Is the Pandemic Deepening the Digital Divide?

Summary

Lockdowns moved white-collar work online, but workers in low- and lower-middle-income countries often lack the connectivity, the skills and the conditions to follow. The column also sees the other side: platforms and remote work give better-connected urban workers in the Global South new chances as digital services move their way. It warns that pandemic surveillance tools can strengthen digital authoritarianism, and asks governments to back anonymised contact tracing, cheaper broadband and easier market entry for online firms and workers.

Citation

Zintl, T., & Melia, E. (2020). Is the pandemic deepening the digital divide? The Current Column. German Development Institute (DIE).

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Topics

digital divide · COVID-19 · online work