Digital Development: Leveraging Data Science and Digital Participatory Practice for Development Impact

这一战略网络力求分析和应对国际发展中的三个主要趋势。第一，大力强调问责制，并采取行动收集大量监测和评价数据。第二，数字化和数据通信的增长(即使用数字工具、技术和流程将组织和战略决策转变为数据驱动)。新的数字技术目前正以多种贯穿各领域的方式用于发展实践。然而，存在多重数字鸿沟和数字排斥的风险，必须采取反措施。第三，还有数字参与的问题。数据通信和数字化需要在当地进行能力建设，以确保发展努力始终以全球南方国家和社区的优先事项为基础。这些趋势结合在一起构成了一个单一的挑战：如何使用这些日益复杂和强大的监测和分析工具来增强被边缘化的人的能力？大数据和数字化的倡导者认为，政策可能带来多种好处，因为政策可以变得更受数据驱动，从而更准确地理解他们解决的问题。他们看到了许多直接与公民接触的机会。但批评人士警告说，这些趋势可能会增强而不是减少许多风险，包括隐私的丧失和地理、性别、教育和阶级界限上的隐形和不平等的复制。这个网络的主要目标是将来自信息和通信技术促进发展(ICT4D)、数据科学和参与性实践的领先研究人员和从业人员聚集在一起，制定一项雄心勃勃的创新研究议程。非学术合作伙伴和合作者，乐施会数字，联合国儿童基金会，南非科学和工业研究理事会(CSIR)和全球移动电话公司伞形组织GSMA，共同承诺为共同制定这项研究议程做出贡献。他们认识到，在这一领域迫切需要更多的研究和与学术机构的合作。我们将以不同的形式召开一系列会议和活动，将集体成员聚集在我们确定的不同优先事项之下。共有约30名与会者将分成四个专题小组：1：大数据、“小数据”和数据科学，通报实现可持续发展目标的进展情况2：社会技术创新的参与和基于价值的设计3：公民参与、数据科学、信息和通信技术促进和平建设。4：青年参与，创新数字化方式。我们举行这些会议的第一个目标是，它们将产生一个总体研究议程和几个研究方案以及可由集体的不同成员单独或集体进行的研究建议。第二个目标是密集的能力建设。伙伴国家的研究人员、职业生涯初期的研究人员、不同学科的研究人员以及在全球南方从事研究的新手都将有机会扩大他们的研究能力并改进实践。这项工作完全符合ESRC追求的遵守官方发展援助的所有三个方面。它是“为了发展”，因为它寻求解决全球南方在数字发展、改善数据和参与方面面临的发展挑战。它是关于发展的，因为它需要对旨在改善生活和福祉的措施进行严格的审查。它被称为“发展”，因为它与现有的和新的合作伙伴合作，促进各种形式的个人和机构能力建设。

This strategic network seeks to analyse and respond to three key trends in international development. First, the strong emphasis on accountability and a move towards gathering large amounts of monitoring and evaluation data. Second, the growth of digitalisation and datafication (ie the use of digital tools, technologies and processes to transform organisations and strategic decision-making to being data-driven). New digital technologies are now being used in development practice in numerous cross-cutting ways. Yet there are risks of multiple digital divides and digital exclusions which have to be counter-acted. Third, there are the issues of digital participation. Datafication and digitazation require capacity-building locally to ensure development efforts remain grounded in the priorities of countries and communities of the global South. These trends combine to form a single challenge: how might these increasingly sophisticated and powerful tools of surveillance and analysis be used to empower the marginalised? Advocates of big data and digitalisation see multiple benefits becoming possible because policies can become more data driven, and hence more accurate in their understanding of the problems they tackle. They see many opportunities to engage citizens directly. But critics warn against numerous risks including loss of privacy and the replication of invisibilities and inequalities along geographical, gender, education and class lines that these trends may enhance, rather than diminish.The primary aim of this network is to bring together leading researchers and practitioners from information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D), Data Science and participatory practice to develop an ambitious and innovative research agenda. Non-academic partners and collaborators, Oxfam Digital, UNICEF, the South African Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the global umbrella organisation of mobile phone companies, GSMA, have together pledged over 36 person days to contribute to the co-shaping of this research agenda. They recognise that there is an urgent need for more research and collaboration with academic institutions in this area. We will convene a series of meetings and events in diverse formats to bring together members of the collective under the different priorities we have identified. Altogether some 30 participants will work in four thematic groups: 1: Big Data, "small data" and Data Science to inform progress towards the SDGs2: Participation and value-based design of socio-technological innovation 3: Citizen participation, data science, ICT for peace building. 4: Youth participation and innovative digital methods. Our first aim for these meetings is that they will produce an overarching research agenda and several research programmes as well as research proposals that can be pursued individually or collectively by different members of the collective. The second aim is intensive capacity building. Researchers in partner countries, early career researchers, researchers from different disciplines and those researchers new to research in the global South will all get a chance to expand their research capacity and improve practice.This work fits squarely with all three aspects of compliance with ODA that the ESRC pursues. It is 'for development', because it seeks to solve development challenges faced in the global south over digital development, improving data and participation. It is 'on development', as it entails critical scrutiny of measures which are intended to improve lives and well-being. It is 'as development' as it promotes various forms of individual and institutional capacity building in collaboration with existing and new partners.