Amplifying People’s Voices Opportunities for Mainstreaming Citizen Engagement Through Digital Technologies Every year, more and more people around the world have access to connected devices and the skills to use them. The development community has made great strides in harnessing technol- ogy to fight poverty and build civil society, but much more remains to be done. Today, we have an opportunity to accelerate the dream of using technology to amplify people’s voices and give citizens greater agency in their lives. A World Bank Group Note March 7, 2022 Conclusion AȈǼȈɽƃȢɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼȈljɰƃɨljɁȶɽȃljƺʍɰɥɁǹɨljƃȢȈ˃ȈȶǼɽȃljljƃɨȢʰǁɨljƃȴɰƃȶǁɰɽɨɁȶǼljɰɽȃɁɥljɰɁǹȈɽɰƃǁʤɁƺƃɽljɰӝKʤljɨʰ ʰljƃɨӗȴɁɨljƃȶǁȴɁɨljɥljɁɥȢljƃɨɁʍȶǁɽȃljǼȢɁƹljȃƃʤljƃƺƺljɰɰɽɁɽȃljƹljȶljˎɽɰɁǹƺɁȶȶljƺɽljǁǁȈǼȈɽƃȢɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼȈljɰ ƃȶǁɽȃljɰȟȈȢȢɰɽɁʍɰljɽȃljȴӝěȃljȢƃɰɽɽljȶʰljƃɨɰɁǹǁȈǼȈɽƃȢȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶȃƃɰɥɁɰȈɽȈʤljȢʰȈȴɥƃƺɽljǁɽȃljǁljʤljȢɁɥȴljȶɽ ʥɁɨȢǁȈȶȃɁʥȈɽǁljɰȈǼȶɰƃȶǁȴɁȶȈɽɁɨɰȈɽɰʥɁɨȟƃȶǁȈȶǼȈʤȈȶǼƺȈɽȈ˃ljȶɰǼɨljƃɽljɨƃǼljȶƺʰȈȶɽȃljȈɨȢȈʤljɰӝěȃljŚɁɨȢǁ 9ƃȶȟӗȈȶɽȃljljƃɨȢʰɰɽƃǼljɰɁǹǁȈǼȈɽƃȢ:KӗȈɰɰljljȈȶǼɰȈǼȶȈˎƺƃȶɽɥɁɰȈɽȈʤljɁʍɽƺɁȴljɰƃȶǁȈȴɥɨɁʤljȴljȶɽɰǁʍljɽɁɽȃlj ʍɰljɁǹɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼʰӝěȃȈɰȴɁȴljȶɽȈɰƃȶɁɥɥɁɨɽʍȶȈɽʰɽɁƃƺƺljȢljɨƃɽljɰȃƃɨljǁǁɨljƃȴɰɁǹȢljʤljɨƃǼȈȶǼɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼȈljɰ  ǹɁɨɽȃljljȢljʤƃɽȈɁȶɁǹƺȈɽȈ˃ljȶɰӝŽȶɽȃljɰɥȈɨȈɽɁǹȈȶȶɁʤƃɽȈɁȶӗɽȃljŚ9{ȈȶʤȈɽljɰƃȶʰƃȶǁƃȢȢȈǁljƃɰǹɁɨɥƃɨɽȶljɨɰȃȈɥӝ ěȃlj Ś9{ ȃƃɰ ƃȢɰɁ ȈǁljȶɽȈˎljǁ ȟljʰ ƃɨljƃɰ ʥȃljɨlj ɥƃɨɽȶljɨɰȃȈɥ ƺɁʍȢǁ ɥɨɁȴɁɽlj ljƺɁȶɁȴȈƺ ǁljʤljȢɁɥȴljȶɽ ljǹǹɁɨɽɰ ƃȶǁɁʍɽƺɁȴljɰƃɰȈɽɨljȢƃɽljɰɽɁǁȈǼȈɽƃȢ:KӖƺɁȶȶljƺɽȈʤȈɽʰӗɥɨɁǁʍƺɽǁljɰȈǼȶӗǁƃɽƃƺƃɥɽʍɨljƃȶǁɰɽɁɨƃǼljӗƃȶƃȢʰɽȈƺɰ and data visualization, development of fundamental building blocks for re-use. The World Bank welcomes  ɥƃɨɽȶljɨɰȃȈɥɰʥȈɽȃȈȶǁȈʤȈǁʍƃȢɰƃȶǁƺɁȴɥƃȶȈljɰʥɁɨȟȈȶǼȈȶǁƃɽƃӗɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼʰӗǁljʤljȢɁɥȴljȶɽӗƃȶǁǁȈǼȈɽƃȢǁljɰȈǼȶӝ Development dollars work best when citizens and their governments are in active, collaborative dialogue. AȈǼȈɽƃȢɽljƺȃȶɁȢɁǼȈljɰȃƃʤljɽȃljɥɁɽljȶɽȈƃȢɽɁɽɨƃȶɰǹɁɨȴƃȶǁljʯɥƃȶǁɽȃƃɽǁȈƃȢɁǼʍljӝŚljʥljȢƺɁȴljʰɁʍɽɁɥƃɨɽȶljɨ with us in this work. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report is a condensed version of a longer report prepared by a World Bank team led by Manuel Figueredo Thomson (Team Leader, Social Development Specialist) and Erik Cald- well Johnson (Global Lead on Citizen Engagement), consisting of Christopher Voytek (Senior Digital Strategy Consultant), Elaine Chee En Hui (Social Development Specialist), and Leonardo S. Gutierrez (Digital Consultant), Social Sustainability and Inclusion. Christo- pher Voytek was the main author of the report and Moises Fernandez (Design Consultant) designed the report. Excellent contributions were provided by Samuel Clark (Senior Social Development Specialist. The vision and strate¬gic guidance for the report came from Aly Rahim Zulficar (Practice Manager, SSI) and Edward Hsu (Senior Advisor, IDDDR) under the senior leadership of Louise J. Cord (Global Director, SSI) and Boutheina Geurmazi (Global Director, Digital Development). Contact info: :ȈɽȈ˃ljȶKȶǼƃǼljȴljȶɽƃȶǁČɁƺȈƃȢƺƺɁʍȶɽƃƹȈȢȈɽʰ{ȢɁƹƃȢČɁȢʍɽȈɁȶɰ{ɨɁʍɥ ČɁƺȈƃȢČʍɰɽƃȈȶƃƹȈȢȈɽʰƃȶǁŽȶƺȢʍɰȈɁȶ{ȢɁƹƃȢĀɨƃƺɽȈƺljAȈǼȈɽƃȢ ƺȈɽȈ˃ljȶljȶǼƃǼljȴljȶɽխʥɁɨȢǁƹƃȶȟǼɨɁʍɥӝɁɨǼ ȴɥȢȈǹʰȈȶǼĀljɁɥȢljԇɰřɁȈƺljɰ 11 INTRODUCTION This paper focuses on how digital technologies can be used to increase Citizen Engagement in global devel- opment work and how private and public sector organizations can partner with or support World Bank Group (WBG) initiatives in this space. Citizen Engagement (CE) is a vital, required, part of all WBG-financed projects. Defined at its most basic as “two-way interactions” between citizens and governments, it covers a wide range of activities that empower citizens to make better decisions, give inputs into projects affecting their commu- nities, and help them be heard in public matters. Citizen Engagement takes many forms, called mechanisms, and serves many functions as evidenced by their names: Grievance Redress Mechanism, Community Score Cards, Participatory Budgeting, and Social Audit, for example. CE covers a spectrum of citizen interactions – Inform, Consult, Collaborate, and Empower. CE has the end goals of: amplifying the voice and agency of