About the Event
The Center for Emerging Markets hosted Mark Esposito for a conversation on his 2025 book, Digitalization in Emerging Economies. Drawing from real-world case studies and global research, Esposito explored how digital technologies are transforming emerging markets, the critical role of government policies in shaping digital ecosystems, and strategies for leveraging digitalization to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in a rapidly changing world.
About Mark Esposito
Mark Esposito, Teaching Professor of International Business & Strategy at Northeastern University's D'Amore-McKim School of Business, is a globally recognized scholar, educator, and practitioner at the forefront of technology, economics, and public policy. He specializes in the Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence, with expertise that spans academia, international organizations, and the private sector. In addition to his role at Northeastern, he holds research appointments at Harvard University and the University of Cambridge. At Harvard, his affiliations include the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School; the Center for International Development at Harvard Kennedy School, and the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.
Mark Esposito is closely connected to policy and innovation initiatives worldwide: he is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global AI Alliance and Fostering Converging Technologies group, and has been a Fellow at the Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Government in Dubai since 2017. He has advised government agencies in the Gulf Cooperation Council and Eurasia, and for over a decade, co-led the Institutes Council on Microeconomics of Competitiveness at Harvard Business School under Professor Michael Porter. He was also the founding director of the Circular Economy Research Center at Cambridge Judge Business School, where he remains a Senior Associate.
An accomplished entrepreneur, he co-founded Nexus FrontierTech, an influential machine learning research firm, as well as The Chart ThinkTank and the AI Native Foundation. He currently serves as Chief Economist of micro1, a Silicon Valley AI lab. Recognized by Thinkers50 Radar in 2016 as one of the world's top 30 business thinkers, he is a widely published author with over 150 publications, both peer-reviewed and non-peer-reviewed, and 13 books. He holds a doctoral degree from École des Ponts ParisTech in France, the world's oldest civil engineering school.
About the Book
The big tech revolution has transformed everyday lives across the developed world, but what about the Global South? Digitalization in Emerging Economies offers a comprehensive exploration of how mobile technology, internet connectivity, e-commerce platforms, and digital payment systems are creating a paradigm shift in emerging markets.
This book examines digitalization's transformative potential for businesses, governments, and individuals in developing economies. It highlights both the opportunities—improved access to services, economic growth, and innovation—and the challenges: privacy concerns, cybersecurity threats, and the persistent digital divide.
Through rigorous analysis, Esposito and his co-authors explore:
- The drivers and barriers of digital adoption in the Global South
- The effects of digitalization on industries and labor markets
- The critical role of government policies and digital governance
- Strategies for leveraging digital technologies to achieve inclusive, sustainable development
Digitalization in Emerging Economies is essential reading for anyone navigating the digital landscape in a rapidly changing world and seeking to understand how technology can bridge or widen global inequalities.
Published by Cambridge University Press, March 2025
About the Nardone Family Seminar Series
Made possible by a gift from David R. Nardone, the Nardone Family Seminar Series at the Center for Emerging Markets brings academics and practitioners to Northeastern University to share insights about emerging markets with the Boston community.
The longtime series has hosted over 150 speakers since the Center for Emerging Markets' inception, thanks to Nardone's support. Speakers have discussed topics ranging from family business to climate resilience, fintech trends to medical innovation, corporate governance to international policy, and more. These speakers have similarly come to CEM from a diverse array of academic and professional backgrounds and have shared their knowledge on research, trends, and innovations touching nearly every continent.