"This volume juxtaposes the global discourse on ICT-D and telecentres with in-depth empirical case studies on the pattern of access and use of telecenters in rural India to draw implications for policy and practice. It suggest that access and use of telecentres and their services are mediated by the
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multiple contexts in which they are embedded. While they provide opportunities for people to interact with new technologies, their impact has been mainly in terms of convenience provided by some of the services vis-a-vis existing alternate channels. Particular telecentre models have brought about some change, but this is only when there was a match between the services provided and the local demand for particular information and services. The delivery structure services in terms of user fee, need for reading and computing skills, and linkages with existing institutional context have further shaped access and use. The efficacy of telecentres in generating new jobs in rural areas, increasing efficiency and reach of e-Governance and other basic services, enhancing livelihoods and the well-being of the people, and overcoming the rural-urban divide has been limited." (Publisher description)
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"ICT Development for Social and Rural Connectedness provides an introduction to the concept of 'connectedness', and explores how this socio-psychological term has evolved during the age of the Internet. The book surveys the principles of ICT for development (ICTD), and closely examines how ICT has p
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layed a pivotal role in the rural community development of various countries. To highlight the continued benefits of ICT in these regions, the book presents an in-depth case study that analyzes the connectedness within the rural internet centers of Malaysia." (Publisher description)
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"This publication covers five different projects carried out in six different locations. There were two projects in Bolivia, one focusing on empowering female indigenous leaders and the other provided female victims of domestic violence with a safe virtual environment where they could receive suppor
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t and exchange experiences and information. Another project was carried out in two separate countries on the coast of the Indian Ocean. The project focused on ecological sustainability, diversification of livelihood, basic training in ICT and focused primarily on women’s self-help groups in Kenya and India. In Rwanda the project focus was on integrating ICT into women’s basket weaving practices in order to explore the opportunities of an online presence as well as the preservation of traditional practices. A research project in Vietnam focused on the consideration given to gender in the development of ICT." (Page 5)
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"This book brings together several key anthropologists working with digital culture to demonstrate just how productive an anthropological approach to the digital has already become. Through a range of case studies from Facebook to Second Life to Google Earth, Digital Anthropology explores how human
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and digital can be defined in relation to one another, from avatars and disability; cultural differences in how we use social networking sites or practise religion; the practical consequences of the digital for politics, museums, design, space and development to new online world and gaming communities. The book also explores the moral universe of the digital, from new anxieties to open-source ideals. Digital Anthropology reveals how only the intense scrutiny of ethnography can overturn assumptions about the impact of digital culture and reveal its profound consequences for everyday life." (Publisher description)
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"ICTs and Development in India' is a unique attempt to study the nature and consequences of the growing presence of Information Technology in development projects in India." (Publisher description)
"The Gender, Agriculture and Rural Development in the Information Society (GenARDIS) small grants fund was initiated in 2002 to support work on gender-related issues in information and communications technologies for the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions. GenARDIS recognises the constraints and
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challenges encountered by rural women, and has disbursed small grants to diverse and innovative projects in order to counter these barriers, to document the process and results, and to contribute to more gender-aware ICT policy advocacy. GenARDIS has supported projects which are as diverse as the countries where they are located. Over the years, GenARDIS has learned from and documented projects such as women’s community radio drama groups, pest control through information access, and using technology to promote women’s inheritance and land rights. Grantees have supported deaf women in Ethiopia to generate their own income through digital photography, and enabled rural mothers to earn additional income for their families because they can market to buyers from outside their community. In some areas, women small farmers are no longer being taken advantage of by the middleman as they now get a fair price for their crops by sending a simple SMS." (Pages 5-6)
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"The report draws on the experiences of projects using mobile phone-based information and communication technologies (ICT) applications in a number of situations, including mobile monitoring and evaluation, m-banking, community development, literacy, anti-corruption, agricultural extension and agric
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ultural value chain information and access." (Introduction)
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"Based on the above preliminary research on the current status of the digital divide, latest and emerging technologies, and ICT for development initiatives in Asia and the Pacific, this report concludes that the LDCs, LLDCs and SIDS still face numerous difficulties in terms of implementation of ICT
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initiatives, introducing ICT access and assessing the ICT access need of people in the region. This report then recommends holistic and comprehensive ICT implementation approaches among the developing countries of Asia and the Pacific, namely 1) reinforcing regional cooperation initiatives, 2) adopting appropriate technologies and maximizing the benefits of existing infrastructure and initiatives, and 3) raising public awareness." (Conclusion, page 26)
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"This study presents data on the outputs of an international development project called Establishing the Effective Use of ICTs in Education for All in Cambodia. A main component of this project was to teach all teacher trainers how to use basic ICTs. This article presents the achievements of the pro
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ject juxtaposed with a study of the factors that either inhibited or motivated the teacher trainers' choice to adopt use of these ICT skills. This project was implemented by both UNESCO and the Cambodian Ministry of Education. Analyses were conducted on 379 surveys, 17 interviews, UNESCO project documents, and Cambodian Ministry of Education documents." (Abstract)
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"This report is an outcome evaluation of the UNDP MCO Samoa’s ICT for Development (ICT4D) project operating in the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa from 2005-8. The consultant Robert Boase of Canada evaluated the project from November 18 to December 20, 2008 with one week missions to each country and
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writing up the report back in Samoa. General findings in this project are summarized below: ICT is still relatively new in the islands and it faces formidable challenges - ICT4D is both a great challenge and an opportunity; The vulnerability of the Internet hardware in these small island states due to cyclones, power surges and power outages that can damage network hardware such as a server; The limitation of human resources both for developing and servicing the ICT systems on the supply side and for using this technology by public servants and the general public on the other hand; The cost of developing, operating and maintaining these systems on limited government budgets; The sluggishness of the Internet both in connectivity and in data transfer that frustrates more sophisticated users and consumes inordinate amounts of time; The technology has jumped out ahead of many neophytes’ ability to use it. What is needed now is a focus on building computer literacy; It is premature to talk of these projects’ contribution toward the UNDP global objective of poverty reduction. The internet is still the domain of the educated and privileged in these societies; The intended outcomes for these projects are basically irrelevant to the actual situation on the ground; The delays in UNDP quarterly advances has impeded project implementation in all three projects; Project Managers’ accountability in the three projects was lacking. Without accountability projects tend to drift off target and fall behind schedule and this is what happened with all three projects." (Executive summary)
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"This unique book presents extensive analysis and discussion from the Pan-Asia ICT R&D Grants Programme covering 56 projects in 18 countries across Asia-Pacific. In addition to inputs from the ICT4D project heads, the book features insights from 6 ICT experts who personally visited these projects fo
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r assessments, as well as the key take-aways from a 3-day Learning Forum bringing all project heads and assessment experts together with donors and sponsors of this ambitious ICT4D initiative. What have been the key contributions of ICTs to development projects in healthcare, education, gender equity, agriculture, environment, disaster management and policy research? How can such ICT4D projects reach sustainability, replicability and scalability? What are the challenges involved in capacity building and execution for such social entrepreneurship projects? And what new horizons open up for these regional initiatives in the future? These are the key questions addressed in this publication. The book also provides valuable insights into the passion, motivation and experience shared readily by the ICT4D practitioners across the region. And on a lighter note, it also captures some of the amusing and humorous anecdotes along the way which make ICT4D such a human adventure at the end of the day! The book also has a companion CD and Web site with a wealth of information for ICT4D practitioners, donors and researchers, including video interviews, assessment surveys, and worksheets." (Back cover)
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