"For over a decade the international development community has been exploring how the use of digital technologies, including tools like the mobile phone, can extend the reach of development. At the same time, development organizations have grappled with how to use these technologies to make their ow
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n work more participatory, sustainable, and effective. The results have been mixed. Some projects have succeeded, enabling improved and sustained access to information and services that previously were out of reach for marginalized populations. Other projects have failed, often due to preventable reasons, resulting in hundreds, if not thousands of projects being unable to scale. In the late 2000s, several donors and multilateral organizations began talking about failure in using digital tools to support development. Soon, sets of principles, lessons, and best practices started emerging, beginning with the UNICEF Innovation Principles in 2009. One year later, a group of mHealth implementers and donors independently developed a different set of principles known as the Greentree Principles. The Principles for Digital Development (Principles) were created through the integration and refinement of these two previous sets of principles. Since June 2014, members of the international development community have convened through a dozen meetings to discuss the Principles in detail. This report is the synthesis of those and other events at which the community talked about what it means to put the Principles into practice. It identifies common barriers to the Principles’ successful implementation and suggests resources to help overcome these barriers." (Executive summary)
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"The toolkit explores how digital instruments can be employed to meet the sector- and region-specific needs of those planning, managing and implementing DC/IC measures. It provides political decision-makers and DC/IC implementers with information on the kinds of digital applications that are relevan
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t for their work and on the value they can add to DC/IC projects. The toolkit constitutes a guide for analysing digital options and backs up advice with examples from different regions and sectors. Specifically, you can find the following topics in this toolkit: 1) Inspiring projects: Case studies from German DC/IC and the international context illustrate the diverse ways in which digital solutions can be applied. 2) Management of ICT projects: Here, you are offered guidance that supports the strategic planning and implementation of digital measures. 3) Methods, tools and approaches: Guidelines on the deployment of digital solutions in specific contexts and scenarios are presented. 4) Glossary: Key terms related to the digital transformation are defined, vividly explained and transferred to the DC/IC context." (Introduction)
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"The toolkit explores how digital instruments can be employed to meet the sector- and region-specific needs of those planning, managing and implementing DC/IC measures. It provides political decision-makers and DC/IC implementers with information on the kinds of digital applications that are relevan
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t for their work and on the value they can add to DC/IC projects. The toolkit constitutes a guide for analysing digital options and backs up advice with examples from different regions and sectors. Specifically, you can find the following topics in this toolkit: 1) Inspiring projects: Case studies from German DC/IC and the international context illustrate the diverse ways in which digital solutions can be applied. 2) Management of ICT projects: Here, you are offered guidance that supports the strategic planning and implementation of digital measures. 3) Methods, tools and approaches: Guidelines on the deployment of digital solutions in specific contexts and scenarios are presented. 4) Glossary: Key terms related to the digital transformation are defined, vividly explained and transferred to the DC/IC context." (Introduction)
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"The rapid development of the information society has accentuated the importance of digital divides, which refer to economic and social inequalities among populations due to differences in access to, use of, or knowledge of information and communication technologies (ICT). This book discusses the cu
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rrent state of digital divides, ranging from global." (Publisher description)
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"The playbook addresses ten technology areas and explores how each might be applied to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). We provide a basic overview of each, discuss benefits, trends and challenges and make recommendations for what nonprofits, governments and the private sector can do
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to enhance the impact of these promising technologies against the SDGs. It is designed to be informative and actionable, a utilitarian resource for any organization seeking to leverage the most promising tools to address the highest priority challenges our world faces." (Foreword, page 5)
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"Examines how policymakers, the donor community, and the private sector have prioritized and sequenced ICT initiatives in the aftermath of conflict. Case studies look at countries at different stages of post-conflict reconstruction in Afghanistan, Liberia, Rwanda and Timor-Leste, and postrevolution
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in Tunisia. In addition, the report proposes a conceptual framework to understand how ICTs can contribute to improving service delivery and assisting with nation-building. The opening of the report gives an overview of the relationship between conflict, reconstruction, and the role of ICTs. It builds on experience within the Bank as well as on a wide range of practitioner, academic, and other literature. The second seeks to establish a framework for understanding the ways in which ICTs interact with societies in transition from violence to stability, and for leveraging their potential to further that transition. The roots of this lie in understanding two fields of study, policy and practice: analysis of conflict and post-conflict reconstruction, and analysis of ICTs and the development of an information society. three then analyses the relationship between these two fields and proposes a framework for analysis and policy development. The fourth makes a number of recommendations to the World Bank Group, to other donors and development actors, as well as to the governments of countries emerging from violent conflict, and suggests areas for further research." (Back cover)