citizens; increasing trust, transparency and accountability; and fostering the creation and expansion of civil society. Research consistently shows that more vocal and active citizens, empowered by CE mechanisms of all types, consistently boost key metrics in development projects, improve government services and respon- siveness, and promote continued civic participation after projects are completed. Because of these gains, CE became a required component of any Bank-financed project in 2013. Since that time, the distribution of, access to, and ease of using digital technology has increased dramatically. In re- sponse, the Bank’s Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice (SSI) and Digital Development (DD) Glob- al Practices sponsored stock-taking of current and past efforts to leverage technology for CE, the current state of technology and tech capacity among citizens, governments and national economies, and the potential for dramatically increasing and transforming Citizen engagement across Bank-financed projects. This document captures the key findings and recommendations. This note is intended for people and organizations interested in the use of “connected” technologies to ad- vance development objectives in low- and middle-income countries. In keeping with technographic trends in countries where the Bank is active, the note focuses on smartphones, the internet, cloud services, and accessi- ble computing devices. There is also interest in analytics, big data, and AI/ML for researchers and policy-mak- ers. Readers with an interest in follow-up with the Bank can reach out to Kitty Halpern at the WBG. 1 1. khalpern1@worldbank.org 2 3 Amplifying People’s Voices Today’s Digital Landscape and its Impact on Devel- opment Work Much has changed in the distribution of and access to digital technology and its benefits in the last decade. We are at a moment where digital technology has the potential to fundamentally transform the way citi- zens and governments interact. Connected digital tech - specifically smartphones, feature phones, cellular service, and the web - have spread dramatically throughout the world, especially in low-income countries. In 2013, when the Bank mandated Citizen Engagement in all projects it funds, it was reported that more people had cellphones than toilets. By 2019, 5 billion people had mobile devices, half of which were smart- phones. To be sure, ownership of devices is still very unevenly distributed. In high-income countries, a me- dian of 76% of people have smartphones, compared to 45% in low-income developing economies. Within lagging regions in some countries, ownership levels can fall well below the 45% mark.2 However, the poten- tial market size of the “next billion” cellphone users is creating more powerful, less expensive smartphones and smart feature phones. 3 This means that ownership of devices is increasing and will continue to do so. Equally important, access to devices (and the internet) through relatives, friends, or neighbors is increasing as well. Rather than a digital divide of haves and have nots, we are witnessing a digital spectrum where access to devices and connections is spreading faster than even the devices themselves. These affordable, accessible technologies and devices have the potential to make development operations more efficient, cost-effective, and measurable. They also have the transformative potential to amplify cit- izens’ voices and agency, strengthen poverty reduction efforts, and expand or create civil society spaces where none had existed before. Concerns about the digital divide, while always valid, are being outpaced by the constantly increasing ownership of and access to digital technologies even among the poorest people in the poorest countries. In fact, contrary to early concerns about the digital divide, digital technologies today have the power to promote inclusion. Internet-enabled cellular phones (smart or feature) can help overcome many barriers to participation by citizens in low-income countries and create places where citizens can converse with each other and their governments. As a complement to existing traditional means of citizen engagement, these devices can empower people who have limited mobility, low literacy, a need for confidentiality or who prefer to engage their communities