"ICT has been widely used to positively affect economic development. Its applications provide access to worldwide information and allow for collaboration between people on different continents. Greater access to information and opportunities for collaboration can create job opportunities, 28 transfe
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r of skills, and greater efficiency and transparency in politics and business. This paper focuses on the linkage between ICT and output growth and summarizes the findings in the literature on the contributions to labor productivity growth from ICT-related capital deepening and ICT production. In developing countries, due to resource constraints, ICT’s contribution to overall economic growth is limited. Many developing countries face challenges because of their relatively small ICT investment and limited ability to achieve high ICT investment returns. Yet, opportunities exist to: strengthen institutions to create a business climate that attracts investment and promotes use; exploit network and spillover effects by creating domestic demand; promote “adaptation close to use” to match local potential and local needs. Implementing these policies would contribute to increased investment flows, greater returns on investments and sustainable economic growth. Moreover, ICTs can be used as tools to broaden, enrich and enlighten people and institutions in a way that expedites overall economic development." (Conclusion)
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"Public broadcasting has a lot of friends in the world today - but they do not always seem to be loving quite the same thing, and certainly not for the same reasons. For some, the term merely refers to radio and television which is not commercial, following the common distinction between public and
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private enterprises. For others it means a service provided to the public - much like public schools or public health facilities. And just as there is general agreement that these will be provided by the state for the benefit of all citizens, the same is taken to apply to broadcasting. Terms like national broadcaster or state broadcaster or public broadcaster are thus used interchangeably, as if they all denoted one and the same thing. For yet another group of friends, public broadcasting is the natural home of all that is great and good and worthy on the airwaves, far removed from the plain offerings of commercialism and entertainment. This Tool Box will dissect some of these myths and misperceptions, so that an informed debate can be held on what exactly public broadcasting is all about, and to assist its real friends in civil society in their advocacy work. It will describe more precisely what makes a public broadcaster the very opposite of a state broadcaster, what it can do and should be doing, and how it will be controlled, financed, organised and run in order to succeed." (Pages 3-4)
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"This paper focuses on the role that information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play in improving gender equality, so as to enhance long-term economic growth. Employing OLS and IV panel regressions with country fixed-effects, the paper shows that increases in the level of ICT infrastructu
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re tend to improve gender equality in education and employment. In addition, it shows that education among the general population is important for improving gender equality. The results provide evidence indicating that gender equality in education is an important contributor to gender equality in employment. Lastly, the results show that economic development itself tends to lead to some improvements in gender equality in the labor market. Hence, the use of ICTs to improve gender equality in education and employment may initiate a continuous cycle of positive reinforcing feedback effects between gender equality in employment and economic development, leading to further improvements in both." (Abstract)
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"1. USAID media assistance was effective in promoting and strengthening independent media [...] 2. Comprehensive training programs had multiplier effects on upgrading the professional skills of journalists and instilling the norms of free press. But they suffered from implementation problems [...] 3
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. The economic sustainability of the independent media outlets remained a major problem [...] 4. Progress promoting legal and regulatory reforms was slow and halting [...] 5. Donor coordination of media assistance was limited except in crisis situations [...] 6. USAID has not focused on community radio stations, which can promote both democracy and development in poor countries [...] 7. Built-in safeguards to ensure the independence and integrity of media programs from political manipulation and interference worked well [...] 8. Independent media building has served U.S. national interests." (Executive summary)
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"In May 2003, UNESCO and Sida jointly organized a seminar on ”Assistance to Media in Tension Areas and Violent Conflict”, bringing together a select number of NGOs, UN agencies and donors for two main purposes: first, to discuss various experiences and perspectives on assistance to media in conf
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lict situations and, second, to highlight the key issues relevant to conflict management and media support. The seminar, held in Vaxholm outside Stockholm, generated a number of recommendations that aimed at combining conflict management strategies and press freedom principles. These recommendations will be incorporated into the planning process leading up to World Press Freedom Day 2004, to be organized by UNESCO in Belgrade on 3 May 2004. In addition, they will be included in follow up donor discussions. A comprehensive discussion paper was produced as background for the seminar’s deliberations. The booklet before you is a compilation of the discussion papers produced for the seminar, reflecting the outcomes of the discussions." (Foreword)
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"USAID’s assistance to the media sector, implemented through the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), directly contributed to the creation and continued functioning of two Kosovo-wide independent television stations, the terrestrial transmission network, and the news agency KosovaLiv
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e. Continued high levels of effort focused on TV21 and KTV, however, have overshadowed other important aspects of its Kosovo Independent Media Program (KIMP). This also created a continuing sense of entitlement by the larger recipients that has negated, to a large extent, IREX efforts to help them become self-sufficient and to improve the quality of their product. With the significant reduction in funding expected by USAID/Kosovo to implement its 2004-2008 strategy, the Assessment Team recommends that USAID refocus its assistance on strengthening the media as an integral system¾one that provides timely and quality information to citizens and which fulfills the media’s critical watchdog role." (Executive summary, pages iv-v)
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"This study proposes four focus areas for support to the media in these provinces including: Strengthening the Media Environment; Developing Professional Skills and Resources; Facilitating Information Flows and Access; Supporting Community-based Communication." (Recommendations, page 50)
"Comment appuyer plus efficacement la professionnalisation des médias ? Nos propositions n’ont finalement rien de très spécifique au secteur des médias : la plupart des problèmes relevés ici se posent de façon à peu près identique dans d’autres secteurs de l’aide au développement. Qu
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atre points nous paraissent fondamentaux : Concevoir les appuis à partir d’une vision d’ensemble du secteur, quand bien même ces appuis sont de faible ampleur; S’engager sur la durée pour accompagner la professionnalisation du secteur; Renforcer la presse en tant que secteur économique; Enfin, assumer le fait que certaines fonctions collectives et transversales ne peuvent être autofinancées." (Synthèse)
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"The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) regards this brochure as a document for discussion and orientation on the growing importance of information – and especially access to information – in international development cooperation. This document seeks to establish a framework for
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stimulating activities in this domain. It is also a contribution from SDC to the wider debate on access to information as one of the essential components of governance." (Introduction, page 4)
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