With the Internet constantly evolving in its scope and potential, digital technologies powered by the Internet can be powerful in transforming lives, spurring economic growth, and improving development outcomes for emerging and frontier market economies. These countries have an opportunity to partner with private sector actors to pursue the digital transformation of the broader political economy and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. However, there are several impediments to digital transformation, from cybersecurity challenges to a lack of supporting infrastructure and human resources. Moreover, with authoritarian nations promoting models of digital governance that actively seek to undermine liberal democratic institutions, international standard-setting bodies for digital technologies have become critical tools for agencies of change and influence.

CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development has adopted an interdisciplinary approach to these issues and has partnered with thought leaders internally and externally. These partnerships have resulted in bipartisan policy recommendations on the most pressing digital challenges and have outlined how the United States government can seize the opportunity to lead its allies and partners in the digital world and preserve it as a driver of sustained and equitable prosperity worldwide.

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