Challenges of and opportunities for early-stage applied social science research in the twenty-first century

In large and diverse demographic settings of the Global South such as India, several nations in Africa, and in Latin America, with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI), multiple and unique opportunities are arising for applied social science researchers to create knowledge—opportunities that are difficult to access for researchers from the Global North. This perspective essay lays out the rationale for, examples of, and strategies for such indigenously innovative knowledge creation for early-stage applied social science researchers.