and government in private. People who were once effectively blocked out of civic dialogues and processes can create and participate in meaningful digital spaces to learn about government initiatives, talk about their communities, and participate in decision-making processes. The field of Citizen Engagement, which promotes “two-way interactions” between citizens and government, is already harnessing digital technologies in several ways. First, digital tech is making CE efforts more timely and cost-effective, helping to increase the impact of development funding. Second, digital CE mechanisms are increasing citizen-citizen and citizen-government dialogue, creating feedback loops, providing collaborative 2. “Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally“, Pew Research Center, Feb 2019 (available online). 3. “The Hottest Phones for the Next Billion Users Aren’t Smartphones”, Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2019 (available online). 4 Amplifying People’s Voices 3 4 environments, and fostering civil society overall. Third, digital CE tools and the supporting back-end systems are creating powerful datasets that can measure the effectiveness of past work and create learnings for future efforts. As a complement to analog CE tools, digital CE includes more people, increases accuracy, and promotes ongoing participation. As a data repository, digital CE is a powerful force for evidence-based decision-making and predictive policy formulation. How Digital Tech is Being Used for Citizen Engagement CE-driven applications are increasing efficiencies in development work and creating opportunities for more innovation. Bank-financed projects have resulted in noteworthy, and powerful uses of technology which: Amplify the voices of people and their concerns; Gather feedback and inputs from citizens so they can impact how resources are used in their com- munities, regions, and countries; Collect data from CE work and other sources to evaluate past projects and design better projects in the future. Three examples demonstrate the ways in which these inexpensive, accessible technologies advance devel- opment work. 1. Indonesia – eHDW eHDW is a tool developed for use by community vol- unteers, known as Human Development Workers (HDWs), to promote citizen engagement in the plan- ning and use of community-level nutrition focused services provided to combat stunting. It contains ele- ments of participatory budgeting, tracking of services available, scheduled, and received, and input tracking – with the goal of ensuring that expectant mothers and young children get the nutrition and services they are entitled to. Data collected allows govern- ment to measure satisfaction and compare health re- sults to services received. HDWs were equipped with Android-based apps to promote various CE and ser- vice delivery activities: village mapping to ensure sup- ply-side readiness and register priority households in need of perinatal nutritional support; task manage- ment tools to help manage their work; diagnostic fea- tures to get feedback, generate scores for households and villages which can be used to further improve the program; reporting tools for 4 5 Amplifying People’s Voices government officials which aggregate data and community consultations for comparison, setting of base- lines, and assessing the continued vulnerability of communities. eHDW has generated a truly big “big data” set, with tens of millions of data points available for analysis. 2. Brazil – Solução Online de Licitação, (SOL) / Community development project SOL is an e-Procurement tool for use in Community-Driven Development (CDD) projects. It allows commu- nities to solicit proposals from suppliers, suppliers to bid on tenders and track the awared and completion of the contract, in a paperless system based on blockchain technologies. Procurement of services and ma- terials from suppliers posed significant challenges to communities inexperienced with maintaining paper records, soliciting and awarding bids, and managing contracts. This tool has the additional benefits of re- ducing errors and allowing for ongoing monitoring and auditing. The tool leverages blockchain to maintain confidence in and integrity of the records needed for procurement, while stitching together the complex informational and input requirements of communities, potential and actual suppliers, and the government agency. In roughly the last two years in two states in Brazil, SOL has 1,231 registered communities, 2,090 registered suppliers, 4,078 tenders created, and 1,904 contracts successfully awarded. 