Bridging the Digital Divide: policy proposals on digital economy for G20 decision makers

As a follow-up to the EPF Think Week 2016 on “The Digital Economy – Pathways for the Global Sustainability Agenda”, Economic Policy Forum (EPF) has supported international think tanks for collaborations on policy recommendations. Those are intended to flow into the Think20 (T20) process. Researchers from India, China, Europe, and South Africa examined how to assure an inclusive digital transformation in emerging markets.

In the run-up to the 2017 T20 Summit “Global Solutions” three policy proposals have been submitted:

  • “Bridging the Digital Divide: Skills for the New Digital Age”, a joint effort by Human Sciences Research Council – BRICS Research Centre (South Africa) and Observer Research Foundation (India), suggests a three-pronged digital skills strategy for developing countries: (1) Identify the skills required for employment, (2) develop a holistic digital skills uplifting strategy, and (3) address the social and cultural norms through which these skills and systems are mediated.
  • “Bridging the Digital Divide: Measuring Digital Literacy”, jointly prepared by HSRC Human Sciences Research Council – BRICS Research Centre (South Africa) and Center for Internet and Financial Innovation of Zhejiang University (China), proposes a standardized data collection strategy to measure an internationally accepted Digital Literacy Index which is capable to adequately capture the fluid needs of the digital economy.
  • “Digital Infrastructure: Overcoming Digital Divide in Emerging Economies”, developed jointly by Center for Internet and Financial Innovation of Zhejiang University (China) and Centre for European Policy Studies (Belgium), brings into focus the unequal access to digital infrastructure in emerging economies, especially in rural or remote areas and how to connect the unconnected.

The Policy Briefs were accepted by the Editorial Board an can be downloaded via the G20-Insights Platform as well as here:

In case of questions, please contact nina.roth@giz.de.