http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf. Development Goals for health, education, wellbeing and security or as put by Thomas Piketty (2014),* the challenges of inequality*. From a policy-maker's perspective, digital literacy allows the members of a society to partake in the opportunities provided by its intellectual wealth, and would ostensibly lead to more sustainable growth and development. We are delighted to publish this guest blog from Massimo Ragnedda (PhD) who is a Senior Lecturer in Mass Communication at Northumbria University, Newcastle, UK where he conducts research on the digital divide and social media. Face-to-face interaction of people with different backgrounds and knowledge is as important as ever. Drawing on a long-run historical perspective, Piketty’s argument is that the increase in equality in the mid-20st century was a meritocratic “abnormality” linked to the fallout of the world wars, subsequent redistributions, and of demographic explosions. Digitalisation permeates every aspect of life. The Digital Divide: Inequality In The Age Of The Internet (Guest Blog) Tuesday, 23 October, 2018. “The Evolution of the Digital Divide: The Digital Divide turns to Inequality of Skills and Usage.” In Digital Enlightenment Yearbook, edited by Jacques Bus, Malcolm Crompton, Mireille Hildebrandt, George Metakides, 57–75. In recent decades, the widespread use of computers and the Internet has caused a What is the Digital Divide? 굉장히 팽배하게 진행되고 있습니다. Sustainable development requires global awareness and local action. . The most favoured receive about 7 times more than the least favoured, compared to 21 times in Mexico, 19 times in the United States and 10 times in the United Kingdom. Speth MM, Singer‐Cornelius T, Oberle M, Gengler I, Brockmeier SJ, Sedaghat AR. Rogers defines the digital divide as “the gap between individuals who benefit from the internet and those who are relatively disadvantaged with regards to the internet” and relates it to the concept of intellectual capital and the knowledge divide. Economic growth is currently stalling in several large developing and newly-industrialising countries. But, Piketty argues that these conditions fostering lower inequality are coming to an end, not least in the US and Europe, with demographic slowdown and slower growth. Thomas Piketty’s book (2014) about inequality in the 21st century shows that the capital gains the top 10 % earn are systematically rising faster than wages. But, what it perhaps highlights is that future work will need to be done – improving how inequality data is collected, triangulating the predominantly tax and estate return data with wider statistics and updating models as more recent data becomes available – to expand and see how Piketty’s thesis plays out. Human labour is being replaced by machines and algorithms. Thomas Piketty is a French economist who is Professor of Economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences, Associate Chair at the Paris School of Economics and Centennial Professor of Economics in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics. Summaries of trends, conferences, studies and wiki-like briefs. Income and wealth inequality is sharply increasing in the USA and around the world as a result of these new technologies. As with a smaller unit of analysis, this gap describes an inequality that exists, referencing a global scale the editorial team. IOS Press Ebooks. One of Piketty’s main arguments can best be coined through reference to his simple macroeconomic equation r > g. Piketty argues that inequality increases when the return on capital (r) exceeds the rate of economic growth (g) in society. Please register, and you will get it every month. Thomas Piketty (French: [tɔ.ma pi.kɛ.ti]; born 7 May 1971) is a French economist who is Professor of Economics at the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences (EHESS), Associate Chair at the Paris School of Economics and Centennial Professor of Economics in the International Inequalities Institute at the London School of Economics. Indeed, this book is notable in that all the data and calculations have been shared online, providing the ability for others to explore and extend his arguments. He does include a number of discussions around how these link to global flows of capital, but at the end of the day these take a back seat to national processes as the key units of his analyses. http://www.oxfordmartin.ox.ac.uk/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf, http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591190-united-states-amoeba, http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2016/01/13/090224b08405ea05/2_0/Rendered/PDF/World0developm0000digital0dividends.pdf. After the 1950s we see Piketty’s U shape: the idea that development will lead to a decrease in inequality does not hold. For those of us who come to such work from a technological perspective there is surprisingly little meat to chew on. What of the growing cross-national links, networks of production, tax havens and financial flows? Lanier, J., 2014: Who owns the future. Lucioni, R., 2013: United States of Amoeba The Internet is expanding very quickly, and not all … See two figures taken from the book below. 