Big Data and Analytics has found a formidable advocate in Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.
In 2012 she had helped establish a an initiative called Data 2x that intends to harness data-driven research and solutions to improve the lives of women and girls globally. At an event in New York City on Monday to venerate the efforts of this partnership, she was on stage with former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, speaking extensively about this effort and less of White House politics:
“I wanted to comb through all the data that had been collected by our own government, by institutions such as the World Bank and the IMF, to build a case strong enough to convince the skeptics, based on hard data and clear-eyed analysis, that creating opportunities for women and girls across the globe directly supports everyone’s security and prosperity, and therefore should be an enduring part of our diplomacy and development work.”
“I got tired of seeing otherwise thoughtful people smile and nod when I raised these issues, foreign leaders, business executives, even senior officials in our own government,” she further added, reminiscing about her time as secretary of State.
She believes that good decisions in government, business and life are based on evidence rather than ideology or gut feelings.
Data2X brings together individuals from various fields and organisations like World Bank, UN Foundation, UN Global Pulse, University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA), etc. as volunteers, team members and advisers for its cause.
(Image credit: Kathleen Tyler Conklin)
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