The use of “Big Data” is playing an increasingly important role in global development policy. “Big Data” refers to large, complex, and diverse datasets. Data-driven methods and technologies are supposed to measure and compare development outcomes at the global level, on the one hand, and enable targeted interventions at the local level, on the other hand. Unlike past top-down approaches and one-size-fits-all solutions, data-driven development promises to be tailored to local needs.

The project “Big Data for Precise Interventions: Data-driven Development in India and Kenya,” led by Dr Sandra Bärnreuther, Assistant Professor of Anthropology, examines the shift towards data-driven development in relation to data infrastructures, data practices, and new modes of governance in India and Kenya. Both countries, which share many historical and contemporary ties, promote data-driven approaches to development. However, distinct data infrastructures raise critical questions about the globally unequal availability of granular data. The study also examines how increasing efforts by state and private actors (e.g., global technology companies, data analytics firms and development consultancies) to fill these data gaps affect new modes of governance, public-private partnerships and South-South cooperation. Finally, the researchers will analyse the societal impacts of data-driven development, such as what types of interventions and target groups emerge from these practices and what possible forms of exclusion they might entail.

• Original project title: “Big Data for Precise Interventions: Data-driven Development in India and Kenya”
• Project lead: Ass. Prof. Dr Sandra Bärnreuther, Assistant Professor of Anthropology
• Project collaborator: Nicole Ahoya, doctoral student (University of Lucerne)
• Project duration: July 2024 to June 2028
• Total funding amount approved: CHF 414,000 (rounded)