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WDR and LIRNE.NET are expanding into developing regions. How will this affect the research and other activities? How will centres and individuals who aren't part of the WDR and LIRNE.NET collaboration participate?
In his answer, William Melody, Managing Director of WDR & LIRNE.NET, recalls that the network began with European universities but has now an established presence in South Africa, a centre to be launched in Asia in September, and is working to establish a direct and permanent link to Latin America. He also notes that "the growth of both LIRNE.NET and WDR has followed the growth in interest and capabilities of the centres that have joined." Rather than limit possibilities for participation, this interest-driven growth makes the network open to new centres and new individuals. "The best place to start is with the WDR Dialogue, which can then lead to whatever level of participation individual people wish to take up. A new WDR website, to be launched in September, will offer more information and more opportunities for interested individuals and centres to get involved. We are doing our best to keep the barriers to participation minimized."
In the following text, William Melody, WDR's Managing Director, responds to a query posted to the WDR Online Dialogue about WDR and LIRNE's expansion into developing regions and how this will affect participation in WDR.
WDR is a project involving:
- Research;
- Electronic and face-to face dialogue with policymakers, regulators, operators, service providers, NGOs and other interested groups via the www.regulateonline.org website and periodic workshops and expert forum meetings;
- Publication of an annual research report, on frontier issues of telecom reform and information infrastructure development.
This year’s dialogue theme, based on what was learned from the WDR dialogue of past years, is Diversifying Participation in Network Development. WDR is a project of LIRNE.NET, www.lirne.net, a collaboration among public interest research and training centres located in different countries and continents. The LIRNE.NET collaboration also does other research projects, runs external training programs on the telecom reform process, and provides a variety of information and advisory services.
The growth of both LIRNE.NET and WDR has followed the growth in interest and capabilities of the centres that have joined. It began with European universities examining both developed and developing country issues. Last year funding support from IDRC Canada to the LINK Centre, Wits University, South Africa, enabled it to participate in the WDR project, and the LINK centre's capabilities in training and advice allowed it join the LIRNE.NET collaboration. This year, infoDev has renewed its support for the WDR project and IDRC is providing catalyst funding to help get a new centre established for Asia in Sri Lanka, led by Professor Rohan Samarajiva, who was a founding member of both LIRNE.NET and WDR when he was a Professor in Europe. With the assistance of IDRC and Comunica, we are hoping to establish a more direct link to Latin America in the next few years. If and when other centres in other regions of the world wish to participate as collaborators in the WDR project or in LIRNE.NET, they will be welcome. The criteria for joining are simply the interest, research and participation capability, and the funding support to make that possible.
Both WDR and LIRNE.NET are driven entirely by the interest of the participants. Each centre is a representative or node in a regional network of activity. The centre and the regional network participate in LIRNE.NET activities, of which the WDR project is one, if and when they think it advantageous to do so, and the existing centres agree that this will enrich the LIRNE.NET program. The more direct participation from the different regions of the world will enrich the research and facilitate communication and distribution in the different regions. At LIRNE.NET we are encouraging funders to support the development of centres and networks in all the developing regions of the world. We are especially pleased that infoDev and IDRC have responded favourably with expanded programs. This can only strengthen both the WDR and LIRNE.NET.
Many individuals who are not part of the WDR and LIRNE.NET centres participate in both, as researchers, participants in workshops and seminars, and lecturers in our training programs. One does not have to be a member of one of the WDR/LIRNE.NET centres to participate. Here again, participation is determined by interest and the capability to participate. Every year we are pleasantly surprised by a few individual researchers we didn’t know who submit excellent papers worthy of presentation at one of our workshops or expert forum meetings, and by top policymakers, regulators and industrialists who wish to participate in the Expert Forum. The best place to start is with the WDR Dialogue, which can then lead to whatever level of participation individual people wish to take up. A new WDR website, to be launched in September, will offer more information and more opportunities for interested individuals and centres to get involved. We are doing our best to keep the barriers to participation minimized.
William Melody
Managing Director
WDR & LIRNE.NET
August 2004 |