4 3. Multiple Countries - GEMS | KoBo GEMS occupies a unique place in the Digital CE conversation and its main open-source data platform, Ko- BoToolbox, which is a cost-free field data collection, survey, and digital analysis tool, allows PIUs to quickly stand up consultation activities in the CE spectrum. With deployments in over 85 countries and in-depth 4. Geo-Enabling Initiative for Monitoring and Supervision. GEMS is a team of support experts provided by the Bank in support of a variety of mapping activities, using KoBoToolbox. 6 Amplifying People’s Voices 5 6 capacity-building trainings provided by the GEMS team, Kobo is arguably the most successfully main- streamed digital tool in the Bank’s project portfolio. While “two-way” interactions and feedback loops are the distinctive feature of CE Mechanisms, KoBo functions primarily as an input and real-time analysis tool, albeit an extremely valuable one. KoBo’s limitation in terms of broader use as a stand-alone Digital CE plat- form is that it is optimized to work for surveys and field data collection. This means the standard version, which is not designed for two-way interactions and integration in a full two-way CE system, requires cus- tomization work. That said, there are powerful lessons and aspirations in the ongoing evolution and deploy- ment of Kobo. Some of the challenges noted above are removed by the Open-Source nature of KoBo, and the support of the GEMS team in making custom deployments in existing government ecosystems possible. At a higher level, KoBo + GEMS proves that standardized functionality can be deployed in a time-sensitive and cost-effective manner. KoBo allows people to create fully customized surveys and feedback tools quick- ly and with little or no technical skills. Further, the GEMS model, in which people provide support for use of the platform locally, while maintaining the global platform/suite of tools, proves that the Bank and other organizations can support, maintain, and evolve platforms with well-defined, standardizable functionality. Most importantly, being a free open-source tool, KoBo allows for full ownership and scalability by PIUs, gov- ernment agencies and other local partners, without incurring unsustainable costs or vendor lock-in. In this regard, the most impactful use cases of GEMS and KoBo have been those where governments and partners have taken the skills and tools further and scaled their use for monitoring and CE needs that go beyond the World Bank project portfolio. 4. Guinea - eADL Currently under development, the eADL is a tool for gov- ernment-contracted facilitators (ADLs) to conduct par- ticipatory budgeting, diagnostics, social mapping, and sub-project tracking. eADL is being designed, built, and architected for flexible customization and re-use. Also under development as part of the eADL is a GRM app for grievance and feedback collection. Like the rest of the eADL, it is highly and easily customizable, supports learn- ing/training functions, diagnostics/reports, dashboards for different user types, a querying tool to generate custom reports and conduct analysis. The GRM is also customiz- able to support different rules for routing issues, tracking the status of issues, confidentiality and privacy protections, cloud syncing rules, and alert systems to government em- ployees and citizens. It is being designed, architected, de- veloped, and documented for easy re-use in other projects, and provides special back-end components to handle the challenges of collecting and disseminating data in areas where internet connectivity is slow, unreliable, or non-ex- istent. 