Evidence to Action 2017: Harnessing Technology for Public Good

Technology can dramatically change how governments and civil society function. Advances in the collection and use of data by the public sector, as well as online platforms for citizen engagement, provide unprecedented opportunities to increase state efficiency and accountability. Nowhere do these advances have more potential than in the developing world.

On May 10th, The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) hosted an event for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers to explore how “GovTech” and “CivicTech” are impacting government performance, accountability, and citizen engagement around the globe. Entitled Smart Government: Harnessing Technology for Public Good, the event was part of CEGA’s annual Evidence to Action series and was hosted by Orange Silicon Valley.

Agenda

Welcome address — Gabriel Sidhom (Vice President, Technology Development, Orange Silicon Valley)

Digital platforms and political participation in South Africa — Craig McIntosh (UC San Diego)

Broadcasting political debates in Sierra Leone — Katherine Casey (Stanford)

Crowd-sourcing ratings of public services in Pakistan — Arman Rezaee (UC Davis)

Social media and censorship evasion in China — Margaret E. Roberts (UC San Diego)

Panel Discussion: From the Bottom Up – Innovations for Accountability & Mobilization

Keynote: Connecting citizens, strengthening services: ICT for public accountability — Umar Saif (Chairman, Punjab IT Board)

Machine learning to fight corruption — Thiago Marzagão (Office of the Comptroller General in Brazil)

Smartphone monitoring and behavioral economics for the public sector in Pakistan — Michael Callen (UC San Diego)

Using technology for better governance — Karthik Muralidharan (UC San Diego)

Sensors to improve public transport in Nairobi — David Schönholzer (UC Berkeley)