Digital Public Infrastructure and Aadhar: Reimagining Institutions at Scale
Large-scale welfare programs are efforts by states to improve citizens’ well-being and promote social equity. Yet, many countries struggle with systematic inefficiencies, corruption, and bureaucratic hurdles affecting their effectiveness. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) has emerged as a potential solution helping to streamline processes, minimise human error, and increase transparency. However, its impact remains an open […]
Governing AI: Evolving Institutional Responses
The Global Governance Challenge As artificial intelligence transforms economies and societies, governments worldwide face an urgent challenge: how to develop effective governance frameworks for AI systems. According to the OECD’s June 2024 report, almost all OECD countries are developing or updating strategies and plans for AI that include specific objectives for its use in the […]
Steering Technology for Growth: Innovative Institutional Models
The Challenge of Steering Technological Development Governments worldwide face difficult questions about how to guide technological development as stewards of public interest without hampering market innovation. With accelerating digital transformation and growing concerns about both technological leadership and inclusion, institutions that can effectively balance state direction with market dynamism have become critical. Traditional approaches—direct subsidies, […]
Bridging Skills and Employment: Bangladesh’s Data-Driven Solution to Youth Unemployment
The Employment Challenge Bangladesh’s youth unemployment presented a paradox: despite economic growth, a significant portion of young people remained jobless. Each year, nearly 2 million youths joined the country’s 82 million-strong labor force, yet many struggled to find employment. Employers, meanwhile, reported difficulties in finding qualified candidates, and training institutions produced graduates whose skills did […]
Space Technology as a Catalyst for Development: Rwanda’s Space Agency
The Satellite Surprise When Rwanda announced the formation of its national space agency in 2020, the news was met with skepticism. How could a small, landlocked African nation with pressing development challenges justify the seemingly extravagant pursuit of space technology? Yet behind this bold move lay a calculated strategic vision. Rwanda wasn’t simply pursuing prestige—it […]
Rewiring Economy and Governance for Shared Prosperity Through Blockchain Solutions
As Istanbul Innovation Days (IID) 2025 invites us to rethink governance, participation, and the role of technology in a changing world, UNDP’s Alternative Finance Lab (AltFinLab), an initiative accelerating alternative & innovative finance for development, is exploring how blockchain can support more inclusive, transparent, and adaptive systems. AltFinLab works across topics such as financial inclusion, […]
Kyiv Digital and Diia – Reinvention in the face of war
Kyiv Digital began much like a typical traditional digital transformation project for a major European city: aiming to deliver more effective services to its residents. But after the outbreak of war, priorities changed. The city had to focus on basic needs for safety and security, and access to essential services such as groceries and pharmacies. […]
Technology, Power, and Participation: Rethinking Governance Beyond the State
Technology is evolving faster than institutions can adapt, deepening inequalities and concentrating power. Once envisioned as open, digital spaces are now shaped by a few dominant actors (public and private), often prioritizing extraction over inclusion. Marginalized communities and regions beyond major tech hubs are left without a voice in shaping these systems. On the other […]
Redefining Data Sovereignty: Māori Data Governance in the Digital Age
As societies navigate the challenges and opportunities of ubiquitous data many are struggling to put in place viable governance approaches that protect privacy and the public interest. Often these fail to take sufficient notice of different values and identities, overlooking the fact that data holds cultural significance that is frequently unrecognized in institutional design. The […]
