Message-ID: <68C1CF70726@fs1.ec.man.ac.uk> Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 11:44:23 BST From: Dr Richard Heeks <mailto:mzdid10@FS1.EC.MAN.AC.UK> Subject: ICTs, Poverty and Development: Online Paper To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
A new online paper is available from the Institute for Development Policy and Management, University of Manchester:"ICTs, Poverty and Development"
Can information and communication technologies (ICTs) help to alleviate poverty in low-income countries?
The paper investigates this question, focusing particularly on the role of ICTs in assisting the development of small and micro-enterprises. The investigation is based on a systemic understanding of both technology and enterprise. This suggests that ICTs will play a role mainly as a communication technology rather than as an information processing or production technology. Serious inequalities exist that constrain the use of ICT-based information by poor entrepreneurs. Information and communication technologies may therefore have a greater role to play in giving 'voice' to the poor; that is, in making the poor information providers more than information recipients.
However, effective application must first overcome the 'ICT fetish' that dominates much development thinking at present, and which creates a series of identified opportunity costs. The paper concludes with a set of development priorities for information and for ICT use in poverty alleviation.
The paper is linked to an online educators' guide of questions and exercises for use with individual or group training.
The paper is available from: http://www.man.ac.uk/idpm/idpm_dp.htm#devinf_wp
--------------------------------------------------------------------- Dr Richard Heeks Senior Lecturer, Information Systems & Development Institute for Development Policy & Management University of Manchester Precinct Centre Manchester M13 9GH U.K. Phone: +44-161-275-2870 Fax: +44-161-273-8829 Email: mailto:richard.heeks@man.ac.uk IDPM Web: http://www.man.ac.uk/idpm ---------------------------------------------------------------------