6 7 Amplifying People’s Voices The last project, eADL and its GRM component, contains some noteworthy software development innova- tions. It is being designed, architected, developed as a general, Open-Source solution, from the beginning. The initial implementation started in Guinea, but interest in the tool has grown quickly and widely, includ- ing other countries in the Gulf of Guinea, the Sahel, and in East Africa. It is being built with a broader set of requirements generated from at least four other countries who might use it and with the benefit of inputs from multiple GRM specialists. Building it is a general solution, rather than a one-off, it is hoped that other governments and projects will be able to customize it for their own purposes. This Open-Source approach has the potential to save millions of dollars in project budgets, speed up the deployment of tools by teams who no longer have to ‘reinvent the wheel’, and create better, more readily usable data. It also has trans- formative potential in that teams and projects who might otherwise lack the time or resources to deploy a tool can now do so quickly and cheaply. As one team member put it, it makes “the previously impossible, not just possible, but doable.” Also worth noting are how the eADL/GRM and GEMS/Kobo software packages provide critical back-end functionalities around data handling. Both projects have re-usable components for storing and syncing data collected in no- or low-connectivity environments. This allows for the collection of data in poorly con- nected areas to be securely stored in smartphones and other devices until the user can reach an adequate or affordable internet connection. Additionally, both projects have been developed for relatively easy in- tegration with existing cloud systems. This is vitally important as MISes and data storage systems can vary greatly within and across governments. Finally, examples show that development work can benefit even from more recent, emerging technologies. The SOL procurement system described above leverages blockchain technology at a time when large cor- porations are still figuring out how to use it. AR/VR technology, typically viewed as expensive, fragile, and useful for entertainment and gaming purposes, has been used to help villagers visualize and understand the impact of construction projects in their communities. People who don’t have experience reading blue- prints, schematics, and models can more effectively participate in important planning and construction efforts through AR/VR gear. The Lego Approach As noted in the examples, these digital efforts are increasingly Open-Source. Open-Source technologies offer many benefits to the development community. The licenses are free, so funds are needed only for customization and custom work. Open Source languages and tools are widely taught at universities and globally available, so most local talent pools can supply people who can work with them. Perhaps most im- portant is that Open-Source tools can be re-purposed and re-assembled for a wide variety of needs. Much like a Lego set, a Digital CE Platform will have readily customizable components that can be combined and re-combined in myriad ways to meet the specific needs and contexts of projects around the world. 8 Amplifying People’s Voices 7 8 Leveraging Data to Transform CE and Development Outcomes Data has been referred to as the “new oil” of the 21st century. It is unfortunate that this construction about data relies on fossil fuel imagery, but it is an apt analogy. This is not only because data fuels so much of the work in today’s economy, but also because data, like oil, needs to be refined in order to be useful. Digital CE mechanisms collect, circulate, and respond to data and people use that data to generate insights and learnings to inform their work. This refinement of data – from collection through analysis and visualization – is a key part of advancing CE work in particular and development work in general. Effective Citizen Engagement, which improves government responses to citizens’ needs, requires data – at the community, sub-national, national, and regional levels. Data has the potential to improve development at many levels: 1) inform the design and implementation of projects; 2) educate and empower citizens to make better decisions; and 3) help governments more accurately evaluate and iterate on their services. More broadly, strong data tools, datasets, and processes can support regional and cross-country evaluations, allow for use of AI/ML, and generate predictive models. While CE mechanisms generate rich data by them- selves, other sources of data could be used to enhance citizen-government interactions. These data sourc- es include social