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Wednesday, 01 August 2007 |
 DIRSI, WDR’s partner in Latin America & the Caribbean, has published its
first book, Digital Poverty: Latin American and Caribbean Perspectives.
The book examines the problem of inadequate access to information and
communication technology (ICT) and the need to develop appropriate
pro-poor ICT policies within the Latin American and Caribbean context.
The authors show how market reforms have failed to ensure that the
benefits of the Information Society have spread across the many social
and economic divides that characterize the region.
The authors explain and support the formulation of a new perspective on ICT access and develop an analytical framework with which to assess the critical variables involved in effective ICT adoption in developing regions. The research supports policy reform that builds upon the achievements of market liberalization efforts in the region but which must also address the realities of ‘digital poverty’ – a concept that grasps the multiple dimensions of inadequate levels of access to ICT services by people and organizations, as well as the barriers to their productive use.
This is the first publication of the Regional Dialogue on the Information Society (DIRSI), a regional network of leading researchers concerned with disseminating knowledge that supports the participation of marginalized communities using ICTs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The book will be of interest to anyone interested in ICTs and international development policy and practice.
Download or purchase the book from the IDRC website.
CONTENTS
Foreword
Ben Petrazzini
Introduction: Executive summary
Hernan Galperin and Judith Mariscal
1. The concept of information poverty and how to measure it in the Latin American context
Gover Barja and Björn-Sören Gigler
2. Analysis of ICT demand: what is and how to measure digital poverty?
Roxana Barrantes
3. New market scenarios in Latin America
Judith Mariscal, Carla Bonina and Julio Luna
4. Institutional design of the regulator in Latin America and the Caribbean
Jorge Dussán Hitscherich and Juan Manuel Roldán Perea
5. Microtelcos in Latin America and the Caribbean
Hernan Galperin and Bruce Girard
6. Selecting sustainable ICT solutions for pro-poor intervention
Kim I. Mallalieu and Sean Rocke
7. Conclusion: ICT and pro-poor strategies and research
Amy Mahan
About the Authors |
