A Balancing Act: Collecting Data For Social Good In An Age Of Privacy Concerns

This case-let presents a brief analytical report on air pollution in India, focussing on the implications for Delhi and its citizenry. It engages with causal linkages between multiple phenomena in the context and captures some regional responses that have attempted to address the problem in other parts of Asia. The case-let illustrates how domain experts interpret the problem at hand, and the nature of experiences of citizens who were interviewed by various news agencies reporting on the subject between 2018 and 2019. The case-let offers insights into the nature of the relationship between different variables that define the context within which the problem of air pollution is located. It presents an opportunity for learners to engage in a system-mapping exercise, using tools of inquiry and analysis introduced as part of the course on Systems Thinking and Intervention Design.