RIA’s Dr Alison Gillwald contributed a chapter to the book, Leap 4.0: African Perspectives on the Fourth Industrial Revolution, published by the Mapungubwe Institute for Strategic Reflection (MISTRA).
In a chapter titled, A new digital deal rather than a Fourth Industrial Revolution policy?, Gillwald argues, “Unless policy interventions are specifically designed to redress the unevenness in the opportunities to utilise advanced technologies, the introduction and proliferation of digital technologies is likely to increase inequality rather than alleviate or reduce it”.
Gillwald calls for a new digital deal to address the challenges heralded by the technological changes of our era. “Rather than seeking the quick fixes to the problems of hyperglobalisation promised by technological solutions in the discourse of the 4IR, SA should be developing a new digital deal,” she argues.
The electronic version of the book was launched in December last year and the print copy will be available next month. For more information about where the book can be purchased, click here.
To read a policy brief, which includes some of the key findings of the book, click here.
