Characteristics of “Walled Garden” Crowdsourcing Platforms for Global Development

Technological advances in distributed labor have made it possible for low-income individuals in developing nations to have access to labor opportunities from around the world. Seeing opportunities to develop skilled labor forces, governments, and private groups are currently seeking to utilize distributed work and increase the prosperity of citizens. In this research in progress, we present a dual case study of two efforts in online outsourcing to aid in job growth, employment of marginalized populations, and participation in the digital economy for two nations, Kenya and Malaysia. We contrast the different approaches based on our initial data collection efforts. More data including documents and interviews will be collected before analysis is complete