About
Source: Website
We work at the intersection between technology and society to build solutions that enhance societal impact, justice and equity. Our work is done through our two labs:
About Us
We work at the intersection between technology and society to build solutions that enhance societal impact, justice and equity.
Source: Aapti Institute
Our Work
Our work spans many aspects of our digital lives – we conduct research, develop solutions, and embed them in policy and within organizations to achieve scale.
Source: Aapti Institute
Contact
Email: Contact
The Data Economy Lab
About
We need systems that enable democratic and human-centric data governance
As data value chains become more ubiquitous, there is a need to unlock data for public purposes and reimagine its governance – to release it from the ill-negotiated monopolies, create societal impact, and empower individuals and communities. Data must be made accessible – to drive innovative, responsive policy solutions and drive the innovation of intelligent products – without compromising individual and community rights, agency, or security.
This balance of societal good, market innovation, and digital rights is at the core of data stewardship apparatuses that are equitable, accountable, and just.
Our Approach
- Create Knowledge:
Deep dive into different sectors to assess the applicability of stewardship and surface use-cases. Analyse design choices for responsible stewardship of data. - Amplify Narratives:
Disseminate and socialise research to build a common understanding of the need and value of data stewardship - Build Communities:
Bring together key stakeholders to share learnings and triangulate solutions toward data stewardship - Translate Theory to Practice:
Establish partnerships to collaboratively pilot and test what it would take to build a steward, assessing best practices and standards
Building an equitable data economy needs to be a collaborative effort between various stakeholders
The Lab adopts a problem-led approach and brings together practitioners, technologists, policymakers, civil society and industry thought leaders – to fuel an engine of implementable policy research and unbundle:
- What does an equitable data economy looks like?
- How can these models be sustainably operated and scaled?
- How can we reimagine the role of individuals, communities, and stewards in the data economy?
- How can we embed better consent and collection mechanisms within the data value chain?
- What does an equitable data economy looks like?
- How can these models be sustainably operated and scaled?
- How can we reimagine the role of individuals, communities, and stewards in the data economy?
- How can we embed better consent and collection mechanisms within the data value chain?
Data Stewardship Explorer
Since 2019, the Data Economy Lab has been studying organizations that act as data intermediaries or stewards of data. Building upon efforts by organizations like Ada Lovelace & Mozilla Foundation, we have compiled information on over 150+ initiatives across the globe – displayed in this repository below.
This repository is currently under development. We’re in the process of building this out further and adding new models – Are we missing something? Write to us at contact@aapti.in to learn more or add an organization
The Digital Public Lab
About
Technology can democratise access, but we need to work for a digital public
In an increasingly digital world, there is a rising need to address the gaps in access between those who have digital infrastructure and literacy, and those who do not. Deploying digital solutions for both public and private processes without acknowledging the realities of those it seeks to serve further deepens existing disparities in access and erodes the gains of technology.
Research and design solutions informed by lived realities
Build robust and tested approaches to enhance use of technology, increase accountability, strengthen governance, and create state capacity. We call these offline architectures.
We prioritize by working with existing offline architecture or intermediaries and streamline their needs
Our research so far
Awareness
Our last mile research pointed us towards breakdowns for access and the need for offline architectures in building the gap.
- Build trust
Offline architectures such as human intermediaries help build trust in institutions for those at the last-mile. - Contribute contextual knowledge
Offline architectures understand the capacity breakdowns and build the ability and agency for those who need it.
Governance
Our research on platform governance pointed us towards the need for including offline architectures to account for governance failures.
- Build accountability in technology deployment
Offline architectures should play significant and formal roles in governance in digital architectures serving society, thus enabling accountability - Empower agency
Offline architectures are important for amplifying key interactions to enhance agency to collaborate with digital architectures.
What the lab aims to do?
Through research, testing, and dialogue we build ways to learn from human and analog mechanisms or offline architectures that support equitable digital access for the most vulnerable pockets of society.
- Research
360 embedded field research to understand breakdowns in technology - Ideate
Brews, roundtables, hackathons and challenges
IMPLEMENT
- Pilot
Surveys, participant observations, experience tracking
- Share
Toolkits, Operating / How to manual
- Fund
Invest capital and resources in ideas that can scale
- Legitimize
Population scaled legacy and legal frameworks
How do we aim to do it?
We researched about problem-led mix of fieldwork & desk-based work and decided to orient ourselves towards solution-generation and testing.
Engagement with government
- Engage with specific line ministries
Findings from specific contexts to relevant line ministries at the State and Central levels
- Embed thinking in govt. for technology
Horizontal thinking on access – systematize process and approach – embed in government
Action on the ground
- Enable and support civil society
Think and do-kits, aggregate findings and solutions across contexts
- Galvanise and delpoy funding
Over time, channel philanthropic and impact investment capital to inclusive, responsible technologies.
