[June 21, 2010]

Technology's Power to Transform the Lives of the Poor Revealed in New Study by the Rockefeller Foundation and Monitor's Global Business Network

From solar panels and mobile phones to genetically engineered seeds and cutting-edge medical devices, new technologies are playing an increasingly critical role in international development, and are working to alter the landscape of possibility in places where possibilities were once scarce.

While it's understood that technology will shape and possibly revolutionize the futures of developing nations in the years to come, inevitably there will be many new and unforeseen paths and turns throughout the journey. But, without a clearly defined destination, how can organizations devoted to improving living standards and livelihoods throughout the developing world position themselves to identify and spread technologies that improve lives in poor communities?

That is the question that the Rockefeller Foundation asked Global Business Network (GBN), a member of the Monitor Group, to help it explore using scenario planning. On May 25, the results of this year-long collaboration were published in a joint report, titled, "The Future o Technology and International Development."

Through research, interviews and workshops, GBN and the Foundation drew on the experience and expertise of a range of Foundation staff, Foundation grantees and external experts from all over the world. This multi-faceted process contributed to the development of four very different-yet very possible-worlds in which philanthropies could find themselves operating:

Lock Step - A world with tighter top-down government control and more authoritarian leadership, which offers limited innovation and growing citizen pushback. In this scenario, technological innovation is largely driven by government and is focused on issues of national security and health and safety. It's a challenging world for philanthropy, requiring heightened diplomacy skills and the ability to operate in extremely divergent environments.

Clever Together - A world in which highly coordinated and successful strategies emerge to address both urgent and entrenched worldwide issues. Strong global cooperation, investment and transparency drive and spread technological breakthroughs to combat disease, climate change and energy shortages. Highly networked philanthropies partner with governments and one another to address the needs of the bottom billion.

Hack Attack - An economically unstable and shock-prone world in which governments weaken, criminals thrive and dangerous innovations emerge. Obstacles to market access and knowledge creation and sharing slow the pace of technological innovation, much of which focuses on security. "Guerilla philanthropy" aims to promote stability and addressing basic survival needs.

Smart Scramble - An economically depressed world that forces individuals and communities develop localized, makeshift solutions to address a growing set of national and international problems. As economic and political instability fracture the developed world, immigrants return home to apply and share their knowledge and skills. Philanthropies fund at the grassroots level to foster and scale solutions to short-term problems.

GBN chairman and project participant Peter Schwartz dubbed the project both inspired and ambitious, adding that, "The Foundation has stretched its thinking far beyond theoretical models of technology innovation and diffusion in order to imagine how technology could actually change the lives of people from many walks of life."

Judith Rodin, president of the Foundation and also a participant in the process said, "I hope this publication makes clear exactly why my colleagues and I are so excited about the promise of using scenario planning to develop robust strategies and offer a refreshing viewpoint on the possibilities that lie ahead."

The full report can be found: www.rockefellerfoundation.org

GBN Chairman Peter Schwartz and Co-president Andrew Blau, the project leader, are available for comment. Please contact Nancy Murphy, Head of Communications, at 415-932-5365 or [email protected].

From the Rockefeller Foundation, President Judith Rodin and Managing Director for Research, Claudia Juech are available for comment. Please contact Teresa Wells, 212-852-8304 or [email protected].

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6333584&lang=en

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