Understanding the international ICT and development discourse: assumptions and implications (original) (raw)
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ICT and Development: East is East and West is West and Never the Twain Shall Meet
Seventh International Working Conference of the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP), Working Group 9.4, Proceedings, 2002
Huge amount of investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries, mainly through aid and assistance from donor agencies, have failed to realize the dream of helping these countries achieve national development. We argue that this is attributable to two main reasons: flawed conceptualization of basic concepts of ICT, development, and the interrelationship between the two, and ill-formulated development intervention strategies. In this paper, we suggest alternative conceptualizations of these concepts and examine a policy document of a specific donor agency - Norway's Norad - to illustrate our contentions. In light of our analysis, we offer some insights for ICT and national development.
ICT and Development: East is East and West is West and the Twain May Yet Meet
The Digital Challenge: Information Technology in the Development Context, 2004
Huge amount of investment in information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries, mainly through aid and assistance from donor agencies, have failed to realize the dream of helping these countries achieve national development. We argue that this is attributable to two main reasons: (1) flawed conceptualization of basic concepts of ICT, development, and the interrelationship between the two, and (2) ill-formulated development intervention strategies. In this paper, we suggest alternative conceptualizations of these concepts and examine the evolution of ICT policy in a specific donor agency – the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) – to illustrate our contentions. In light of our analysis, we offer some insights for ICT and national development.
ICT in Development: A Contextual Approach
Indian Journal of Human Development, 2018
The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) in economic development is a topic that still raises contention. The view held commonly among global development institutionsthe World Bank, UN, The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and so on-is that it plays a positive role. Within a new approach to the role of knowledge in economic development, stress is laid on how to bridge the gap between technologically advanced countries (TACs) where ICT use is widespread and less developed countries (LDCs) where shortage or lack of access to it is perceived as an impediment to growth and development. While agreeing, in principle, with a positive viewpoint on ICT in economic development, this essay takes a different approach; it seeks to analyse the contextual adaptations of ICT use rather than its use ipso facto leading to a positive outcome. It is argued that ICT use adapts itself to the socio-organizational design of work in an LDC rather than transforming it. Further, to bring this technological change, a much more hands-on approach in ICT service production and dissemination would be required instead of these countries functioning as mere recipients of arm's length ICT services.
Revisiting the Role of ICT in Development
2007
It is now widely accepted that Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have an important role in national development. However, the nature of the link between the two remains unclear. Much of this state is due to lack of clarity on how ICT is conceptualized in this context. While some conceptual frameworks have been proposed, they lack important aspects that can give a more comprehensive picture. In this paper, we attempt to further clarify how ICT is conceptualised in development. Using secondary data, we evaluate two conceptual frameworks that bring together the range of views of ICT, their manifold impacts, and the assumptions and perspectives of the range of actors in any given development project that involves ICT. The specific case we examine is an e-Government initiative called e-Seva in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. We found that even when using the two frameworks in conjunction, many aspects of the ICT initiatives remain unclear. We suggest ways of combining different frameworks to provide a sharper lens to give us a better understanding of why ICT for development projects may fail or succeed.
2008
The panel will bring together scholars of information with training in computer science, economics, cultural studies, and the interdisciplinary social sciences to explicitly probe into the relationships held between information and technology initiatives and international development studies. The scholars presenting are leading voices conducting global applied research that concurrently consider social, cultural, economic, and technological factors. We believe that this interdisciplinary set of short presentations can stimulate an important dialogue related to the emergent relationships held between information and the over 70% of the world that still lacks routinized access to digital technologies and the internet. The presenters shall be:
Exploring the Role of ICT in Development: An International Perspective, A Panel Discussion
2007
This panel will bring together a range of experts from around the world to explore the potential role of information and communications technologies (ICT) in socio-economic development. The panel will be highly interactive with each panellist speaking for a short period, which will then be followed by comments from fellow panellists and the audience. The session will be formulated as a series of topical debates on ICT and development with each panellist taking on a particular perspective, drawing from a range of national and regional contexts.
The link between ICT and economic growth in the discourse of development %28LSERO%29
In this paper, I examine the validity of the relationship between ICT and economic development that has been constructed in the discourse of some influential international development organizations. I argue that the tool-and-effect association suggested in such discourse is dubious and misleading. It is based on narrow economic theory and ignores both the controversies that surround it and empirical evidence of alternative development policies. I point out that the policy analyses and recommendations of major development organizations influence the interventions of information systems professionals in developing countries with misguided perceptions and prescriptions that stifle the undertaking of situated efforts to put ICT to effective use.
ICT for Development: Illusions, Promises, Challenges, and Realizations
In this chapter we will critically examining some of the illusions, promises, challenges, and realizations of the Information Society. Handed down from the past are specific myths that may create illusions in the present and promises for the future that in effect will hamper the realization of the Information Society in its most promising forms.
Connecting ICTs to Development: The IDRC experience
Over the past two decades, projects supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) have critically examined the ways in which information and communications technologies (ICTs) can be used to improve learning, empower the disenfranchised, generate income opportunities for the poor, and facilitate access to healthcare in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. Considering that most development institutions and governments are currently attempting to integrate ICTs into their practices, it is an opportune time to reflect on the research findings that have emerged from IDRC’s work and research in this area. “Connecting ICTs to Development” discusses programmatic investments made by IDRC in a wide variety of areas related to ICTs, including infrastructure, access, regulations, health, governance, education, livelihoods, social inclusion, technical innovation, intellectual property rights and evaluation. Each chapter in this book analyzes the ways in which resea...
Science Technology and Society, 2008
Historically, capitalism has been characterized by socio-spatial unevenness and information capitalism is no exception. To that extent, it is relevant to ask who is served by ‘development’ projects in the ‘information age’? In the context of information and communication (ICT) deployments in development projects, in particular, it is critical to ask: ICTs for whom? This essay argues that the development of standards is an important factor in influencing who benefits from ICTs. While standards can deliver long-run aggregate benefits, the extent of benefits will depend on the trade-offs that standardization entails. Since standards draw boundaries between those who conform and those who do not, there is a trade-off between aggregate benefits and the creation of individual winners and losers. There is another trade-off, between a narrow focus required for rationalizing processes, and the need to retain wider context and diversity. In other words, the outcomes of the deployment of ICTs for development are shaped by these trade-offs and reflect the social contestation over the choice of standards.