Left to other peoples’ devices? A political economy perspective on the big data revolution in development

Laura Mann

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This article brings a political economy perspective to the field of Data for Development (D4D). It highlights the fact that many projects involve extracting data from African-based organizations for expert analysis in advanced economies. This extraction is justified on the basis that it is being used for humanitarian purposes. Key actors including the UN Global Pulse and World Economic Forum have lobbied for a governance framework emphasizing greater emission, personalization and centralization of data. The article shows how this approach enables the strategies of multinational corporations which are aiming to become data custodians of Africa’s emerging economies. Little attention has been paid to the geographical distribution of capacity building nor to the ways in which data-driven restructuring may alter existing livelihoods. As African economies become increasingly ‘digital’, data will become a source of power in economic governance. Current frameworks amount to a kind of industrial policy that supports the learning and innovation of foreign firms. The article aims to move D4D away from the focus on humanitarianism towards economic development, considering the opportunities for African citizens to benefit from their data as a source of revenue, knowledge and power. The conclusion suggests lines of inquiry for taking research further.

JEL-codes: J1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018-01-01
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (16)

Published in Development and Change, 1, January, 2018, 49(1), pp. 3 - 36. ISSN: 0012-155X

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/85057/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:85057

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library LSE Library Portugal Street London, WC2A 2HD, U.K.. Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by LSERO Manager ().