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Initially touted as revolutionary and progressive in the 1990s, the lightening evolution of digital technologies, running on the coattails of continuous innovation, has been accompanied by the rise of both extreme socio-economic inequalities and loud and widespread populism, nationalism and Read more

Covid19: A “Swedish” Model?

25 May 202031 May 2020

Raul Zambrano

Economics, Human Development, Open Data

Having been trashed for the last forty years or so, Governments have unexpectedly taken back center stage thanks to the Covid19 pandemic. The virus does not need a passport to travel around the world, nor any tough immigration legislation has Read more

Deadly COVID19

26 April 20205 May 2020

Raul Zambrano

Human Development, MyTake

Over a week ago, a mainstream media news outlet published an article (behind a paywall) suggesting that the disease caused by the SARS–CoV-2 virus, COVID19, was not as deadly as initially thought. The article cited the results of a non-peer Read more

Innovation in the Public Sector

5 April 202015 October 2021

Raul Zambrano

e-governance, Governance, Human Development, ICTD, Inequality, Social Innovation

I. Introduction For the last 30 years, relentless technological innovation has seemingly conquered most, if not all, corners of the world. While the focus was on infrastructure and social networks in its early stages, the latest phase has set its Read more

Natural Disasters and Carbon Concentration

15 March 20204 April 2020

Raul Zambrano

Climate Change, Economics, Human Development

In 1988, the Brussels-based Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) launched the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) with the idea of promoting national and international humanitarian support to countries and regions affected by such events. Having a structured Read more

AI and Development

2 March 202031 May 2020

Raul Zambrano

ICTD

The current long wave of digital innovation has finally broken the last bastion of socio-economic resistance. While early advances transformed communications infrastructure and enhanced consumer interactions, the resurgence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and all its relatives, alongside new technologies such Read more

Carbon Removal Policies for the U.S?

28 February 20205 March 2020

Raul Zambrano

Climate Change, Economics, Governance, Innovation

Founded almost 40 years ago with the financial support of the MacArthur Foundation, the World Resources Institute (WRI) is one of the U.S most prominent research organizations working on environmental issues since its inception. The entity centers its efforts on Read more

Technology and Earth Hacking

10 February 20203 March 2020

Raul Zambrano

Climate Change, Governance, Inequality, Innovation

Hacking the Sky Low, angry gray clouds, seemingly non-stop light rain and damp breathing air were hometown weather traits that most bothered me when I was growing up. Like most other children, I had a fascination with airplanes and could Read more

Deep Learning and Breast Cancer: Improving Detection?

15 January 20204 February 2020

Raul Zambrano

Artificial Intelligence, ICTD

A recent paper published under the auspices of Google Health makes a case for using deep learning algorithms to improve breast cancer detection. The research has been positively received by most and widely publicized as yet another victory of smart Read more

Blockchains in the Public Sector

8 January 202011 January 2020

Raul Zambrano

ICTD

My paper on blockchains for the public sector in developing countries has been published by Frontiers, one of the leading open-access and community-driven academic publishers. The paper develops an analytical framework that combines sustainable development, state capacity and digital technologies. Read more

Best Films – 2019

31 December 20196 January 2021

Raul Zambrano

Film

I have a distinct impression that, in my book, 2019 was not a stellar year for high-quality films. I actually saw a few fewer films this year and lack of time was not really the issue. The latest by Bi Read more

Yet Another Global AI Index

10 December 201930 December 2019

Raul Zambrano

Artificial Intelligence, Human Development, ICTD

As Artificial Intelligence (AI) seemingly continues to permeate all interstices of society, measuring its undaunted progress in the age of data is more than a priority. In a previous post, I share some insights on the Global AI Readiness Index Read more

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