The Inclusive Digital Model (IDMODEL) project targeted young people and women, who are often marginalised and excluded from market participation due to unequal access to education, resources and information. Finding a way to help these groups develop income-generating activities is an important element in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals’ ambition of ‘leaving no-one behind’.

While digital business models have the potential to enhance the capabilities of small-business owners and drive economic growth, there are a number of gaps in our understanding of how this process works. The IDMODEL project brought together research from the fields of technology, development studies and responsible business studies in an effort to fill these gaps. 

The project developed, tested and finalised the model and explored the impact it has on jobs, income creation and building capabilities for poorer and neglected segments of societies. It also examined what institutional and regulatory conditions the model needs to succeed, and how it can be scaled up and potentially replicated in other developing countries, reflecting on the role the state, multinational enterprises and civil society might play in the process.

Researchers