'Building the information society for all', 'bridging the digital divides' or 'creating digital opportunity' are therefore … [email protected] Of course, these debates of data are only a narrow part of a wide ranging and comprehensive narrative, and I argued that his wider thesis should not be discounted based upon a few debatable data points. The so-called “digital divide” debate was starting and it was, as Srinuan and Bohlin (2011) note in their literature survey, characterised by a dichotomous and technology-led view. As a consequence, economic inequality is growing, and personal wealth is less and less an indicator of hard work and achievement. Pentland, A., 2014: Social physics. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty picks out inherited money as a driver… The digital economy is no leveller, it's a source of inequality Menu Close 2014). Ultimately, Piketty argues, this will undermine the democratic values underpinning society. Decentralised digital identity: what is it, and what does it mean for marginalised populations? 2019;4(1). Our resident economist Grant highlighted certain points of contention in Piketty’s data, particularly around the numbers reported on UK inequality over the previous decades (and seeming divergence from the generally peer accepted “Atkinson’s model”) as well as US inequality (seemingly based on figures that are renowned to be questionable amongst economists). Picketty’s work on inequality resonates with messages of global “Occupy” and 1% protests. World Bank, 2016: World development report 2016: Digital dividends. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2016/01/13/090224b08405ea05/2_0/Rendered/PDF/World0developm0000digital0dividends.pdf. “Build forward better”, says multilateral policymaker. There are debates about what has happened in the past fifty years and why in terms of development and inequality. doi: 10.21106/ijtmrph.148. Neither the redistribution of income nor austerity measures to balance budgets are adequate for achieving sustainable, inclusive development. For me the figures presented here are astonishing, and highlight contrasting societal level. They showed that whereas Republicans and Democrats often cast the same votes in the US Senate in 1989, that has become ever rarer, and hardly happened at all in 2013. The World Bank’s annual flagship is always a big moment in wonkland, and there has been a … However, we wanted to also probe how these portrayals of inequality relate to questions of technology and connectivity – and their significance in this. Piketty, T. and Saez, E. (2003) ‘Income Inequality in the United States, 1913-1998’, Journal of . Unfortunately, few people have been able to take advantage of these opportunities so far. Piketty’s distribution tables (click for full size): inequality in terms of ownership (above) and income (below). We had a number of debates relating to the kind of data Piketty draws on and problems arising from combining such homogeneous datasets. 결국 제가 지금 잠정적으로 보고 있는 통계적 데이터의 결론은 우리나라도 Renzo Lucioni (2013) and other researchers have shed light on political polarisation in the US. Earlier this month I headed off for the London launch of the 2016 World Development Report, ‘Digital Dividends’. New York: Simon & Schuster. Social media and personalised search engines may also contribute to deepen ideological divides. Piketty, T., 2014: Capital in the twenty-first century. Why is this important? How ideas spread – the lessons from a new science. Standard economic policies – whether redistribution or austerity – cannot suffice. As a result, productivity is being reduced. 그것이 digital divide의 영향인지는 모르지만 여 기 통계에서 여러분들과 살펴보겠듯이 엄청난 속도로 부의 양극화 현상이 진행되고 있습니다. What we did take from this work, is that it provides a powerful reminder on how unequal society is. Sandy Pentland (2014) from Media Lab of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has pointed out that too much virtual social interaction reduces productivity. Piketty argues that inequality increases when the return on capital (r) exceeds the rate of economic growth (g) in society. As was the case during the industrial revolution, many old skills are becoming obsolete. The digital divide refers to the gap between those able to benefit from the digital age and those who are not. In many parts of the world, the global financial crisis has eliminated jobs and widened the gap between wealthy elites and the masses of other people. Linked to this, Piketty’s study is primarily at a national level. Van Dijk, Jan A. G. M. 2012. 2 … Piketty (2014), for example, proposes a progressive global tax on wealth of up to 2 %, and additional income taxes. Daily life in developing countries (published on Mondays). The age of intelligent machines and digitisation offers new opportunities, but is also likely to exacerbate global inequality. The global digital divide describes global disparities, primarily between developed and developing countries, in regards to access to computing and information resources such as the Internet and the opportunities derived from such access. This concept explains the speed of information appropriation by different populations. Insights from development policy and cooperation can serve as models for interdisciplinary connections between economic, social and technological concerns. We have to develop understanding for one another and build bridges between different groups. As with a smaller unit of analysis, this gap describes an inequality that exists, referencing a global scale. The global digital divide describes global