Refugees show pictures of their families as they wait to cross the Slovenia-Austria border. SRDJAN ZIVULOVIC / REUTERS
Refugees show pictures of their families as they wait to cross the Slovenia-Austria border. SRDJAN ZIVULOVIC / REUTERS
CCLP Senior Research Fellow Mark Latonero published a piece in this week’s Foreign Affairs about recent investments from the U.S. State Department and others in mobile apps focused on the refugee crisis – and what impact we can reasonably expect from such initiatives. Latonero, who also leads the Data and Human Rights program at the Data & Society Research Institute in New York City, reflects on the limitations of mobile apps in the context of refugee camps and provides context and recommendations for app developers and funders who want to make a difference:

If an app is to stand a chance of making a real difference, it needs to arise not out of a tech meet-up in New York City but on a field research trip to a refugee camp, where it will be easier to see how mobile phones are actually accessed and used…. Researchers need to put the specific needs of refugee children first—whether economic, psychosocial, emotional, or physical—and work backward to see whether technology can help, if at all. Finally, instead of hosting competitions and events that court tech darlings, the United States and other Western nations should invest in initiatives that identify or train refugees who are educators, students, or engineers and enlist them as key partners in building potential solutions.

Head over to Foreign Affairs for the full article.