Biometrics

More from the Series

WORKING PAPERS
Biometric Elections in Poor Countries: Wasteful or a Worthwhile Investment? - Working Paper 435
August 15, 2016
Elections have emerged as a leading area for the application of biometric technology in developing countries, despite its high costs and uncertainty over its effectiveness. This paper finds that a reduction in the probability of post-election violence by only a few percentage points could offset the...
Blog Post
Iris Recognition: Better than Fingerprints and Falling in Price
August 01, 2016
The biometrics revolution has allowed more countries to create strong ID systems for their citizens. These systems have mostly relied on fingerprinting, but with the advent of low-cost, highly effective iris readers this is about to change. 
Blog Post
Why Registration and ID Are Gender Equality Issues
July 11, 2016
CGD, along with Data2X and the World Bank Group, recently hosted an event on the intersections of civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS), legal identification, and gender equality. That sounds like a mouthful, to be sure, but it all comes down to one simple idea: both men and ...
CGD NOTES
Using Identification for Development: Some Guiding Principles
February 22, 2016
There is growing recognition of the importance of identification for sustainable development. Its role is recognized formally in target 16.9 of the Sustainable Development Goals, which calls for providing “legal identity for all, including through birth registration” by 2030. Identificat...
Blog Post
Finding the Missing Millions: Identity and the SDGs
November 11, 2015
Some 2.4 billion people lack widely-recognized forms of legal identity.  Over 600 million are children whose births have not been registered.  How can wider access to identity – now recognized for the first time as a development goal in SDG target 16.9 -- help to achieve the SDG...
Blog Post
"Every SDG Target Needs a Form of Identification" – Podcast with Alan Gelb and Mariana Dahan
November 03, 2015
Imagine the panic and frustration you’d feel if you lost your passport or driver’s license. They are basic proofs of identity that we – in the developed world – readily use to access a huge range of services from getting on a plane, to opening a bank account, to proving our e...
Blog Post
Addis Reminds Us Why Identification Is Critical to Achieving the SDGs
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Mariana Dahan
July 17, 2015
Meeting the staggering but achievable needs of the SDG agenda requires everyone to make the best use of each dollar from every source. This means tracking with precision where, when and to whom has the money been disbursed and for what development end.  It requires knowing precisely who the ben...