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- Artificial Intelligence for Development (4)
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Search Results
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Research in ActionGender Governance EconomicsWhy labour markets are failing women — and what might improve their work opportunities.
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PerspectivesNatural Resources Social Policy Health Evaluation GovernanceLeaving no one behind: Principles for research in fragile contextsDespite the challenges, research in fragile contexts must put people’s needs at the centre.
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PerspectivesHealth GovernanceBeyond crisis response: laying the foundation for better health systemsThe greatest danger to health isn’t infectious diseases, it’s inequitable and poorly governed health systems.
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PerspectivesGovernance HealthDemocratic development in turbulent timesResearch can mitigate destabilizing factors in fragile states and address inequalities that hold back democracy.
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PerspectivesInformation and Communication GovernanceWhy IDRC won’t rush its open data policyNaser Faruqui argues the timing is not yet right for IDRC to pursue a mandatory open data policy.
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PerspectivesGovernance HealthData for development: we need effective civil registration and vital statistics systemsCanada is doing its part to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics systems globally.
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PerspectivesGovernance Social Policy HealthSupporting the next generation of think tank leadersEngaging young leaders is important for their own growth, and for richer discussion and collaboration.
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Research in ActionGender Governance Social Policy HealthThe power of collective action to achieve gender equality
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PerspectivesHealth GovernanceHow death registration supports the rights of women and girlsRegistering deaths and their cause can save the lives of women and girls.
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Research in ActionEnvironment Development GovernanceLeading for change: Finding innovative approaches to finance effective climate action
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Research in ActionGender GovernanceMaking women visible with civil registration and vital statistics systemsCRVS systems play an important role in every individual’s life and in supporting inclusive, sustainable development.
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Research in ActionGender Governance HealthMyanmar students gain research skills and experience in Canada
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StoryScience and Technology Health Natural Resources Governance Development EconomicsArtificial intelligence and human development
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BooksDevelopment Information and Communication Governance EducationShadow Libraries: Access to Knowledge in Global Higher EducationPublication Date
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IDRC awardeesNo relevant topics
A first e-library in remote Nepali schools
A first e-library in remote Nepali schools
For 2017 IDRC Research Award Recipient Sujaya Neupane, carrying out fieldwork in Nepal was literally coming home. Neupane spent time in the remote western villages of Thapagaun and Jhimpa — his childhood home — to find ways of improving science education by using digital learning tools.
The quality of education is vastly different in Nepal’s rural and urban areas, he explains, leading to poor educational outcomes in rural schools. But with the advent of inexpensive technology and free multimedia resources, science teaching materials can be accessed at low cost, he says. His goal was to determine how sustainable digital libraries could be set up in rural schools.
“One can’t hope to educate young people today without computers,” says Neupane. “I used a Raspberry-pi computer board as a server with embedded open-source learning tools, including those provided by Khan Academy and Wikipedia. Tablets were used to access these materials wirelessly from the server,” he explains. The Raspberry Pi is a low-cost credit card-sized single board computer designed specifically to promote education.
A team of teachers-cum-researchers in two secondary schools worked with Neupane to establish a protocol for using the digital learning materials.
Establishing an e-library in Jhimpa has opened up sources of knowledge to students who never had access to a library before, says Neupane. He and the on-site research team are now exploring how to evaluate the impact on students’ learning when the project ends in mid-2018.
Of his IDRC experience, Neupane says “being able to go back and live in my village and conduct research in schools there jointly with the teachers was the most memorable,” says Neupane. “Through this experience I am determined to work to develop an education system in rural Nepal as a volunteer and independent researcher.”
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IDRC awardeesNo relevant topics
Climate change could be a boon for urban residents
Climate change could be a boon for urban residents
Trung NguyenResearch Awards2017Climate change is a crucial issue in Trung Huu Nguyen’s home country of Vietnam, particularly its coastal cities. But, says the 2017 IDRC Research Award Recipient, most of the research on climate change perceptions focuses on rural farmers and overlooks urban residents.
“Perceptions of climate change are important because they influence behaviours and response, and contribute to informed policy decisions,” says Nguyen. Working in the coastal cities of Hoi An and Nha Trang, he found that residents not only recognized impacts of climate change such as extreme heat and flooding, but had adapted in various ways, including diversifying their income-generation activities.
As Nguyen’s earlier experiences and education focused on rural communities and livelihoods, his fieldwork allowed him to gain better insight into the impacts of climate change on urban residents who depend on tourism. For them, it could mean a better and longer business season, he says.
