Art Appraisal Blog

The report presents both the opportunities of and the bottlenecks for furthering the digitization of South Asia’s economies. It emphasizes the importance of integrating digital ID, payments, and data sharing systems into “digital stacks,” as well as fostering digital businesses and skills. Within this broader framework, the report discusses the experiences of regional governments with digital g2p payments.

This report summarizes a 2021 workshop hosted by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development and the Asian Development Bank on the experience of Asian and Pacific countries in using digitized social protection in response to COVID-19. It includes discussions of mass digital registration, interoperable data systems, and the use of earth observation data in early warning. The report concludes by emphasizing the potential for enhancing the value...

The COVID-19 lockdown provides a test of whether these investments in digital infrastructure would pay off and help the government deliver relief quickly, efficiently and equitably.

COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on women must be urgently addressed through the provision of digital financial literacy and access.

Despite efforts from governments across the globe, the poor lack awareness of social protection and welfare delivery programs. This blog explores the intricacies of government communication using case studies. It also discusses mastering the elements of planning, research, content, and outreach channels to develop an ideal communication strategy.

Nations worldwide have responded to COVID-19 through 1,100 social protection programs to help 1.8 billion-plus people. Yet recipients are largely in the dark about the programs and do not know how to access funds. This blog examines the importance of better communication around social protection programs, particularly for the vulnerable population.

Since the onset of the pandemic, the low- and moderate-income (LMI) segment had a direct impact on their day-to-day life. We reflect through Kabita, an LMI customer in Bangladesh, on the barriers LMIs faced during the pandemic and how DFS nudged them towards building resilience.

The report discusses what the LMI segments know, understand, and feel about the COVID-19 outbreak and examines its effect on them. The report also highlights actionable recommendations for policymakers to design suitable interventions that can help the LMI segment cope better in this difficult situation

COVID-19 has seen governments across the globe walk a tightrope as they scramble to contain the spread of the disease while keeping the economy stable. In this unprecedented situation, ground-level data for evidence-based decision-making assumes critical significance. This blog looks at five key lessons from MSC’s research on COVID-19.

The blog highlights the road ahead for the Indian government’s new program—One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC). The objective of the program is to build upon the digitization of the Public Distribution System (PDS) for foodgrains with a focus on beneficiary-centric reforms.