Article by Basma Albanna, Andreas Pawelke and Hodan Abdullahi: “In every community, some individuals or groups achieve significantly better outcomes than their peers, despite having similar challenges and resources. Finding these so-called positive deviants and working with them to diffuse their practices is referred to as the Positive Deviance approach. The Data-Powered Positive Deviance (DPPD) method follows the same logic as the Positive Deviance approach but leverages existing, non-traditional data sources, in conjunction with traditional data sources to identify and scale the solutions of positive deviants. The UNDP Somalia Accelerator Lab was part of the first cohort of teams... (More >)
A US-run system alerts the world to famines. It’s gone dark after Trump slashed foreign aid
Article by Lauren Kent: “A vital, US-run monitoring system focused on spotting food crises before they turn into famines has gone dark after the Trump administration slashed foreign aid. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) monitors drought, crop production, food prices and other indicators in order to forecast food insecurity in more than 30 countries…Now, its work to prevent hunger in Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Afghanistan and many other nations has been stopped amid the Trump administration’s effort to dismantle the US Agency for International Development (USAID). “These are the most acutely food insecure countries... (More >)
Human Development and the Data Revolution
Book edited by Sanna Ojanperä, Eduardo López, and Mark Graham: “…explores the uses of large-scale data in the contexts of development, in particular, what techniques, data sources, and possibilities exist for harnessing large datasets and new online data to address persistent concerns regarding human development, inequality, exclusion, and participation. Employing a global perspective to explore the latest advances at the intersection of big data analysis and human development, this volume brings together pioneering voices from academia, development practice, civil society organizations, government, and the private sector. With a two-pronged focus on theoretical and practical research on big data and... (More >)
A Roadmap to Accessing Mobile Network Data for Statistics
Guide by Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data: “… introduces milestones on the path to mobile network data access. While it is aimed at stakeholders in national statistical systems and across national governments in general, the lessons should resonate with others seeking to take this route. The steps in this guide are written in the order in which they should be taken, and some readers who have already embarked on this journey may find they have completed some of these steps. This roadmap is meant to be followed in steps, and readers may start, stop, and return to points... (More >)
The 2026 Aid Transparency Index is canceled. Here’s what it means
Article by Gary Forster: “As things stand, we will not be running the 2026 Aid Transparency Index. Not because it isn’t needed. Not because it isn’t effective. But because, in spite of our best efforts, we haven’t been able to secure the funding for it. This is not a trivial loss. The Aid Transparency Index has been the single most powerful mechanism driving improvements in the quantity and quality of aid data that is published to the International Aid Transparency Initiative, or IATI, Standard. Since 2012, every two years, it has independently assessed and ranked the transparency of the... (More >)
The disparities and development trajectories of nations in achieving the sustainable development goals
Paper by Fengmei Ma, et al: “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a comprehensive framework for societal progress and planetary health. However, it remains unclear whether universal patterns exist in how nations pursue these goals and whether key development areas are being overlooked. Here, we apply the product space methodology, widely used in development economics, to construct an ‘SDG space of nations’. The SDG space models the relative performance and specialization patterns of 166 countries across 96 SDG indicators from 2000 to 2022. Our SDG space reveals a polarized global landscape, characterized by distinct groups of nations, each specializing... (More >)
AI Is Bad News for the Global South
Article by Rachel Adams: “…AI’s adoption in developing regions is also limited by its design. AI designed in Silicon Valley on largely English-language data is not often fit for purpose outside of wealthy Western contexts. The productive use of AI requires stable internet access or smartphone technology; in sub-Saharan Africa, only 25 percent of people have reliable internet access, and it is estimated that African women are 32 percent less likely to use mobile internet than their male counterparts. Generative AI technologies are also predominantly developed using the English language, meaning that the outputs they produce for non-Western users... (More >)
Rethinking the Measurement of Resilience for
Food and Nutrition Security
Paper by John M. Ulimwengu: “This paper presents a novel framework for assessing resilience in food systems, focusing on three dynamic metrics: return time, magnitude of deviation, and recovery rate. Traditional resilience measures have often relied on static and composite indicators, creating gaps in understanding the complex responses of food systems to shocks. This framework addresses these gaps, providing a more nuanced assessment of resilience in agrifood sectors. It highlights how integrating dynamic metrics enables policymakers to design tailored, sector-specific interventions that enhance resilience. Recognizing the data intensity required for these metrics, the paper indicates how emerging satellite imagery... (More >)
Impact Inversion
Blog by Victor Zhenyi Wang: “The very first project I worked on when I transitioned from commercial data science to development was during the nadir between South Africa’s first two COVID waves. A large international foundation was interested in working with the South African government and a technology non-profit to build an early warning system for COVID. The non-profit operated a WhatsApp based health messaging service that served about 2 million people in South Africa. The platform had run a COVID symptoms questionnaire which the foundation hoped could help the government predict surges in cases. This kind of data-based... (More >)
AI Investment Potential Index: Mapping Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development
Paper by AFD: “…examines the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) investment to drive sustainable development across diverse national contexts. By evaluating critical factors, including AI readiness, social inclusion, human capital, and macroeconomic conditions, we construct a nuanced and comprehensive analysis of the global AI landscape. Employing advanced statistical techniques and machine learning algorithms, we identify nations with significant untapped potential for AI investment.We introduce the AI Investment Potential Index (AIIPI), a novel instrument designed to guide financial institutions, development banks, and governments in making informed, strategic AI investment decisions. The AIIPI synthesizes metrics of AI readiness with socio-economic indicators... (More >)