disparities, primarily between developed and developing countries, in regards to access to computing and information resources such as the Internet and the opportunities derived from such access. The digital information flood is creating new problems of its own. As such, he challenges the idea of the Kutznets Curve. So, inequality is back at the top of the research agenda, now there is a need to link this back and articulate the technology revolutions, globalisation that seem to be missing (and expanded analysis on developing countries). Thanks and best wishes, 2020. All too often, discussions on technology, economic growth and social development stay isolated from one another. It is difficult to be convinced of a narrative where these processes which some of us see as central in the modern world were effectively sidelined. A key risk is that in the future, existing wealth will continuously accumulate much faster than growth. This group aims to understand the differences that ICTs and changing connectivities make at the world’s economic peripheries; to uncover who the winners and losers; and to critically consider what ‘development’ is, and should be, in a hyper-connected age. Most frequently, income and income inequality are used as predictors to explain dimensions of digital divides in cross-sectional data (Fuchs, 2009, Hernandez et al., 2016, Zickuhr and Smith, 2013). contributed to D+C/E+Z in spring 2016 as the EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and as a research fellow at the chair of economics of innovation at the University of Hohenheim. http://www.hartmado.com. In the wake of the Financial Times vs. Piketty debate, we discussed some of Piketty’s figures, particularly those presented in Chapter 10. Reduce inequality. For our inaugural discussion around “connectivity and inequality and inclusion” we decided to jump in the deep end and tackle the 600+ pages of Piketty’s much hyped “Capital in the Twenty First Century”. Innovative approaches are needed to facilitate the active participation – and fair compensation – of people who do not belong to the small core of ambitious, well educated, technological and financial elites in the digital revolution. It is questionable, however, whether Piketty’s proposed global wealth tax, on its own, could change matters in the digital age. Massive open online courses, big data, crowdsourcing, machine learning, hackathons and open- source software offer a host of opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and problem-solving. the super-rich may be a way to decrease inequality and raise funds for the state. Detailed assessments of developmental issues in the relevant context. Digital literacy is deeply entwined with the notion of digital divides. However, they also open up new opportunities. Because when return on capital exceeds growth then in general society becomes more unequal. Most of the world’s people will have to acquire new skills such as programming, social-media literacy and coming up with interdisciplinary solutions. Walter Mayer, Gary Madden, and Chen Wu. New technologies also seem to be hardening the fronts in political controversies, as is evident in social media debate in Turkey or Brazil, for instance. Comments and interviews concerning globally relevant developments (published on Fridays). Thomas Piketty alludes to Revolution not as a means of overthrowing the owners of power and production but perhaps in a sociological sense Marx hedged on a worst case scenario for developing society; that there are a wider set of cards that can be played. en technological change have been a key factor influencing the distribution of capital income, technology-driven transformations in the world of work have been If we take another common indicator, the inter-decile ratio S90/S10, which compares what the most favoured 10% and the least favoured 10% receive on average, France is even better positioned. On the other hand, multinational corporations in advanced nations are purposefully investing in the knowledge-based Industry 4.0. Ci-après en huit points et en résumé les points saillants traités par Thomas Piketty à Rabat : 1- Parmi les différentes formes des « régimes inégalitaires » qui ont existé dans l’Histoire on cite les régimes ternaires où la population est séparée en trois classes : dirigeants guerriers, clergé et travailleurs, le régime propriétaire, où règne l’idéologie de la propriété privée, le régime esclavagiste puis régime colonial. Drawing on analyses of tax and estate tax return data, and illustrating his points with references to popular fictional characters of Austin and Balzac novels, he argues that contemporary and future society is in risk of returning to inequality levels of previous centuries. ICTs have the potential to help reduce inequality both within and between countries by enabling access to information and knowledge to disadvantaged segments of society – including those living with disabilities, as well as women and girls. … Specifically, income inequality has been growing for the last few decades ... digital divides and explains some of the problems developed economies faces in overcoming ... but the digital divide is another keyspace where inequality needs to be addressed. Innovative interdisciplinary approaches are needed. African digital labour and contemporary global capitalism, New Article on Labour Agency in the Gig Economy: Evidence from