event, led by CEO Anurag Banerjee and co-founder Angad Singh Chowdhry, explored the dynamic landscape of artificial intelligence.
Dispatch from the Digital Planet is a monthly bulletin that talks about new updates in digital innovation across the world and their impact.
We studied the role of Systems Orchestrators in driving systemic changes on the ground to boost digital ecosystems and create jobs. We found that these orchestrators bring distinct advantages to transforming perceptions in the region.
In collaboration with Dalberg
In this second edition of the case compendium, we cover three
enterprises working in the education technology (ed-tech)
and upskilling industry in three distinct emerging markets.
IDEA 2030’s report studies the link between digital inclusion and innovation. Key insight: As more join the digital economy, value creation focuses on affluent users, widening digital disparities. Policy interventions are needed for inclusive innovation.
Tufts University researchers told the Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday to focus on how many individuals, not just locations, are receiving high-speed service as the agency creates new broadband maps to inform the distribution of federal infrastructure funds by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Explore COVID-19’s effects on India’s digital economy, from lockdown challenges to the inclusion paradox. Discover strategies to bridge the gap and unleash India’s digital potential.
How can real-time social analytics provide a tool for inclusive policymaking? This report uses a dataset of over 873 million online interactions drawn from more than one hundred social and mainstream media channels to analyze public sentiment and emotion in response to the pandemic management of eight governments between January and July 2020.
In collaboration with Equiception
The under-representation of women in high-paying STEM roles is a vexing issue that exposes a systemic inertia across the industry.
Discover Ukraine’s Resilient Tech Economy Amidst Conflict. President Zelensky prioritizes economic preservation in the face of war, removing obstacles for SMEs. Tech sector fuels growth, accounting for $2B in Q1 2022. Learn how digital infrastructure, contingency plans, tax breaks, and security training contribute to its success. Follow our series ‘Imagining a Digital Economy for All in Ukraine’ to explore insights from industry leaders navigating the challenges. Adaptability, collaboration, and innovation redefine the future of work in a dynamic landscape.
More services are going online-only—catching more people on the wrong side of a widening gulf.
Right now, half of Americans aren’t using broadband internet. In an effort to close this digital divide, the Biden administration has launched the Internet for All initiative: a massive investment of funds to expand access to high-speed internet in the world’s most valuable and second most evolved digital economy.
US broadband expansion lowered Covid mortality, especially in metro areas. Internet access is crucial in the public health toolbox.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act allocates $65B to expand US broadband. We advocate a “people over miles” approach for equitable access.
We’ve been talking for years about how to fix the rural broadband problem. Now we’re finally going to do it.
We present Progress to Digital Parity—an interactive scorecard that tracks the journey towards realizing the goal of a digital economy for everyone, everywhere.
The needs of the global sustainable development agenda are both broad and urgent, and innovation models are central to addressing them in a timely, efficient, and scalable manner, from promoting inclusive growth and ensuring the longevity of natural resources to addressing issues across the state of the human condition.
Soniya Gokhale interviews Bhaskar Chakravorti on misinformation and the dilemma it poses for governments globally.
The U.S. government is negotiating a plan to address one of the most important — but overlooked — problems facing the country: the digital divide.
Global healthcare digitization varies wildly. Our study in 46 countries identifies virtualized healthcare opportunities, enabling lagging nations to leapfrog with digital tools for quality care.
Democrats and Republicans alike need to be honest about how much broadband for all will cost. They can make Big Tech help pay for it.
In the evolving work landscape, how can we boost under-represented talent (e.g., Black, Hispanic, female) in high-demand roles? Where can organizations find these diverse pools in major U.S. metro areas?
Why are we so divided about the true state of the digital divide in America? What steps might the Biden-Harris administration take to clarify the reality of this divide and move toward closing the gap? This webinar examines how these changes can be transformational for a recovering, yet socially distanced economy.
US States expanded telehealth, yet 16 of them face challenges with subpar broadband, hindering digital healthcare access.
Digitally ready states thrived during the pandemic, leveraging gig workers for essential services. Yet, it revealed disparities and vulnerabilities in the gig economy.
Bhaskar Chakravorti discusses how the “Digital Divide” could impact the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts.
An interactive research report that indexes trust in the digital economy and its evolution across 90 economies during the COVID-19 pandemic. This report features a collaborative research platform that provides data and evidence-driven actionable insights to leaders in government, business and technology.
States, amid surging virus, reverse reopenings. Digital-ready states endure lockdowns better, with strict distancing measures for effective COVID-19 control.
COVID-19 deepens racial disparities, particularly impacting Black communities. Addressing inequalities is crucial for an inclusive recovery.
Digital platforms are crucial for business continuity during COVID-19. Washington excels in remote work, job transitions, and online unemployment filing support.
COVID-19 exposes US inequality, with certain races over-represented in less-flexible, low-tech jobs due to limited access to stable internet and computers.
COVID-19 reveals US inequality, with races over-represented in inflexible, low-tech jobs due to limited internet access.
Are countries around the world prepared to keep the wheels of their economies turning during Coronavirus lockdowns? Watch the Social Distance Readiness Benchmark video summary to find out.
During the COVID-19 lockdown, US States that were least digitally ready and had the strictest social distancing measures experienced the highest unemployment numbers.
Online public services need infrastructure and affordable internet. We scored 42 countries on digital services and internet access, considering lockdown measures.
Remote work depends on digital services – telecom, e-commerce, digital media for communication. Countries need robust digital payments for transaction surges.
How emerging technologies and digital transformations can accelerate economic and societal growth in 6 African countries.
A Social Distance Readiness analysis of 42 countries measuring the robustness of their digital platforms; resilience of internet infrastructure to traffic surges; proliferation of digital payments options and percentage of workforce able to telecommute.
The African Leapfrog Index (ALI) is a novel framework that draws upon the primary levers that facilitate the translation of digital technologies into development and inclusive growth. The framework evaluates six African countries against a continent-wide “best-performance” benchmark to identify strengths to build upon and the opportunities to close gaps.
The Digital Evolution Index: Latin America and Caribbean Edition (DEI LAC) is a data-driven study of the pace of digital growth in 24 LAC countries across four key drivers of supply, demand, institutional environment, and innovation. It utilizes 99 unique indicators measured over a ten-year period (2008 – 2017) to create an overall digital evolution score and digital momentum score.
If the yardstick of effectiveness of any scorecard or ranking were tangible efforts, by those graded, to “improve bad ratings or maintain good ones,” few come even remotely close to the World Bank’s annual Doing Business survey.
Which countries help expedite entry, growth, and exit of technology-based businesses?