Digitalization and Development: A Social Science Perspective
Published by
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD)
BRAC University
Editors:
Marie Jo A. Cortijo
Economist, Development Professional
Mehnaz Rabbani
Director, Operations, Strategy, and Partnership
June 2025
Has digitalization of public services contributed to improving accountability, transparency or improved the lives of citizens in an equitable manner? While digitalization is inevitable and essential for improving governance and development, the pathway to equitable development by digitizing services is not straightforward. The benefits of digitalization are not necessarily equally distributed, with the already marginalized being further disadvantaged when established ways of access are changed.
This report is a collection of selected papers and ideas that were first presented at BIGD’s 2022 international conference titled ‘Digitalization and New Frontiers of Service Delivery: Opportunities and Challenges’. Each chapter proposes ideas and recommendations from different perspectives based on rigorous analysis of evidence.