Digital Contact-Tracing in a Pandemic… We Need One with a Blended Approach

4 Pages Posted: 30 Jun 2020

See all articles by Emmanuel Arakpogun

Emmanuel Arakpogun

The University of Stirling

Ziad El Sahn

Northumbria University

Karla Simone Prime

Northumbria University

Paolo Gerli

Edinburgh Napier University; Edinburgh Napier University

Femi Olan

Northumbria University

Date Written: June 30, 2020

Abstract

Governments across the world are rolling/planning to roll-out digital contact tracing (DCT) to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. However, deploying digital contact-tracing to curtail COVID-19 without recourse to existing structural inequalities, including digital divides, will lead to unintended consequences. Therefore, we propose that while the use of technology is welcomed, governments should bear in mind that exiting structural inequalities, including digital divides, could result in the exclusion of vulnerable people with a myriad of unintended consequences. Accordingly, governments must account for structural inequalities in the design and deployment of DCT to prevent more vulnerable people from falling through the cracks.

Keywords: Blended approach, Contact-tracing, COVID-19, Digital divide, Pandemic, Structural inequalities

JEL Classification: D12, D83, D84, E31, E52, E58

Suggested Citation

Arakpogun, Emmanuel and El Sahn, Ziad and Prime, Karla and Gerli, Paolo and Gerli, Paolo and Olan, Femi, Digital Contact-Tracing in a Pandemic… We Need One with a Blended Approach (June 30, 2020). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3639056 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3639056

Emmanuel Arakpogun (Contact Author)

The University of Stirling ( email )

Stirling Management School
Stirling FK9 4LA
Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA
United Kingdom

Ziad El Sahn

Northumbria University ( email )

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
United Kingdom

Karla Prime

Northumbria University ( email )

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
United Kingdom

Paolo Gerli

Edinburgh Napier University ( email )

Edinburgh, EH10 5LG
United Kingdom

Edinburgh Napier University ( email )

Edinburgh, EH10 5LG
United Kingdom

Femi Olan

Northumbria University ( email )

Newcastle Upon Tyne
Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST
United Kingdom

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