"This book takes the mystery out of ICT policy and makes it easier to understand. Key issues are presented and explained clearly and concisely, and a basis is provided for further investigation. Many concrete examples are given of recent events or debates, which the reader can explore further if so
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inclined. Having read it, you will be able to identify the main actors and issues in the field. If you wish to find out more about ICT policy, you will know where to look for the information, beginning with the extensive bibliography and list of organisations active in the field. In short, this book aims to build the capacity of interested persons to understand the issues around policy on ICT development and regulation, to grasp the policy process, and to become involved in it. It is a beginner’s handbook, which can help readers navigate their way through the varied terrain of ICT policy. It is not a map but a compass." (Introduction, page 5)
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"Volume 2 examines the setting, operations, and effects of community telecentres. It describes the telecentre experiences of a variety of local and often rural communities, exploring the management structures and mechanisms that have been established to support these telecentres. The book provides p
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rofiles of telecentre usage and discusses the potential and challenges of setting up and maintaining community telecentres in the context of poor information infrastructure and limited human capacity. It will be useful for researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and development practitioners and professionals with interests or active programs in the area of "ICT for development," particularly those with a focus on universal access and universal-service or public-access centres. It will also be a very useful reference tool for scholars, students, and academics." (Publisher description)
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"Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly seen as integral to the development process. This paper reviews some of the evidence for the link between telecommunications and the Internet and economic growth, the likely impact of the new ICTs on income inequality and anecdotal
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evidence regarding the role of the Internet in improving government services and governance. It looks at methods to maximize access to the new ICTs, and improve their development impact both in promoting income generation and the provision of quality services." (Abstract)
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"The concept of multi-stakeholder partnership (MSP) as an instrument for achieving development goals is sound, particularly when stakeholders with unique complementary strengths or core competencies add value to development efforts and pool their resources and assets in solving problems. But while m
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any laud the virtues of MSPs, most are struggling to make them work. The central challenge seems to revolve around the nurturing of a working relationship based on trust, mutual respect, open communication, and understanding among stakeholders about each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Stakeholders from each sector bring their own organisational mandates, interests, competencies and weaknesses to partnerships. Without open acknowledgement of these factors, and without processes in place to facilitate negotiations among stakeholders for optimal outcomes, effective MSPs will not emerge [...] Knowledge about MSPs as reflected in the contents of this publication is not perfect. It is meant to trigger debate and to serve as an open invitation for all stakeholders with MSP experiences in the area of ICT4D to share their perspectives and knowledge on the subject. What the GKP would like to obtain is a thorough and comprehensive understanding of how MSPs work and can be made to work effectively – knowledge which we ultimately intend to share with the rest of the world. The GKP is the world’s first MSP operating at the global level in the area of ICT for Development. It precedes the G8 Digital Opportunities Task Force (DOT Force) and the Digital Opportunities Initiative (DOI)." (Pages iii-iv)
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"This publication by the Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) highlights initiatives that are using Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to make a real and meaningful difference in communities around the world, no matter how disadvantaged or isolated they may be. These stories on Youth, P
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overty and Gender are snapshots of the learning process that accompanies the introduction and implementation of ICTs in a community development project. In publishing these stories, the GKP hopes to share experiences and lessons learned to increase global understanding of how ICTs can be used to tackle poverty, injustice and inequalities. Conceptually, the idea of knowledge sharing and 'storytelling' underpins all of GKP programmes and projects. Good success stories have the ability to inspire and motivate communities. This is what the GKP hopes will happen when we award and recognise communities which have used ICT to uplift and empower themselves. [...] The stories were submitted under three broad categories: Youth, Poverty and Gender. The best among them have been selected for the inaugural GKP Youth Award, the Tony Zeitoun Awards for poverty reduction, and the Gender and ICT Awards. The awards will be presented at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) to be held in Geneva in December 2003." (Foreword)
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"The Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) Program Area is one of the three (3) principal program lines at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The programming includes elements all of which are at or near their mid-point of current tenure. Within the Co
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rporate Strategic Program Framework, the ICT4D Program Area is to principally address issues relating to connectivity and information economy in the developing world. Subsequent research themes approved by the Board of Governors include poverty reduction, people development, networks, learning and development and partnerships. The issue of gender is also a cross-cutting theme within the Program Area. The report which follows describes how the program elements are performing, the nature of their activities and what new undertakings have been generated. As well, the report addresses the complex, but crucial, objective of Capacity Building. A vision of what steps lie ahead for this programming at IDRC is also offered." (Executive summary, page 5)
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"This OECD-DAC Donor Information and Communication Technologies Strategies Matrix CD-Rom presents the latest information on how bilateral and multilateral donors [21 OECD countries and 25 multilateral organizations] have mainstreamed information and communication technologies (ICT) in their developm
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ent assistance programmes in order to more effectively and efficiently achieve development goals, particularly the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This new compilation exercise builds on two previous ones: the first was conducted jointly by the OECD-DCD and IDRC in February 2001, the second was carried out by the OECD-DCD in February 2003. This latest version, prepared as a contribution to the first phase of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), is not only updated, it is also enriched with the inclusion of a large number of strategy papers and other related documents." (Introduction)
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