With all the recent attention focused on big data, it is easy to overlook that basic vital statistics remain difficult to obtain in most of the world. This project set out to test whether an openly available dataset (Twitter) could be transformed into a resource for urban planning and...

This paper reviews the emerging big data literature applied to urban transportation issues from the perspective of economic research. It provides a typology of big data sources relevant to transportation analyses and describes how these data can be used to measure mobility, associated...

Information and communication technology (ICT) has always mattered in agriculture. Ever since people have grown crops, raised livestock, and caught fish, they have sought information from one another. Today, ICT represents a tremendous opportunity for rural populations to improve productivity,...

This paper explores the spillover of protests across countries using data on nonviolent and spontaneous demonstrations for 200 countries from 2000 to 2020. Using an autoregressive spatial model, the analysis finds strong evidence of "contagious protests," with a catalyzing role of social media....

Advances in digital technology are expanding the boundaries of firms. Digital platform firms, which leverage a "platform" to create value through facilitating exchanges between two or more interdependent groups, are the new disrupters in the market. They exhibit distinct features such as scale...

This note assesses whether social protection programs are adequately financed in mainland Tanzania. We find that social protection programs are an important component of Government expenditures, and complements other Government social spending, including education and health spending. In recent...

Tourism is growing faster than ever before in emerging and developing economies. In just 10 years, the tourism landscape has changed completely. Digital platforms are changing the way travel is traditionally researched, bought, sold, experienced and shared. Facilitated by digital platforms,...

Birth certificates are the cornerstone for establishing legal identity around the world. Despite their importance, birth certificates are frequently simple, handwritten paper documents or computerized printouts, submitted with little attention to security. The birth certificate issuance process...

This report aims to present the rationale for digitization of agribusiness payments in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), assess the current status of digitization using demand and supply-side data, and identify key actions that can help accelerate digitization. The report draws on an analysis of...