The Digital Intelligence Index

Last February, I figured out that if the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak lasts longer, it is best to prepare a longer-term shift to remote work. Before the pandemic hit the Philippines, I could already see how it changed the way of life in China and how major hubs, technology companies could seize this opportunity for growth, and for better internet and online services. I even thought that it is time to conduct a work-from-home experiment in Metro Manila to check if servers could handle household demand. Despite the disruption triggered by the pandemic, one trend emerged: digitalization helped people work, learn, shop, and socialize safely during the pandemic and hold on to some normalcy.

The Digital Intelligence Index unveiled by the Fletcher School at Tufts University, in partnership with Mastercard, delineates the progress economies have done in advancing their digitalization, fostering trust and integrating connectivity into the lives of billions. Bhaskar Chakravorti, dean of Global Business at Fletcher, reported, “The pandemic may be the purest test of the world’s progress towards digitalization. We have a clearer view on how dynamic digital economies could contribute to economic resiliency during a time of unparalleled global turmoil and could be positioned for recovery and change.”