The World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives will examine the tremendous potential of the changing data landscape to improve the lives of poor people but also opens backdoors that can harm people, businesses and societies. It will begin by describing the ways in which data can be used more effectively to improve development outcomes through better public policies, program design and service delivery in addition to improved market efficiency and job creation through more private sector growth. The focus of the report will be on how data can benefit poor people in poor countries and a central message will be that much of the value of data is untapped, waiting to be realized. The second part of the report will focus on issues of governance, law and policy that can enable the realization of the potential benefits while safeguarding against the harmful outcomes.
