I had the opportunity to contribute to this new BCC World Service programme ‘Will AI kill development?’. Listen here, or contact me for an mp3 if you’re unable to access it. Summary Ian Goldin asks if robotisation will prevent poorer countries taking the traditional route to prosperity. Since World War Two, nation after nation has… Read More: Will AI kill development? »
If we’ve been quiet about our Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa research, it’s because Michel, Mark, and I have been busy drafting chapters for an upcoming monograph. In the book, we use our empirical data to work through some of the development hopes that have been associated with digital entrepreneurship, for instance, that Africa may leapfrog… Read More: Digital Entrepreneurship in Africa: announcing our upcoming book »
It has almost been a year since I finished the final draft of my dissertation about African innovation hubs. In the meantime, a number of publications have come out about hubs in Africa and elsewhere, some in high-profile venues (references are below). This probably signifies that hubs are becoming accepted as a unique and interesting organizational… Read More: Taking Stock of Innovation Hubs Literature, Plus Three Working Papers »
The trade union leaders from across the African continent are coming together to meet in Dakar, Senegal for 4th UNI Africa Regional Conference on March 23-25, 2017. This will be a gathering of 161 Unions from 40 African countries and roughly 500 participants will be attending it, along with invited guests from across the world. We… Read More: Geonet Research Presentation at the UNI Africa’s 4th Regional Conference-… »
We have a new publication out: Ojanperä, S., Graham, M., Straumann, R. K., De Sabbata, S., & Zook, M. (2017). Engagement in the knowledge economy: Regional patterns of content creation with a focus on sub-Saharan Africa. Information Technologies & International Development, 13, 33–51. It is open access, so please navigate to the journal site to download the… Read More: New Publication: Engagement in the Knowledge Economy: Regional Patterns of… »
This is a short post about the research that I lead into digital work and the digital economy in Sub-Saharan Africa. The work that I do (in tandem with my Geonet colleagues) specifically looks at the growth of digital gig economy and the business process outsourcing activities in four African countries namely South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria… Read More: Digital gig work and outsourcing in Africa- Update on Geonet »
Data Scientist/Data Hacker Oxford Internet Institute, 1 St Giles, Oxford Grade 7: £31,076 – £38,183 p.a. The Oxford Internet Institute is a leading centre for research into individual, collective and institutional behaviour on the Internet. We seek a full-time Data Scientist to work with Professor Mark Graham on two projects: (1) the University of Oxford… Read More: Join our team: we’re hiring a Data Scientist / Data… »
As part of the Green Templeton College Future of Work Programme we are bringing together leading researchers to consider the ways in which digitalisation and the internet are globally transforming work, employment and labour markets. This one-day conference features: Professor Saskia Sassen (Columbia University) and Professor Linda McDowell (University of Oxford) on digital work and exploitation;… Read More: Digital Transformations of Work [Conference, March 10 2016] »
All are invited to our new ‘big data’ and development seminar series. The schedule for the coming term is, as follows: 26 January 2016: “Big Data, Data Activism, and the Global Civil Society” Speaker: Professor Stefania Milan Associate Professor of New Media and Digital Culture, Univ. of Amsterdam Register interest here! 9 February 2016: “Big Data… Read More: ‘big data’ and development seminar series »
With tech entrepreneurship on the rise across Africa, efforts to support the agenda are evolving and diversifying. There has been quite a bit of debate—sometimes of the heated kind—about whether incubators, hubs, labs, and other support organizations work. In my view, what’s often missing from such discussions is a deeper understanding of what a hub… Read More: Hubs vs. Incubators: What Are the Pain Points for Impact… »