Positive disruption: Health and education in a digital age

Pathways for Prosperity Commission published two digital policy briefs on health and education that provide guidelines for countries willing to espouse digital technology in both sectors. It pinpoints four principles for positive distribution of technology for everyone: a) deploy technology only when it offers an appropriate and cost-effective solution to an actual problem; b) focus on the content, data sharing, and system-wide connections enabled by digital technology, not exclusively on hardware; c) invest in digital building blocks, not just the bulk collection of raw data, in order to move towards the systems of the future; and d) ensure that the technology genuinely works for all by making deliberate efforts to engage with and build solutions for people who are typically left behind. It further presents five near-future visions of how technology-driven tools and the data underpinning them can improve the delivery of health and education services in the future.