Digital public infrastructure (DPI) promises to enhance financial inclusion and service delivery but can also deepen socio-economic inequalities. Limited access, digital illiteracy, and affordability issues exclude marginalized communities and widen disparities. Data privacy concerns and algorithmic biases further marginalize vulnerable groups. To ensure inclusive growth, policymakers must address access barriers, invest in digital literacy, and implement safeguards against discrimination.
In an increasingly digital world, building an equitable digital infrastructure, bridging the digital divide, and expanding opportunities across sectors have become key priorities for policymakers globally.
Recognizing the urgency of ensuring reliable, inclusive, and affordable digital systems that are essential for economic growth, social equity, and governance efficiency, GlobalDev at the Global Development Network (GDN), along with the International Centre for Tax and Development at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) in the UK, have launched a Call for Blog Contributions on Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), State Capacity, and Development.
DPI serves as a fresh lens for examining topics that were, until recently, part of the broader ‘digitalization’ agenda. As its definition and scope continue to evolve, examining DPI through the lens of socio-economic inequalities—particularly in the Global South—becomes essential. DPI carries significant promise to transform sectors such as healthcare, education, financial inclusion, social welfare, human rights, privacy, gender equality, disability rights, and much more. However, lessons from ‘digitalization’ highlight the persistent gap between promise and reality. As GDN works to assess the real socio-economic impacts of DPI rollouts across the Global South, we at GlobalDev Blog, in an attempt to holistically highlight these challenges, have collated examples and ideas from our published work that are crucial to shaping an inclusive digital framework.
Filipe Lage De Sousa, a professor at Universidade Federal Fluminense, highlighted in a GlobalDev Blog article, that while internet access is expanding rapidly, a significant portion of the population in developing countries remains excluded from digital technologies. Most still lack access to affordable high-speed internet.
He noted that the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital technologies in the labor market, potentially leading to long-term productivity gains and economic efficiency. However, these changes also risk exacerbating social inequalities, as seen in disparities in access to remote learning. In the workforce, internet access has become a key factor influencing wages, with research showing that well-connected, better-educated workers benefit the most from digitalization.
Citing various studies, De Sousa pointed out that Brazilians with internet access earn 20% higher wages than those without. While internet expansion has helped narrow the wage gap, disparities persist. Similar findings indicate a wage gap due to internet access in other developing countries, ranging from 18% in Mexico to 30% in Honduras.
To address these challenges, he proposed better policy initiatives to enhance digital inclusion. Developing countries face significant digital exclusion, but affordable 5G could help bridge the gap. Unlike developed nations, which built their internet infrastructure on existing telephone networks, many developing countries must rely on wireless solutions and public-private partnerships (PPPs). Additionally, digital literacy is crucial to ensuring all workers benefit from the digital economy.
Karishma Banga, a Senior Research Officer at the Overseas Development Institute, wrote in a GlobalDev blog piece that women in the Global South face a five-stage digital divide, spanning access to technology, participation in the ICT sector, digital literacy, economic benefits, and policy-making representation. Closing this gap requires investments in digital infrastructure, gender-sensitive STEM education, and fair digital trade policies. She emphasized the need for national control over data flows, source-code sharing, and digital taxation to protect women’s economic futures.
DPI promises to enhance financial inclusion and service delivery but can also deepen socio-economic inequalities. Limited access, digital illiteracy, and affordability issues exclude marginalized communities and widen disparities. Data privacy concerns and algorithmic biases further marginalize vulnerable groups. To ensure inclusive growth, policymakers must address access barriers, invest in digital literacy, and implement safeguards against discrimination.
Elizabeth Naududu, a graduate from the University of Nairobi in her GlobalDev blog piece, examined the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)— an era of industrialization characterized by the digitization of the manufacturing sector— on people with disabilities in Africa.
She noted that Africa’s industrial and manufacturing workforce, which largely relies on cheap labor, will be significantly affected by 4IR, especially those with disabilities who already face higher unemployment rates.
According to her, 4IR technologies like AI, IoT, and robotics improve efficiency but widen the divide between skilled and unskilled workers. Many disabled individuals, often in informal or part-time jobs, lack the advanced skills needed for 4IR, making them more vulnerable to job losses. While some African countries, including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, and Egypt, have developed assistive technologies, their high costs limit accessibility. Additionally, employers lack awareness of how to integrate disabled workers into 4IR, further excluding them from its benefits.
Naududu emphasized the need for affordable assistive technologies to support inclusion in 4IR workplaces. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) can help lower costs, and employers should invest in assistive devices to ensure workplace fairness and inclusivity.
As GlobalDev launches this new initiative focusing on DPI, State Capacity, and Development, we look to add more insights on the facets of digital technologies as we seek to explore how DPI can strengthen state capacity and foster inclusive growth in an increasingly digital world.
To learn more about this call, contact us at editors.globaldevblog@gdn.int. To submit, visit https://globaldev.blog/write-for-globaldev/
