Technology and Global Development
15-502
Instructors:
M. Bernardine Dias and Yonina Cooper
TA: Aysha Siddique
Spring 2009
Lecture 2
The big picture…
Outline
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Logistics
Problem solving
State of the world
Poverty and development
Technology trends
Your assignments for
next week
Logistics
• TA introduction
• Class times discussion
• Community selection for
Research Assignment
• All important references used in
this course (and some additional
resources) will be made available
on the course website in the
“resources” section.
• Any questions/comments?
Problem Solving
How do we solve a problem?
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Step 1
Step 2
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Problem Solving
• Identify the problem
• Understand the problem
– Start with the big picture
– Drill down for details
– Different perspectives?
• Potentially decompose the problem
into smaller parts
– Always keep in mind how the component
problems relate to the larger one
• Identify the requirements and
constraints of the problem
• Define your role in solving the problem
• Design a solution
– Research related work
– Don’t reinvent the wheel
• Test and validate the solution
• Deploy the solution
Problem Solving
• Identify the problem
• Understand the problem
– Start with the big picture
– Drill down for details
– Different perspectives?
• Potentially decompose the problem
into smaller parts
– Always keep in mind how the component
problems relate to the larger one
• Identify the requirements and
constraints of the problem
• Define your role in solving the problem
• Design a solution
– Research related work
– Don’t reinvent the wheel
• Test and validate the solution
• Deploy the solution
State of the World
World’s Challenges (some)
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Poverty
Inequality
AIDS, TB, Malaria and other health issues
Environmental degradation
Strained natural resources
Gender and other discrimination
Tense geopolitical climate
Some ideas for causes
• Not enough aid from rich nations and global
financial institutions?
• Too much aid from rich nations?
• Misused aid from rich nations?
• Corruption?
• Unfair global market rules that favor rich
countries?
• Human nature? (nobody cares about the poor)
Some ideas for indicators
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Income
GDP
Economic Productivity
Material Possessions
Happiness
Freedom
Democracy
World’s Challenges
• Poverty
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Focus of this course
Inequality
AIDS, TB, Malaria and other health issues
Environmental degradation
Strained natural resources
Gender and other discrimination
Tense geopolitical climate
Others…
Problem Solving
• Identify the problem
• Understand the problem
– Start with the big picture
– Drill down for details
– Different perspectives?
• Potentially decompose the problem
into smaller parts
– Always keep in mind how the component
problems relate to the larger one
• Identify the requirements and
constraints of the problem
• Define your role in solving the problem
• Design a solution
– Research related work
– Don’t reinvent the wheel
• Test and validate the solution
• Deploy the solution
UNDP: United Nations Development Program
• UN's global development network
• An organization advocating for change and connecting countries to
knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life
• On the ground in 166 countries, working with people on their own solutions
to global and national development challenges
• Focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of
Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery,
Environment and Energy, and HIV/AIDS
• Helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively
• Encourage the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women
• In each country office, the UNDP Resident Representative normally also
serves as the Resident Coordinator of development activities for the United
Nations system as a whole to ensure the most effective use of UN and
international aid resources
http://www.undp.org/about/
The UNDP Human
Development Report
The annual Human Development Report,
commissioned by UNDP, focuses the global debate
on key development issues, providing new
measurement tools, innovative analysis and often
controversial policy proposals. The global Report's
analytical framework and inclusive approach carry
over into regional, national and local Human
Development Reports, also supported by UNDP.
http://www.undp.org/about/
Human Development Report
“Human development is about putting people at the
centre of development. It is about people realizing
their potential, increasing their choices and enjoying
the freedom to lead lives they value. Since 1990,
annual Human Development Reports have explored
challenges including poverty, gender, democracy,
human rights, cultural liberty, globalization, water
scarcity and climate change.”