media, user-generated content, and environmental, demographic, government and NGO statistics. Currently, CE and development tools make use of global models and geo-spatial data to inform citizens of local and regional conditions so they can better prioritize their needs and formulate responses. Also underway, development practitioners are exploring ways to collect and connect social media graphs, 5 search logs, “exhaust data” , and user-generated content to build more robust and deeper understand- ing of citizens’ attitudes and needs. By refining and combining these ‘’Big Data” sets with data collected through CE mechanisms and ongoing policy research it is possible to create digitally enhanced feedback loops which are orders of magnitude more powerful than what is available today. Of course, the promise of Big Data is hard to achieve. Many large, well-funded corporations and government are still struggling to use their own data effectively. However, where the private sector has succeeded in leveraging big data, it has been transformative, resulting in more efficient logistical operations, better per- sonalization algorithms, and deeper insights in product development and marketing efforts. Among NGOs, development partners, and firms with public interest goals, efforts are underway to create and provide tools for better data work, from collection and storage to visualization, analysis and AI/ML pattern recognition. Partnerships between and within the public and private sectors can help CE and development specialists enjoy the benefits of datasets of all sizes. 5. “Exhaust data” describes potentially valuable data created by users’ actions on the web or using apps. This includes search terms and clickstreams. Epidemiologists are using Machine Learning to look at online user behaviors to more accurately predict and track flu outbreaks. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8208709/ 8 9 Amplifying People’s Voices Opportunities for Collaboration and Partnership Today’s technology and data landscape offers exciting opportunities to dramatically improve and transform economic development efforts around the world. This is a rare moment of potential for collaboration and partnership between tech companies and development organizations, an opportunity to realize the earliest dreams that digital technology can empower people everywhere and increase their agency in the world. These efforts go beyond charity by helping to create lasting, structural change, and being mutually benefi- cial. More and better digital technology solutions will help address poverty, climate risks, and the building of civil society. Further, these partnerships could promote the general advancement of digital technologies by applying them to new audiences and contexts. Below are some of the challenges faced in development and ways in which organizations can partner with the WBG. The common thread behind these efforts is the fundamental goal of increasing two-way commu- nications between citizens and their governments and between citizens themselves. Data Challenges - Gathering data in developing countries is challenging for familiar reasons as well as new ones. Familiar reasons include challenges of sampling, weighting, and creating good research instruments. Specific to developing countries are problems around literacy, familiarity with digital tools, access to and the costs of using the internet – in a word, inclusion. The WBG is looking for companies who have technologies or methods for including more people in the data-gathering process, reducing exclusion, and broadening the ways in which governments can understand and converse with citizens. Challenges in Understanding Citizen Needs – the challenge of staying in touch with citizens’ attitudes and needs is at the heart of citizen engagement, development work, good policy formulation, and project design. The WBG is looking for solutions that apply proven consumer research and insight generation tech- niques to identify widely held attitudes and priorities to proactively improve government service delivery, policy or programs. Technology Companies – collaboration could include: 1) the sharing of tools, products and datasets; 2) pro- viding expertise and consultation on the development of tools and platforms, DevOps, infrastructure, and talent development; 3) co-creation of new tools, features, or back-end functionality; and 4) assistance in de- veloping standards and best practices for ongoing software development in WBG-financed projects. NGOs - collaboration with NGOs could include : 1) piloting and testing digital CE tools; 2) co-creating tools with communities and audiences engaged by the NGO; and 3) conducting generative research through joint analysis of shared datasets. These collaborations could result in joint efforts to disseminate learning and insights to policy-makers and development specialists more broadly. 