From the Digital Divide
to Digital Justice in the
Global South
Richard Heeks
Centre for Digital Development

University of Manchester, UK
https://www.cdd.manchester.ac.uk

Centre for DigitalDevelopment

The Changing ICT—Development
Paradigm

Centre for Digital
Development

Digital Inequality: Digital Divide
Availability

Accessibility

Adoption(Affordability,Acquisition)

Application(Appropriation,Action)

Digital Divide Dimensions:-

Income-Gender-

Education-

Age-

Ethnicity-

Disability-

Geography-

Etc.
Centre for Digital
Development
Source: Heeks, R. (2018) Information and Communication Technology for Development, Routledge, Abingdon, UKAdding Adverse Incorporation
to Exclusion
Digital Divide:Exclusion
DigitalSystems

Centre for Digital
Development

Adverse Digital
Incorporation
DigitalSystems

The Flow from Digital Exclusion
to Inclusion

Centre for Digital
Development
Source: https://i2ifacility.org/insights/blog/the-potential-of-digital-platforms-as-distributors-and-enablers-of-insurance-in-africa

Adverse Digital Incorporation

Inclusion in digital systems that provides
unequal returns to participants; accruing moreto those with greater power to control orbenefit from those systems

Centre for Digital
Development

Adverse Digital Incorporation:
Digitalised Global Value Chains“Exclusionary digital barriers were akin to those from the digitaldivide literature. Internet access is now viable for small firms, buta wider set of capacities (i.e., skills, finance, systems) digitally
excludes them from playing a more substantial role in GVCs”“Even when firms were able to digitally integrate, more flexible
GVCs, driven in part by the emergence of platforms andinformation systems, entailed reduced profits among East African
actors, since their goods and services are more easily replaced. In
more flexible GVCs lead firms might move to alternative suppliers
when unfavorable conditions emerged.”

Centre for Digital
Development

Source: Foster, C., Graham, M., Mann, L., Waema, T., & Friederici, N. (2018). Digital control in value chains: Challenges of connectivity for East
African firms. Economic Geography, 94(1), 68-86; https://vintagestockphotos.com/photos/66120/travel-agency.html

Adverse Digital Incorporation:
The Gig Economy
50% of delivery drivers earn less than minimum wage after costs
55% of delivery drivers work more than 80 hours per week
No: sick pay, holiday pay, pension, health or other insurance“Independent contractors” not workers
No recognition of worker associations or unions

Centre for Digital
Development
Source: https://fair.work/wp-content/uploads/sites/97/2020/04/Fairwork-South-Africa-2020-report.pdf

Adverse Digital Incorporation:
State SurveillanceTracking:• Location• Contacts• Online Activity

Centre for Digital
Development
Source: https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/China-tech/China-s-sharp-eyes-offer-chance-to-take-surveillance-industry-global

Adverse Digital Incorporation:
Gender Inequality“Examples include ICT-related violence against women such asthat reported in Zambia by male partners in arguments arounduse of ICTs; ICT-enabled harassment of women including trolling,
cyber-stalking and revenge porn; and ICT-enabled control ofwomen such as use of spyware by men in Cambodia to track andwatch female partners”

Centre for Digital
Development
Source: Heeks, R. (2018) Information and Communication Technology for Development, Routledge, Abingdon, UK; https://www.apc.org/en/tags/online-gender-based-violenceDigital Equity I
Bridging the Digital Divide
Availability

Accessibility

Adoption(Affordability,Acquisition)

Application(Appropriation,Action)

Centre for Digital
Development
Source Heeks, R. (2018) Information and Communication Technology for Development, Routledge, Abingdon, UKDigital Equity II
Counter-AdverseDigitalIncorporation
DigitalSystems

Centre for Digital
Development

AdvantageousDigital
Incorporation
Pro-EquityDigitalSystems

Adverse Digital Incorporation

Inclusion in digital systems that provides
unequal returns to participants; accruing moreto those with greater power to control orbenefit from those systems

Centre for Digital
Development

From Digital Equity To Digital
Justice

Centre for Digital
Development

Source: https://www.paperpinecone.com/blog/teaching-difference-between-equality-equity-and-justice-preschool, adaptedfrom https://designintech.report/2019/03/11/%F0%9F%93%B1design-in-tech-report-2019-section-6-addressing-imbalance/

A Model of Digital JusticeContext

STRUCTURALDIGITAL JUSTICE
Institutional
Control

Structural
Relations

ResourceControl
DigitalSystemUtility

Digitalisation

Practice: Information
Value Chain

Results

PROCEDURALDIGITAL JUSTICE
DigitalRights

Epistemic Control

Centre for Digital
Development
Source: adapted from Heeks, R. & Shekhar, S. (2019). Datafication, development and marginalised urban
communities: an applied data justice framework. Information, Communication & Society, 22(7), 992-1011