TechPlus+ | Technology & Development Redux
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Best Films – 2016
Read more: Best Films – 2016Stopping a declining trend, I saw 140 films this year. That is about 40 more than last year. One big change to note here: For the first time, I watched more than 50% of films either online and/or on DVD. This is probably a reflection of increased competition as now we have many more players…
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Towards a Philosophy of Technology
Read more: Towards a Philosophy of TechnologyWritten back in 1984, the content of Albert Borgmann’s book loudly resonates today. Borgmann argues that contemporary life is shaped by technology that stamps its imprint all over the place, and can even define its whole character. However, such a pattern is not usually evident nor always utterly dominant as technology has to compete with…
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Basic Twitter Analytics
Read more: Basic Twitter AnalyticsI joined Twitter in early 2008, 18 months after it was officially launched, but only started tweeting regularly after 2010. I have however never attempted to do any data mining on my tweets. I should probably say text mining instead, as Twitter is essentially a platform that captures words in sentences limited to 140 characters,1…
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Internet and more in Guyana
Read more: Internet and more in GuyanaThe first time I ever visited Guyana was in July 1997. Back then, I was working for UNDP, running a global project called the Sustainable Development Networking Programme, SDNP, whose primary goal was to promote access to information via the use of new technologies such as the Internet. At the time, the Internet was still…
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Blockchain and the Future of Society
Read more: Blockchain and the Future of SocietyAlongside artificial intelligence and robotics, Blockchain technology is enjoying widespread popularity around the globe. The surrounding hype seems to increase by the minute. Pundits and supporters see a plethora of applications for the technology not limited just to the financial sector. But to the average person, Blockchain technology is mystifying, given its technical complexity. If you…
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Uber in Abuja
Read more: Uber in AbujaLast March, Abuja, the Capital of Nigeria, became the 400th city where Uber has launched operations. However, it was not the first city in the country as Uber started operations in Lagos 18 months earlier. A couple of weeks ago I was in Abuja for business reasons. I spent there almost two weeks. The hotel…
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Status of ICT diffusion in Nigeria
Read more: Status of ICT diffusion in NigeriaI have been engaged on a short term Nigeria-based consultancy on the role ICTs1 Just in case, ICTs = Information and Communication Technologies. could play in promoting citizen engagement in public policy and decision-making processes – or what some call e-participation. Part of the job requires research on the rate of ICT diffusion in the…
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App-based Car Services in Guadalajara
Read more: App-based Car Services in GuadalajaraThe last time I visited Guadalajara, Mexico, was in 2011. Jalisco’s Electoral Institute (IEPC in Spanish) invited me to take part in a seminar on technology and citizen participation. Gathering proceedings were published later on and are still available here. Back then, regular taxis were one of the main options for moving around the city. Cabs in…
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Relation between ICT Adoption and State Capacity
Read more: Relation between ICT Adoption and State CapacityIntroduction According to many observers, the rapid diffusion of new ICTs such as the Internet and social media has empowered people worldwide. Today, social media users, for example, have direct access to the public sphere and can thus launch campaigns to sway public opinion. These new channels have given voice to millions of people who…
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More on Measuring Human Development
Read more: More on Measuring Human DevelopmentIn a previous blog, I examined the relationship between GDP and the Human Development Index (HDI), which the UN Development Programme (UNDP) has published annually for the last 25 years. In this post, I want to dive deeper into the latter and explore some of its potential policy implications. HDI components and calculation The HDI…
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Is Postcapitalism on its way?
Read more: Is Postcapitalism on its way?For most people, including many well-known economists, the 2007 global economic crisis was a rude awakening: It seemed to have come out of nowhere, but it certainly managed to bring deep pain to billions of people – and pockets. Soon thereafter, calls to revisit Marx’s theory of capitalism became frequent from both left and right.…
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Saving Capitalism – or Democracy?
Read more: Saving Capitalism – or Democracy?Few will doubt both globalization and technology are putting many people under economic stress. Symptoms of this in the US and other industrialized countries include raising inequality, stagnant wages, less opportunities and decreased social mobility, and little to no improvement in living standards for most. Together, they have created an environment characterized by widespread distrust…
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State Formation in Latin America
Read more: State Formation in Latin AmericaContrary to accepted views, Latin American(LA) States are still comparatively incipient and have been so since independence in the 19th Century. But they have also managed to avoid large-scale and continuous wars between them, in sharp contrast with Western European states. How can we explain this apparent paradox while taking into account regional differences among…
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Measuring Well-Being and Human Development
Read more: Measuring Well-Being and Human DevelopmentGDP: Thanks, but no thanks A recent issue of The Economist had a couple of articles (plus the issue’s cover) on measuring prosperity, defined as advancing living standards over time. Nowadays, gross domestic product, GDP,1 We can also include here GDP’s sibling, Gross National Income or GNI. is king for measuring such progress. However, The…