Digital Market: Tool for Poverty Alleviation

Abstract

This study delves into the intricate relationship between digital market solutions and poverty alleviation, specifically focusing on underserved communities in the global South. The persistent poverty traps prevalent in these regions necessitate integrated interventions that foster economic inclusion, sustainable livelihoods, and self-sufficient prosperity. The advent of digital technology adoption presents an infrastructure connectivity and widespread mobile unprecedented opportunity to overcome traditional barriers and uplift marginalized populations. The study argues that digital connectivity serves as a powerful vehicle for empowerment, dissolving geographical barriers and facilitating access to essential information, financial tools, and employment opportunities. It advocates for a market-based approach that recognizes the inherent talents for enterprise within impoverished communities, empowering individuals to direct solutions that meaningfully improve their circumstances. The digital divide dilemma is addressed, acknowledging that the impact data often focuses on those with basic digital literacy, leaving out those at the extreme margins without access to mobile phones or the internet. Design misalignment issues, including language barriers and cumbersome interfaces, are highlighted as potential obstacles to the effectiveness of digital interventions. The study emphasizes the importance of capacity building and localization, advocating for skills training and leadership development within communities to enable them to direct solutions aligned with their priorities. In conclusion, the study asserts that thoughtfully developed digital platforms have the potential to disrupt endemic poverty cycles. However, realizing this potential requires equitable access policies, sustained design optimizations, and participatory capacity building