Authors: Avi Krish Bedi | Rafaela Marinho
Updating International Geneva to the Data-driven Era (Briefing Paper #12)
2018
In this briefing paper, Ms Rafaela Marinho and Mr Avi Krish Bedi outline their research on how international organisations (IOs) in Geneva address and use big data in their work.
They find that:
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- IOs are part of the big data movement, where data is becoming more abundant and easily accessible. However, they are engaging with big data for different reasons and to varying extents.
- IOs are clearly part of the so-called ‘big data revolution’ but under particular conditions. Their engagement with big data is new for most of them. However, they do not necessarily see this as a revolutionary development. Rather, they are pragmatic and cost-benefit oriented.
- The research showed that organisations’ mandates take priority over the hype-factor of using any new tool such as big data.
- There is doubtless potential for big data’s use in IOs, but this potential will only be harnessed if they adopt clear policy and mandates.