http://hdr.undp.org/en/reports/global/hdr2009/
Human Development Reports (some)
• 2009 - Human Development on the Move
• 2007/2008 - Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a
divided world
• 2006 - Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis
• 2005 - International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and
security in an unequal world
• 2004 - Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World
• 2003 - Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among
Nations to End Human Poverty
• 2002 - Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World
• 2001 - Making New Technologies Work for Human Development
• 2000 - Human Rights and Human Development
Human Development Reports (some)
• 2009 - Human Development on the Move
• 2007/2008 - Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a
divided world
• 2006 - Beyond scarcity: Power, poverty and the global water crisis
• 2005 - International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and
security in an unequal world
• 2004 - Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World
• 2003 - Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among
Nations to End Human Poverty
• 2002 - Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World
• 2001 - Making New Technologies Work for Human Development
• 2000 - Human Rights and Human Development
HDR Development Indicators
• Human Development Index (HDI) value
• Life expectancy at birth (years) 2005
• Adult literacy rate (% aged 15 and above)
1995-2005
• Combined gross enrolment ratio for primary,
secondary and tertiary education (%) 2005
• GDP per capita (PPP US$)
• Life expectancy index
• Education index
• GDP index
• GDP per capita (PPP US$) rank minus HDI
rank
Human Development Index
• Human Development Index developed in the 1980s by a
Cambridge-educated Pakistani economist Mahbub ul Haq in
order to overcome some of the pitfalls of focusing only on
income or GDP
• The HDI measures the average achievements in a country in
three basic dimensions of human development:
– A long and healthy life, as measured by life expectancy at birth
– Knowledge, as measured by the adult literacy rate and the combined
primary, secondary, and tertiary gross enrollment ratio
– A decent standard of living, as measured by gross domestic product
(GDP) per capita at purchasing power parity (PPP) in USD
OECD
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Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
Established: 1961
Membership: 30 countries
OECD brings together the governments of countries committed to
democracy and the market economy from around the world to:
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Support sustainable economic growth
Boost employment
Raise living standards
Maintain financial stability
Assist other countries' economic development
Contribute to growth in world trade
• OECD also shares expertise and exchanges views with more than 100 other
countries and economies, from Brazil, China, and Russia to the least
developed countries in Africa.
http://www.oecd.org/
http://www.oecd.org/
OECD
30 member countries
AUSTRALIA
AUSTRIA
BELGIUM
CANADA
CZECH REPUBLIC
DENMARK
FINLAND
FRANCE
GERMANY
GREECE
HUNGARY
ICELAND
IRELAND
ITALY
JAPAN
KOREA
LUXEMBOURG
MEXICO
NETHERLANDS
NEW ZEALAND
NORWAY
POLAND
PORTUGAL
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
SPAIN
SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND
TURKEY
UNITED KINGDOM
UNITED STATES
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Countries invited to
membership talks
CHILE
ESTONIA
ISRAEL
RUSSIA
SLOVENIA
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Enhanced engagement
BRAZIL
CHINA
INDIA
INDONESIA
SOUTH AFRICA
State of the World
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/HDR_20072008_EN_Indicator_tables.pdf
GAPMINDER
• A non-profit venture promoting sustainable global
development and achievement of the United Nations
Millennium Development Goals by increased use and
understanding of statistics and other information about social,
economic and environmental development at local, national
and global levels
• Founded in Stockholm by Ola Rosling, Anna Rosling
Rönnlund and Hans Rosling on February 25, 2005
• TED talk:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/hans_rosling_reveals_new_insights
_on_poverty.html
• Play with it and discover the state of the world in new ways
http://www.gapminder.org/
GAPMINDER
Poverty and Development
United Nations
Millennium Declaration
• In September 2000, building upon a decade of major
United Nations conferences and summits, world leaders
came together at United Nations Headquarters in New
York to adopt the United Nations Millennium Declaration
• Adopted by 189 nations-and signed by 147 heads of state
and governments
• Committed their nations to a new global partnership to
reduce extreme poverty
• Set a series of time-bound targets - with a deadline of 2015
- the Millennium Development Goals
• You can see the whole declaration at:
http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.htm
Millennium Development Goals
“We will spare no effort to free our fellow men,
women and children from the abject and
dehumanizing conditions of extreme poverty, to
which more than a billion of them are currently
subjected. We are committed to making the right to
development a reality for everyone and to freeing the
entire human race from want.”
-- United Nations Millennium Declaration
(September 2000)
Background
• Drafted in 1999; adopted in Sept. 2000
• Designed to create measurable goals that would galvanize
the global community for development
• The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets
that are measured by 60 indicators.
• In 2001, in response to the world leaders' request, UN
Secretary General presented the “Road Map Towards the
Implementation of the United Nations Millennium
Declaration,” an integrated and comprehensive overview
of the situation, outlining potential strategies for action
designed to meet the goals and commitments of the
Millennium Declaration
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
Background
• The road map has been followed up since then with
annual reports.
• In 2002, the annual report focused on progress made in
the prevention of armed conflict and the treatment and
prevention of diseases, including HIV/AIDS and Malaria.
• In 2003, emphasis was placed on strategies for
development and strategies for sustainable development.
• In 2004, it was on bridging the digital divide and curbing
transnational crime.
