[Stack Overflow Podcast] Don’t Build It – Advice on Civic Tech
Ben Popper at Stack Overflow chatted with Innocent Ndubuisi-Obi and Luke Jordan about the unique challenges you face when trying to solve civic problems with software.
The original Stack Overflow podcast #344 is online here. Below is an excerpt from their site.
“We chat with Innocent Ndubuisi-Obi and Luke Jordan about the unique challenges you face when trying to solve civic problems with software. From mesh networks to USSD messaging protocols, they share lessons learned and the tools they would recommend for developers looking to make an impact in their community.
Innocent is a research associate at the MIT GOV/LAB. You can find him on Twitter here.
Luke is the founder and executive director of the civic technology organization Grassroot, and MIT GOV/LAB practitioner-in-residence in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter here.”
Related Work
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        News April 2019Designing Social Impact Metrics for Civic TechnologyBringing together partners from the US (POPVOX) and South Africa (Grassroot), we tested a new format to co-develop metrics and civic technology in an iterative design process. 
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        News April 2021MIT GOV/LAB Digest #7 — Don't Build It: A Civic Tech GuideNewsletter featuring practitioner-in-residence Luke Jordan’s civic tech guide, an update on our anti-racism action plan, research on the pandemic, and more. 
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                    Resources April 2021Don't Build It. A Guide for Practitioners in Civic TechThis guide by practitioner-in-residence Luke Jordan aims to help you avoid bad projects, structure the team right, ship and learn quicker, and mature longer. Available in English, Spanish, and Japanese. 
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        News July 2019Getting to the Grassroot, Leadership Development through Storytelling on WhatsAppA technology platform in South Africa enables community organizers to mobilize more people; next is supporting them to mobilize better. 
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        News May 2020How to Teach Grassroots Organising and Leadership on WhatsAppOur work with Grassroot, teaching community organisers on WhatsApp, was featured on the Mobilisation Lab site. 
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                    Research February 2020A Novel Approach to Civic Pedagogy: Training Grassroots Organizers on WhatsAppResearch results from a collaborative project with Grassroot, a civic technology organization based in South Africa. 
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                    Research October 2020Grassroot: Understanding the Big PictureThis learning case provides an honest reflection on the challenges and successes of MIT GOV/LAB's research collaboration with Grassroot in South Africa. 
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                    Research February 2020Teaching on WhatsApp: Leadership and Storytelling for Grassroots Community OrganizersA how to guide for designing and delivering an interactive training course through online messaging. 
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                    Resources February 2020Teaching on WhatsApp: Leadership and Storytelling for Grassroots Community OrganizersA how to guide for designing and delivering an interactive training course through online messaging. 
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        News April 2021[MIT News] A Guide to When and How to Build Technology for Social GoodThe first lesson? Most of the time, you probably shouldn’t build new civic tech.