Africa, Digital Labour at Economic Margins: African Workers and the Global Information Economy. Further, Piketty’s approach through existing quantitative data, performing longitudinal/time series analysis and sharing data and methods, should remind us of the power of such collection and analysis in our work. This was considered contentious, for those of us who research global processes. The notion of the ‘digital divide’ between the global South and North, while much discussed in academic and policy literature raises … He is the … Targeted efforts are necessary to promote the exchange of knowledge between different groups from the public, private and civil sector. It’ll keep you briefed on what we publish. (Forthcoming Publication), Wikimania 2018 – ein kurzer Rückblick – Wikimedia Deutschland Blog, Knowledge Equity and Spatial Justice on Wikipedia, Dissertation: African Hubs as Assemblers of Technology Entrepreneurs, Beyond Connectivity: Understanding Rwanda’s BPO Sector – The Connectivity, Inclusion, and Inequality Group, University of Oxford – kLab events – Digital Materials, Digitization of the African Economy: An opportunity for international mid-size firms? OK, book done, back from recuperative holiday, time to get back to daily blogging. Ephrem Balole et al: The government of the DRC is not doing nearly enough to protect the rainforest, Access to safe water is crucial for disease control, Digitalisation affects all spheres of life, Government campaign Digital India is hampered by lack of infrastructure and preparedness, Digitalisation brings the world closer together, Web-based energypedia allows users to share knowledge on energy issues in developing countries, Written communication is becoming increasingly important, The coronavirus pandemic is affecting societies and economies around the globe, The global challenge of making chemicals usage sustainable, Diaspora communities: potentially powerful drivers of change, Millions of people cannot afford more than a mere shelter – that has to change, Political movements express discontent - and where civil-society space is limited, they become campaigns for democracy, Healthy nutrition is a matter of public awareness and political will, Capital markets' growing interest in investments' environmental, social and governance impacts, Re-assessing the controversial term "development", National traumas can stand in the way of development, Forests are important ecosystems, deliver relevant resources and serve climate protection, Global warming and overuse are making access to water ever more precarious, Sustainable business and sustainable environment, Central Asia, Caucasia, Southeast Europe and Russia. New York: Penguin Press. Different points of view must be understood and appreciated. The notion of the ‘digital divide’ between the global South and North, while much discussed in academic and policy literature raises numerous issues as a result of the changing nature of work (Allen 2017; Avgerou and Walsham 2017; Roberts et al. Inequality at the top 10% and 1% needs to be considers, and this is often overlooked in research analysis which is often fixated on comparatively small redistributions between the bottom 10 or 20%. Research concerning the internet and its impacts on society (Brynjolfsson and McAfee 2014, Frey and Osborne 2013, Lanier 2014) has emphasised the structural changes and threat of rising inequality in the digital age. In practice, they need to complement one another in order to foster sustainable development (Hartmann 2014). Digital Divide: Marked Disparities in Computer and Broadband Internet Use and Associated Health Inequalities in the United States. Researchers and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley or Massachusetts have a big head start with regard to the analysis of large volumes of data and machine learning. Thanks to Isis for organising the discussion and correcting the article for accuracy, and to the group for provide inputs for this entry. Frey, C. B. and Osborne, M. A., 2013: The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation. Hartmann, D., 2014: Economic complexity and human development. Incorporated as a not-for-profit foundation in 1971, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Forum is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. Drawing on analyses of tax and estate tax return data, and illustrating his points with references to popular fictional characters of Austin and Balzac novels, he argues that contemporary and future society is in risk of returning to inequality levels of previous centuries. Current discourse in the digital divide field have focused on the roles which technology access and usage play in achieving economic well-being in the developing countries. Lucioni, R., 2013: United States of Amoeba. Piketty's work focuses on public economics, in particular income and wealth inequality. do You know our newsletter? Piketty & Saez, 2008). – GES blog – Finding Solutions. The USA leads the rest of the world when it comes to promoting innovation and digitalising business and society. Such steps are needed to reduce poverty and inequality in the long run. http://www.economist.com/news/united-states/21591190-united-states-amoeba. Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, Introducing the Connectivity, Inclusion, and Inequality group. Social media often become echo chambers that repeat the same information over and over again. Dominik Hartmann is the EU Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at the Media Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a research fellow at the chair of economics of innovation at the University of Hohenheim. In addition to the trend of capital accumulation that Piketty describes, another trend is likely to drive inequality further: the next wave of significant structural change has started thanks to intelligent machines and digitalisation. Raymond Morel is a member of the Board of Directors at SI and is President of Social-IN3, a cooperative of a researchers’ convinced of the need to address new challenges of today's Information Age, which is slowly and surely modify the entire society. Indeed modern transformations of society, from the growth of internet, to high speed computing and other technologies are almost ignored and this needs more explanation. On the issue of power sharing in firms, Piketty proposes a 50-50 split between workers and shareholders, like in Germany today. This is designed to mobilise support for, and undermine opposition to, the changes associated with the policies being promoted.Approaching the problem of socio-economic inequality through the concept of the 'digital divide' perpetuates mystification and prevents real problem from being addressed. However, he also admits that such a tax is impossible to implement today because it would require But, interestingly, he makes no allowance for representatives of the local communities within which firms operate, nor for custodians of … International Journal of Translational Medical Research and Public Health. What is the potential Impact of the Digital Divide The current trend of development, especially in the area of information and communication technology (ICT) has resulted in essential changes in many areas of life and societies on the global platform (Monroe, 2004). Implicitly we might read the high g, the economic growth in the past century to have come from the radical mechanisation and information developments. On the one hand, intelligent machines and algorithms can replace many jobs previously performed by the middle class in industrialised countries. How economic diversification and social networks affect human agency and welfare. The concern is that people without access to the Internet and other information and communication technologies will be disadvantaged, as they are unable or less able to obtain digital infor Particularly in times of slow growth and high unemployment, it is necessary to encourage innovation, competitiveness and, above all, the creation of high-quality jobs for the digital age. Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to rise to these complex challenges. Thomas Piketty’s book (2014) about inequality in the 21st century shows that the capital gains the top 10 % earn are systematically rising faster than wages. Undoubtedly this work tackles important historical accounts of the distribution of wealth and the evolution of income across a number of Western countries since the early industrial revolution. • Social development responses to global challenges: pandemics, migration, racial injustice, the digital divide, and economic crises • Social Development responses to Climate Change and Environmental challenges • Inequality, gender and social inclusion • Youth transitions to education, employment, civic engagement and livelihoods World Bank, 2016: World development report 2016: Digital dividends. Brynjolfsson, E., and McAfee, A., 2014: The second machine age. The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas. New York: Routledge Studies in Development Economics. The rich will inherit wealth which provides income whilst those underneath will not be able to catch up through riding on the growth of economies. Cambridge: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. Without the former, the latter will persist. digital divides and explains some of the problems developed economies faces in overcoming these divides. On the upside, it is inspiring hope that there are several new initiatives aimed at integrating different perspectives and advancing interdisciplinary learning (see box). The popularity of the digital divide perspective was in full swing in the years of … Michael Mieni is the first-ever Indigenous IT honours student at the University of Technology Sydney, and he wants to make sure he isn't the last: By using Aboriginal traditions to bridge the digital divide in Indigenous communities, he says, we can reveal untapped brilliance. Together, Geographies of Information Inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Why Xi Jinping’s government is weaker than it seems. But, this effect is seen as declining as part of the declining g. So, this position questions the centrality often placed on innovation and technology. ISBN: 978-1-61499-057-4. Frey, C. B. and Osborne, M. A., 2013: The future of employment: How susceptible are jobs to computerisation. Income redistribution alone will not do. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. They will make many middle-class jobs obsolete and will widen disparities between people, regions and countries. Democratic attitudes and interdisciplinary skills must therefore be fostered. As a consequence, economic inequality is growing, and personal wealth is less and less an indicator of hard work and achievement.