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
Background
• In 2005, the Secretary-General prepared the first
comprehensive five-yearly report on progress toward
achieving the MDGs
• The report reviews the implementation of decisions taken
at the international conferences and special sessions on
the least developed countries, progress on HIV/AIDS and
financing for development and sustainable development
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
Millennium Development Goals
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
MDG #1
• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Target 1a: Reduce by half the proportion of people living
on less than a dollar a day
– 1.1 Proportion of population below $1 (PPP) per day
– 1.2 Poverty gap ratio
– 1.3 Share of poorest quintile in national consumption
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
MDG #1
• Target 1b: Achieve full and productive employment and
decent work for all, including women and young people
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1.4 Growth rate of GDP per person employed
1.5 Employment-to-population ratio
1.6 Proportion of employed people living below $1 (PPP) per day
1.7 Proportion of own-account and contributing family workers
in total employment
• Target 1c: Reduce by half the proportion of people who
suffer from hunger
– 1.8 Prevalence of underweight children under-five years of age
– 1.9 Proportion of population below minimum level of dietary
energy consumption
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
MDG #2
• Achieve universal primary education
• Target 2a: Ensure that all boys and girls complete a full
course of primary schooling
– 2.1 Net enrolment ratio in primary education
– 2.2 Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who reach last grade
of primary
– 2.3 Literacy rate of 15-24 year-olds, women and men
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
MDG #3
• Promote gender equality and empower women
• Target 3a: Eliminate gender disparity in primary
and secondary education preferably by 2005, and
at all levels by 2015
– 3.1 Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and
tertiary education
– 3.2 Share of women in wage employment in the nonagricultural sector
– 3.3 Proportion of seats held by women in
national parliament
http://www.undp.org/mdg/
MDGs #4-#8
• You can look up the others ☺
Some Critiques of MDGs
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Top-down initiative—technocratic in nature
Donors-recipient relationship unaltered
Structural impediments left unchallenged
Not enough data to adequately measure progress
Weak attempt to address women’s rights
Not enough focus on social justice/equity
No solutions for environment problems
Assumptions of development never addressed
Technology Trends
Special case of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT)
Isn’t Technology Part of
Development?
• Agricultural Revolution
• Industrial Revolution
• Information (or Knowledge) Revolution…
From the 2001 HDR
• The technology divide does not have to follow the income
divide. Throughout history, technology has been a powerful
tool for human development and poverty reduction.
• The market is a powerful engine of technological progress but it is not powerful enough to create and diffuse the
technologies needed to eradicate poverty.
• Developing countries may gain especially high rewards from
new technologies, but they also face especially severe
challenges in managing the risks.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/completenew1.pdf
From the 2001 HDR
• The technology revolution and globalization are creating a
network age—and that is changing how technology is
created and diffused.
• Even in the network age, domestic policy still matters. All
countries, even the poorest, need to implement policies that
encourage innovation, access and the development of
advanced skills.
• National policies will not be sufficient to compensate for
global market failures. New international initiatives and the
fair use of global rules are needed to channel new
technologies towards the most urgent needs of the world’s
poor people.
http://hdr.undp.org/en/media/completenew1.pdf
ICT – A Means or an End?
• World Summit on Sustainable Development, August
2002, in Johannesburg was groundbreaking
– Use of principles of sustainability relating to development
– Understanding of the importance of technology,
especially ICT
• But still, limited scientific analysis for the business
case for ICT
– Correlation vs. Causality
Some initial attempts…
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Kiosks
tele-everything!
Portals
e-everything!
Distance education
Donate computers
Cheap computers
Village phone
All-in-one gadgets
Others?
What technologies are found in
developing communities?
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What technologies are found in
developing communities?
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Radio
TV
Mobile phones
Video games
Computers
Others?
Other References
• 15502 lecture slides from 2006 and 2007 –
jointly prepared by Rahul Tongia, Joe
Mertz, Jay Aronson, and Bernardine Dias
• Most images are from TechBridgeWorld
(www.techbridgeworld.org)
What Next?
• All about poverty (and development)
• Find out more about the HDR development indicators for
next Thursday
• Look through the indicator tables in the 2007/2008 HDR
and get a sense for the state of the world
• Reading/viewing assignments for next week:
– Due Tuesday
• Read the Introduction and Chapters 3 and 4 of “Banker to the Poor”
by Muhammad Yunus (available on reserve at
the library)
– Due Thursday
• Watch the movie “Children of Heaven” by Majid Majidi (available on
reserve at the library)
– Preparation questions on all reading and viewing assignments are
available on the course website in the “assignments” section.
• Special note: first do the reading/viewing and then look at the
questions and come prepared to discuss them in class.