DFS Lab IDEI – Literature Review Report — Final

Motivation:

Policymakers and implementers lack people‑level, cross‑country measures of who actually earns and participates in the digital economy; most datasets track inputs (infrastructure, adoption) rather than livelihoods.

Methods:

A structured review of academic and gray literature, mapped to four domains—readiness, livelihood participation, broader participation, and risks/barriers.

Results:

The report synthesizes evidence that digital livelihoods are more widespread than assumed (with notable inclusion gains for women and lower‑income groups), highlights key risks such as fraud and data exposure, and distills an indicator framework that underpins the IDEI toolkit and survey.

‍View the report