10 Amplifying People’s Voices 9 10 Development Partners – other organizations in the development space can work with the WBG by: 1) part- nering in the creation, maintenance, and analyses of aggregated datasets from various initiatives and orga- nizations; 2) sharing lessons of digital pilots related to CE and reviews of technology use by citizens around the world; 3) promoting the use of proven and successful CE tools in other development projects. Additionally, the Bank seeks financial support for its own initiatives and to coordinate cross-organization collaborations. Examples of Work and Areas of Interest The WBG welcomes all digital CE ideas from potential collaborators and partners. In the interest of sparking ideation some examples and specific areas of interest are described here. They should give readers an idea of the range of ways in which technology can promote development work. Improved digital versions of basic research instruments, such as surveys, polls, and focus groups. Usability design and research to help overcome barriers presented by visual language and meta- phors used in digital design. Creation of new online community engagement and collaboration platforms for local governments. Techniques for providing privacy and authentication that allows people to follow-up on anonymous reports. Some broader themes around the collection, analysis, and uses of data could include: Social listening and sentiment analysis tools - to help gauge current opinion and anticipate emerging trends. This not only includes social media and on-line activity, but also internet traffic and search data Machine learning/ artificial intelligence (ML/AI) tools - to detect and validate deeper patterns of belief, thinking, and participation in the public sector and civic space. Emerging Techniques that make quantitative assessments of qualitative data - with the prolifer- ation of unstructured data, exhaust data, and data from conversational threads and comments, new methods are emerging to ensure the quantitative validity of insights emerging from qualitative data. 10 11 11 Amplifying People’s Voices Conclusion Digital technologies are on the cusp of realizing the early dreams and strongest hopes of its advocates. Every year, more and more people around the globe have access to the benefits of connected digital technologies and the skills to use them. The last ten years of digital innovation has positively impacted the development world in how it designs and monitors its work and in giving citizens greater agency in their lives. The World Bank, in the early stages of digital CE, is seeing significant positive outcomes and improvements due to the use of technology. This moment is an opportunity to accelerate shared dreams of leveraging technologies for the elevation of citizens. In the spirit of innovation, the WBG invites any and all ideas for partnership. The WBG has also identified key areas where partnership could promote economic development efforts and outcomes as it relates to digital CE: connectivity, product design, data capture and storage, analytics and data visualization, development of fundamental building blocks for re-use. The World Bank welcomes partnerships with individuals and companies working in data, technology, development, and digital design. Development dollars work best when citizens and their governments are in active, collaborative dialogue. Digital technologies have the potential to transform and expand that dialogue. We welcome you to partner with us in this work. Contact info: Citizen Engagement and Social Accountability Global Solutions Group Social Sustainability and Inclusion Global Practice Digital citizenengagement@worldbankgroup.org 12 Amplifying People’s Voices 11 12 13