https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/114984 2026-04-12T03:12:48Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126859 Assessment of the Gender Gap in Access to Digital Financial Services in Burkina Faso Spielberg, Jonars; Cardoso, Cauam The project Assessment of the Gender Gap in Access to Digital Financial Services in Burkina Faso was established in 2019 through a partnership between MIT D-Lab CITE and USAID’s Center for Digital Development/Digital Financial Services Team (CDD/DFS). The objective of this research is to understand the current and potential role of digital financial services (DFS) in the lives of female entrepreneurs in Burkina Faso to increase their empowerment and resilience. The findings are relevant to those working to promote women’s empowerment through digital financial inclusion in Burkina Faso and similar contexts. The findings of our study point not only to the importance of giving female entrepreneurs access to certain digital services, but also to the importance of 1) making sure they know exactly how DFS can be integrated into their daily lives for their benefit, and 2) engaging important people in their lives—their households, communities, and DFS agents—in order to build systemic support and goodwill among those who might otherwise be resistant—consciously or not—to women using DFS. 2020-08-31T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126858 Assessment of Potential Opportunities for Use of Digital Payments for Smallholder Farmers in Northern and Central Senegal Cardoso, Cauam; Spielberg, Jonars The project Assessment of Potential Opportunities for Use of Digital Payments for Smallholder Farmers in Resource-Constrained Settings began in 2018 through a partnership with USAID’s Feed the Future Program (D2FTF). The objective of this research is to better understand the role that digital services can play in the financial inclusion of smallholder farmers in Senegal. This research will focus on answering the following questions: 1) how digital services can address the unmet financial needs of smallholder farmers; 2) the conditions under which smallholder farmers adopt digital financial services (DFS) to address these unmet needs; and 3) the characteristics that predict, incentivize, or are barriers to adoption of DFS by smallholder farmers. With the goal of producing actionable information and recommendations for implementers to improve the way smallholder farmers interact with agriculture value chains. 2020-08-31T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126854 Exploring Fairness in Machine Learning for International Development Awwad, Yazeed; Fletcher, Richard; Frey, Daniel; Gandhi, Amit; Najafian, Maryam; Teodorescu, Mike This document is intended to serve as a resource for technical professionals who are considering or undertaking the use of machine learning (ML) in an international development context. Its focus is on achieving fairness and avoiding bias when developing ML for use in international development. This document provides guidance on choice of algorithms, uses of data, and management of software development. It also illustrates the application of this guidance through a case study. The focus is on developing ML applications, rather than procuring ready-made solutions, although many of the considerations outlined in this document are also relevant to ML procurement. This document is meant to be accessible to a wide range of readers, but it does assume some prerequisite knowledge related to machine learning. It is recommended that readers have a basic foundation in computer science. For a broader introduction to basic concepts of machine learning in the context of international development, readers are referred to USAID’s companion document, Reflecting the Past, Shaping the Future: Making AI Work for International Development (Making AI Work1). Developed by the organization’s Center for Digital Development, Making AI Work identifies issues that may be encountered when implementing ML in international development and provides a summary of findings on the appropriate applications of ML in these settings. Development practitioners who are addressing fair and responsible use of AI and others concerned about the risks of using AI in development programs may benefit from reading Making AI Work before reading this document. Whereas Making AI Work primarily targets development professionals working with technology partners, the present document serves to support technology professionals within the development context. The drafting team built upon Making AI Work by describing technical approaches for implementing ML projects in ways consistent with the published USAID guidance. The principles and practices described in this guide, in conjunction with those outlined in Making AI Work, aim to support the successful partnerships described by USAID: [D]evelopment practitioners … must collaborate with technology experts to develop these tools for the contexts in which we work. … Many of the projects discussed in this report have involved collaboration between a “technology partner” and a “development partner.” In some cases, the development partner may be based in a donor agency or implementing partner (e.g., as an activity or grant manager), while the technology partner is contracted to deliver an ML-dependent tool. Developmenttechnology partnerships can also arise from situations with less formal distinctions. These include academic collaborations, co-creation efforts, or within an in-house interdisciplinary team. Drafting of this document was led by MIT D-Lab CITE at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). This work was supported initially through USAID’s Center for Development Research (CDR) and completed through partnership with USAID’s Center for Digital Development. 2020-03-02T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/126853 Assessment of Potential Opportunities for Use of Digital Payments for Smallholder Farmers in Guatemala’s Western Highlands Cardoso, Cauam; Spielberg, Jonars This research project, Assessment of Potential Opportunities for Use of Digital Payments for Smallholder Farmers in Resource Constrained Settings, explored 1) how digital financial services (DFS) could help address the unmet financial needs of smallholder farmers (SHFs); 2) the conditions under which SHFs adopt DFS to meet these needs; and 3) how different stakeholders perceive farmer needs, DFS availability, and incentives and barriers to DFS use in Guatemala. 2020-03-02T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115545 CITE Program Impact Report 2012–2016 McKown, Lauren; Mathias, Joanne; Leith, Kendra; Kaminsky, Jesse CITE's program impact report covering our work from 2012-2016. The report covers a range of topics including partnership, methodology development, data-driven decision-making, and training the next generation of development professionals. 2017-03-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/115544 A Practitioner’s Guide for Technology Evaluation in Global Development Ilten, Éadaoin; Green, Jennifer; Lake, Brennan Co-authored by CITE and The Technology Exchange Lab, the Practitioner's Guide offers a user-friendly, step-by-step framework for conducting comparative product evaluations. No matter the size of your organization or resources available, this guide will help you make evidence-based procurement decisions. 2018-01-01T00:00:00Z