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"This guide gives practical guidance to building organizational capacity in ICT4D. Drawing from the experience of the international development community, this guide connects established principles with processes for implementing new technology. 1. Why should I be interested in ICT4D and what does i
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t mean for my organization? 2. How do I build ICT4D capacity within my organization? 3. What are the practical approaches and best practices I can implement to improve success?" (Executive summary)
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"Sustainable development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In contrast to the more economically and politically oriented approach in traditional views on sustainable development, the central idea in alternative, more partic
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ipatory and culturally oriented versions is that there is no universal development model which leads to sustainability at all levels of society and the world. Communication for sustainable social change advocates for an integral, multidimensional and dialectic process that can differ from society to society, community to community, and context to context. This book presents a number of fascinating case studies on the Asian and African perspectives, which asserts the latest challenges in both theoretical and applied areas." (Publisher description)
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"Despite the massive uptake of mobile phones by agricultural producers, there are few quantitative studies that provide hard evidence of a link between technology and poverty reduction. Those studies that have explored this, however, found that farmer access to market information through radio, mobi
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le phones and internet resulted in higher farm-gate prices and a better bargaining position with local traders. To make good on the promise of ICT transformation, however, the paper suggests that organizations from the public and private sectors will need to create new types of partnerships and business networks with the millions of smallholder farmers in the developing world. Some general recommendations for ensuring these technologies contribute to sustainable and equitable development include: promote investment policies that give communications companies incentives to cross subsidize investments from higher profit areas to expand infrastructure into less commercial rural areas; support income levies within the commercial communications markets so that a percentage of profit is made available for public goods services; in more remote areas combine wireless technologies with electrical power sources that can be used by communities to support other vital sectors, such as health and education; promote and support the development of content in local languages to improve the accessibility and inclusiveness of ICT applications." (Executive summary)
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"A critical review of project reports, studies, and evaluations was conducted to distil lessons learned and find out what really works and why. The results of this review are close to a paradigm shift: Starting as a magic solution from its beginnings, ICTs are now considered as just another normal m
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edia channel useful for enhancing the effectiveness of development cooperation programs; It is not the technology that counts; it is the economic and social processes behind the technology that drives the change; Thus, ICTs are instrumental, not a goal in itself, and they should serve to improve the practice of development cooperation; The once harsh contrast between ICTs and old media is already close to be overcome, and both are seen as just different instruments for different purposes applicable to different target groups; To reach the poor and marginalized and get their participation ensured (‘voice’), radio is still the most appropriate media channel, at best combined with mobile telephony, to which all segments of society are increasingly gaining access; Internet and PCs are more appropriate for the urban elite, for NGOs and other intermediaries to the poor and marginalised. Thus, a target group specific approach to ICTs and media is the most promising for improving development cooperation projects." (Executive summary)
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"This document presents a ‘’state-of-the-art’’ review of branchless banking. It examines existing trends, extracts insightful lessons from past experiences and articulates the main challenges ahead with regards to the transformative role of branchless banking. It is also designed to link dev
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elopmental objectives with market player interests, thus paving the way for a meaningful intervention of German Development Cooperation in the branchless banking space. In many aspects, it will try to bring the market player perspective into the dialogue with public development cooperation." (Executive summary)
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"The manual and the toolbox seek to address the following question: how to maximise the contribution of the IT industry in developing and emerging countries towards sustainable economic development and poverty reduction? In order to achieve this, the Manual analyses the obstacles impeding the compet
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itive development of this innovative industry in developing and emerging countries. They can be attributed to three major factors: Specific structural problems of developing countries such as lack of efficient support structures, deficiencies in managerial, financial and technological skills, negative brand and country of origin effects (image); Challenges related to internationalisation and export, such as lack of market intelligence and export capabilities as well as the absence of international linkage; Specifics of the IT industry including technical as well as quality standards, high competitive pressure and short innovation cycles. The manual and the toolbox introduce a methodology and a set of practical tools to address these obstacles and promote the IT industry in developing and emerging countries. Their purpose is to provide a practical guideline for designing and implementing projects for promoting the IT sector in developing and emerging countries; develop a specific methodology to enable effective and sustainable IT sector promotion based on the practical experience of German development cooperation; elaborate concrete procedures, processes and tools to promote the IT industry in developing and emerging countries; provide advice on actions and measures to improve the international competitiveness of IT sectors; provide best practices of IT sector promotion in developing and emerging countries." (Executive summary, page 6)
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