The Power of Specialized Search Engines in Global Poverty Alleviation

This presentation will examine the political and ethical dimensions of specialized search engines that enable donors to sort through large numbers of projects or initiatives and decide which ones to support, such as Kiva and Global Giving. These search engines are often lauded for “cutting out the middle man,” empowering both donors and recipients, and creating connections among far-flung individuals and groups. I argue that the situation is far more complicated. Specialized search engines are themselves complex sites of power that “educate” and incentivize both those who solicit funds and those who donate in various ways. We need to critically examine both the lessons they teach and the forms of organizing and action that they do—and don’t—support. Doing so requires drawing on but also going beyond recent theoretical accounts of power, such as Sharon Krause’s concept of “non-sovereign agency.”