Digital divides and dividends: Productivity, inequality and liberty in the digital age

Digital technologies have rapidly spread in much of the world. The number of internet users has more than tripled in a decade, and nearly 70 percent of the bottom fifth of the population in developing countries own a mobile phone. Despite this positive increase, digital divides remain in many countries: 60 percent of the world’s population is still off-line and therefore can’t fully participate in the digital economy, while many advanced economies are facing rising inequality and increasingly polarized labor markets due to the expanding automation. The World Development Report (WDR) 2016: Digital Dividends explores the impact of digital technologies on economic development, showing how these can promote inclusion, efficiency and innovation. It describes potential gains from new technologies but also issues related to digital dividends, risks, and policies that can help mitigate negative impacts. This webinar will feature a presentation by Deepak Mishra, Co-Director of the WDR 2016: Digital Dividends, who will talk about inequality and exclusion in access to digital technology, and the potential role of technology as a mechanism to promote social inclusion. The speaker will discuss how digital divides can be addressed to foster growth, job creation and better services, as well as reduce inequality and exclusion.

Deepak Mishra

Deepak Mishra is a Lead Economist at the World Bank and the Co-director for the World Development Report 2016 on Internet and Development. Prior to this appointment, he was the Lead Economist for the East Asia and Pacific region, overseeing the work on economic policy and management. He has served as a Country Economist for Ethiopia, India, Pakistan, Sudan, and Vietnam, leading the Bank's policy and analytical work on economic issues in these countries. His research interests include economic growth, international trade, currency crises, foreign investment and sectoral transformation of economies. His research has been published in scholarly journals including the Journal of International Economics and Journal of Development Economics as well as in collected volumes. Mishra, an Indian national, joined the World Bank in February 1999 as an Economist in Washington D.C., where his main responsibilities included providing policy advice on fiscal and debt management issues, designing country monitoring systems, contributing and reviewing Bank reports and coordinating the 'managing volatility' thematic group.

Mishra holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park, USA. Prior to joining the World Bank, Deepak taught macroeconomics and international finance as an adjunct lecturer and teaching assistant at the University of Maryland (USA) and worked as a research analyst for Tata Motors (India).