World Dialogue on Regulation

Partners in Micro-development has published a research brief discussing the link between national Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policy in developing countries and the effectiveness of ICT for development (ICT4D) initiatives at a community level. In this report Donna Vaughan tries to determine whether, by adopting a Community Informatics (CI) approach to community based ICT4D projects, which leverages existing social capital in the communities, the sustainability of such projects can be significantly improved so that ICT4D is more inclusive in reach and its overall contribution to development is enhanced.

Over the past years, the ICT for Development (ICT4D) sector has seen a boom in activity. Donors have invested large sums of money to get the people in the Less Developed Countries (LDC's) connected to information society. Large shipments of ICT equipment have been brought in, and large groups of people have received their first computer training. Where 10 years ago, the African continent South of the Sahara was almost completely 'computer-less', and access to internet was unknown, we now observe computers in all universities, government offices and increasingly in secondary schools. Also access to internet has increased dramatically.

In spite of the good news, there is also bad news as Donna Vaughan implies in the research brief ICT4D - Linking Policy to Community Outcomes. The local communities benefit relatively little from the developments because decisions on universal access and 'effective use' are mostly not answered in their favor.

The root of the problem stems from the current ICT4D policy framework. According to Vaughan, the framework tends to focus too much on macro economic issues and operates in a top down / trickle down philosophy. At a micro level the result is an ongoing level of exclusion from participation in the digital economy or information society or at best lesser participation of the poorest.

Vaughan proposes changes to the ICT4D policy framework. The field of Community Informatics (CI) is consulted for inspiration. Community Informatics is an emerging field with the goal to design and utilize ICT to effectively support communities in achieving their goals (Gurstein, 2000). The method behind CI works on the premise that ICT which is embedded in existing community structures has greater benefits in terms of community development than externally designed ICT based structures or network models because it is able to utilise the social capital embedded in those structures.

Vaughan proposes an alternative policy development framework. The model combines top-down and bottom-up policy and strategies to improve the community outcomes of ICT4D projects. The new model includes three fundamental shifts from the traditional model:

1. At a community level, focus on specific community needs and aspirations rather than formula solutions. The goal is social inclusion, not simply access.
2. Rebalance investment at macro and micro levels based on broad social, economic, and political development outcomes that can be achieved as distinct from purely economic inputs and outputs.
3. Structure funding and partnerships based on who has an interest in the outcomes targeted.

The research is still in progress and the model is still theoretical. Case material is needed to assess whether the outcomes for the local communities improve when the new framework is implemented. 

Reference:

Gurstein, M. 2000. Community Informatics: Enabling Communities with Information and Communication Technologies. Idea Group Publishing UK.

For more information:

Partners in Micro-development

Download the ICT4D - Linking Policy to Community Outcomes brief from Partners in Micro-development site...

Download an excerpt of Gurstein's book "Community Informatics: Enabling Communities with Information and Communication Technologies" (2000) from the Idea Group Publishing website...