World Bank eAtlas of Global Development

The World Bank e-Atlas of Global Development is a sophisticated online, interactive tool that maps and graphs more than 175 indicators from the World Bank’s development database. Developed in collaboration with HarperCollins, the e-Atlas of Global Development allows users to easily and quickly transform data into customized visual comparisons across […]

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Indigenous Knowledge for Development: a Framework for Action

This paper has been prepared in the context of the Indigenous Knowledge for Development Initiative. The initiative is lead by the World Bank in partnership with several organizations which are collaborating under the Partnership for Information and Communication Technology for Africa (PICTA). The main premise of the paper is that […]

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Indigenous Knowledge for Development: Opportunities and Challenges

This paper introduces indigenous knowledge (IK) as a significant resource which could contribute to the increased efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability of the development process. IK is defined as the basis for community-level decision making in areas pertaining to food security, human and animal health, education, natural resource management and other […]

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Equipe EVOKE, the game

This is not a simulation. You are about to tackle real problems. Land fills, Recycling, Water Pollution, e-Waste, Rainforests, etc. And along the way you will discover new insights, challenges and beauty in places you never noticed before. Welcome to the Evoke Network. Welcome to your crash course in saving […]

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Urgent EVOKE, the game

EVOKE was a ten-week crash course in changing the world. It was free to play and open to anyone, anywhere. The goal of the social network game is to help empower people all over the world to come up with creative solutions to our most urgent social problems. The game’s first season began on March 3, […]

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Project Evaluation: EVOKE

Summary Background and findings EVOKE is a multiuser online game, created under the auspices of the World Bank Institute (WBI), which was intended to engage players in social-innovation activities that addressed global challenges. The game ran from March to May 2010, and was open to players of any age around the world (although it […]

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Jane McGonigal: Gaming can make a better world

Note: The comments that follow this video on its Youtube page number over 3,000 and clearly show that Ms. McGonigal’s ideas spur passionate (and often ridiculously vitriolic) debate. I include this item here because it offers a compelling starting point for discussing serious games and social change. Transcript I’m Jane […]

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A Parallel World for the World Bank: A Case Study of Urgent: EVOKE, An Educational Alternate Reality Game

In 2010, the World Bank launched Urgent: EVOKE, an alternate reality game. The game, which was designed to promote the World Bank Institute’s vision of positive global change through social innovation, made substantial use of Web 2.0 tools like blogs, personal profiles and social networks. This article offers a case […]

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World Bank

The World Bank is a vital source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries around the world. Our mission is to fight poverty with passion and professionalism for lasting results and to help people help themselves and their environment by providing resources, sharing knowledge, building capacity and forging partnerships […]

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World Bank 2012 Maximizing Mobile Report

Executive Summary This report analyzes the growth and evolution of applications for mobile phones, focusing on their use in agriculture, health and financial services, as well as their impact on employment and government. It also explores the consequences for development of the emerging “app economy”, summarizing current thinking and seeking […]

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World Bank at a Glance mobile application

The World Bank at a Glance mobile application makes this complex institution accessible. Succinct explanations are supplemented with hyperlinks for deeper information on what interests you. The app provides a comprehensive overview of: All the institutions within the World Bank Group and how they operate Initiatives such as Results and […]

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World Bank API

The World Bank’s first API offers 114 indicators from key data sources and 12,000 development photos (see all sources). We are releasing this API because we believe this information can be mapped, visualized and mashed up in an unlimited number of ways that will help develop a better understanding of trends and patterns around key […]

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Discourse, ‘Development’ & the ‘Digital Divide’: ICT & the World Bank

Abstract Information and communication technology(ies) (ICT) is tipped to play an increasingly enabling role in the inclusion and exclusion of groups from participation in the discourse of ‘development’, with material consequences. In affecting how ‘development’ is framed, discussed and practised, the conception and use of such technologies itself thus becomes […]

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