To enable residents to adapt to future changes, he concluded that greater efforts should be made to inform them of predicted impacts and incorporate their concerns into urban and climate policies.
Working at IDRC was Nguyen’s “first professional experience abroad,” which allowed him to develop professional networks and hone his analytical skills, including in gender analysis. “It was an excellent opportunity to enhance my knowledge and skills for research on climate change impacts and adaptation strategies to reduce climate risk,” he says.
Nguyen also credits the research award with broadening his view of research for development. “Before IDRC, I worked mainly for development programs and projects insofar as they contributed to the goals of the projects, rather than global perspectives,” he says. At IDRC, he learned that programs can contribute to broader development goals.
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IDRC awardeesNo relevant topics
A warm welcome for refugees in Canada’s rural communities
A warm welcome for refugees in Canada’s rural communities
Stacey HaugenResearch Awards2017Working in IDRC’s Governance and Justice Program, 2017 Research Award Recipient Stacey Haugen determined that sponsors and Syrian refugees in rural Canada face the same challenges and reap the same benefits in all provinces.
“I hypothesized that this resettlement and integration could be mutually beneficial for both refugees and rural Canada,” she says. Immersing herself in communities in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, Haugen asked rural community sponsors, resettled refugees, immigration experts, and service providers about their experiences.
“This is the first study that has collected the experiences of refugees and sponsors across multiple provinces,” she says.
Of those experiences, she found that refugees enjoyed the warm welcome and social connections available in rural communities, the safety of small communities, and affordable living costs. Their hosts enjoyed the greater cultural diversity and the opportunity to contribute in a concrete way to solving an international crisis.
Limited services in these communities and lack of transportation to access the services were challenging. But, notes Haugen, some of the women were learning to drive as a result, “something they would never have been allowed to do in Syria.”
“Collecting the experiences of those involved is very important,” she says, “because it gives refugees and community members a voice and provides valuable feedback to the government and service providers.”
Haugen concludes that rural communities are underused for resettlement and “present an opportunity we can’t afford to ignore.”
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IDRC awardeesNo relevant topics
A deep dive into the ethics of vaccine trials
A deep dive into the ethics of vaccine trials
Machteld van den BergResearch Awards2017“By working within the Foundations for Innovation program and the Advisory Committee for Research Ethics, I had the unique opportunity to bridge the two areas,” says 2017 IDRC Research Award Recipient Matchteld van den Berg. Those two areas are also the focus of van den Berg’s graduate studies, exploring the ethics around vaccine access, informed consent, and individual autonomy.
In recent years there has been an accelerated push to develop a malaria vaccine, she says. But questions surface around justice and the vulnerability of the research participants and intended benefactors.
During fieldwork in Tanzania, she spoke with the caretakers of children who had been enrolled in a clinical vaccine trial to improve her understanding of their experiences. “Mothers may not have access to healthcare,” she says, “so consenting to a vaccine trial, regardless of the risks or conditions, may be the only feasible method to access medical care.” What’s more, the financial incentives to participate may be such that they override other considerations.
“Gaining insight into the realities participants inhabit is essential for conducting ethical research in a just and fair manner,” she concludes. “I think we sometimes forget the relatedness we have with one another and the importance of making those connections. Through this we can best learn from one another to design research studies that are respectful and effective, building trust and relationships along the way.”
For van den Berg, the research “refined my sense of the importance of global collaboration on key issues in development. This has impacted the direction I would like to take my research and, ultimately, the career path I follow,” she says.
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Research in ActionHealth GovernanceHealing and resilience in situations of conflict and displacement
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StoryGovernance Social Policy GenderkNOw Fear: Making rural public spaces safer for women and girlsSexual violence against women and girls in rural India remains a largely unaddressed, hidden issue.
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Research in ActionGovernance Information and CommunicationImproving the governance of cyberspace in the Global South
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BooksGovernance Social Policy Economics GenderSocial Theories of Urban Violence in the Global South: Towards Safe and Inclusive Cities
While cities often act as the engines of economic growth for developing countries, they are also frequently the site of growing violence, poverty, and inequality.
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StoryNatural Resources Governance Environment Social PolicyCollaboration in informal settlements: tackling flooding with a local perspectiveIn most developing countries, solid waste management is a significant challenge, especially in urban slums and other informal settlements.