Comprehensive Study Notes: An Introduction to ICT for Development (Primer 1)

  • Information and Communication Technology for Development (ICTD or ICT4D) is an emerging academic discipline and practical field focused on the link between ICTs and human development goals.
  • The APCICT primer serves as a curriculum for university students in the Asia-Pacific region to build capacity for the next generation of leaders.

Understanding Human Development

  • Historical Context: Development as a conceptual framework emerged post-World War II, initially synonymous with Western values, growth, modernization, and democracy.
  • Economic Perspectives:
    • Neoliberal/Western: Focuses on free markets with minimal state intervention. Development is measured via Gross National Product (GNP) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Proponents argued for the "trickle down" effect, where industrial wealth eventually benefits the poor.
    • Marxist-Leninist: Planned economies with extensive state intervention (historically Soviet Union and China).
    • Mixed Economy: Used in many developing countries (e.g., India), combining private sector market-led engagement with state regulation.
  • The Human Development Paradigm: Pioneered by Mahbub ul Haq and Amartya Sen.
    • Definition: Development is about expanding individual freedoms and the capacity for choice. Income is a means, not the end.
    • Human Development Index (HDI): A composite measure of life expectancy, education/literacy, and standard of living.
  • Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): Established in 2000 by 189 UN member states.
    • Includes 8 goals, 18 targets, and 48 indicators to be met by 2015.
    • Target 18 specifically mandates making the benefits of new technologies, especially ICTs, available in cooperation with the private sector.
  • Core Values of Managed Development: Inclusiveness, Equality, Quality, and Accountability.
  • Case Study - Bhutan: Uses Gross National Happiness (GNH) instead of GNP, based on four pillars: Equitable Economic Development, Environmental Preservation, Cultural Resilience, and Good Governance.

Concepts of ICT in Development

  • Communication vs. Technology: Communication is a process of information exchange; technologies are the tools used to carry it out.
  • Development Communication vs. Development Support Communication (DSC): DSC refers to the systematic integration of ICTs into the planning and implementation of specific projects.
  • The Digital Divide: The gap between those with resources to participate in the knowledge economy and those without. It is a symptom of existing inequalities in income, gender, and literacy.
  • Defining ICTs: UNDP defines them as information handling tools—goods, applications, and services used to produce, store, process, distribute, and exchange information.
  • Typology of ICTs:
    • Hardware: Information capture (cameras), storage (servers, disks), and sharing (radio, TV, computers).
    • Software: Operating Systems (OS) like Windows or Linux; and Application Software ("apps") like office suites.
    • Connectivity Media: Infrastructure like landlines, wireless towers, satellites, and fiber optic cables.
  • Current Trends:
    • Moore’s Law: Data density/processing power doubles approximately every 18 months.
    • Convergence: The blending of discrete media (voice, data, video) into a single device like a smartphone.
    • Free and Open Source Software (FOSS): Software with source code that users can run, study, change, and improve.
    • Web 2.0: Applications facilitating user-generated content and collaboration (wikis, blogs, social networks).
    • Internet of Things (IoT): A future where everyday objects (fridges, cars) are linked to the network via sensors and IP addresses.

Sectoral Applications of ICTD

  • Agriculture & Poverty Alleviation:
    • Direct: Farmers use mobile phones for market pricing (e.g., Reuters Market Light in India) or agricultural advice (e.g., e-Krishok in Bangladesh).
    • Indirect: Management Information Systems (MIS) for government programs, like India's MGNREGA, which ensures transparency in wage employment data.
  • Education:
    • Formal: High-tech classrooms in advanced nations (Singapore) vs. satellite-linked distance learning across island nations (e.g., USPNet for the University of the South Pacific).
    • Non-Formal: Telecentres (e.g., eSkwela in Philippines) providing out-of-school literacy and vocational training.
    • Teacher Training: Utilizing "train the trainer" models to build ICT literacy among educators (examples in Thailand and Bhutan).
  • Gender:
    • Empowerment: Home-based e-commerce for women (e.g., eHomemakers in Malaysia) or training "Info Ladies" to provide community services in Bangladesh.
    • Barriers: Illiteracy, lack of mobility, and "gender-blind" policies.
  • Health (e-Health):
    • Telemedicine: Remote diagnosis using video and digital image transfer in conflict zones (e.g., Roshan in Afghanistan).
    • Knowledge Sharing: HINARI allows developing countries free/low-cost access to biomedical literature.
  • Sustainable Development:
    • Climate Change: Use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to map resources and smart grids to increase energy efficiency.
    • Disaster Risk Management: Early warning systems (e.g., TEWS in SE Asia) and "crowdsourcing" crisis maps using platforms like Ushahidi.
  • Governance (e-Government and e-Governance):
    • G2C Services: Online tax filing (Mongolia) and grievance redressal systems like SWAGAT (India).
    • e-Procurement: Removing human interaction in government bidding to curb corruption and increase transparency (Philippines).
  • Culture and Tourism:
    • Digitizing archives to preserve manuscripts and ruins.
    • Using ICTs to promote community-based rural tourism (e.g., Bario in Malaysia).

Project and Technology Management

  • Policy and Governance: National ICTD policy should align with development goals and establish a decision-making hierarchy and monitoring process.
  • The Project Management Cycle:
    1. Programming: Aligning with national strategy.
    2. Initiation/Planning: Feasibility studies, stakeholder analysis, and SMART objective setting (Specific,Measurable,Attainable,Realistic,Time−boundSpecific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound).
    3. Implementation: Led by a Project Manager and a Project Management Office (PMO).
    4. Monitoring: Concurrent evaluation to detect risks and variances.
    5. Evaluation: Assessing impact and sustainability.
    6. Closure: Handover and reporting.
  • Change Management: Addressing the "people side" of technology adoption. People often resist system re-engineering due to fear of job loss or unfamiliarity.
  • Technology Choices: Choices must be based on user access and timeliness. Costs include fixed (institutional) and direct (product development) costs.
  • Content Management: Content must be localized and relevant. Issues include Plagiarism (ethical/legal) and Piracy. Creative Commons licenses provide a flexible "some rights reserved" model.
  • Human Capacity Building: Focuses on "digital natives" and the training of policymakers, planners, and champions.

Evaluation Methodologies

  • Types of Evaluation:
    • Formative: Conducted before/at start (feed-forward research, pilot testing).
    • Process (Monitoring): Ongoing assessment of inputs and outputs.
    • Summative: Post-project assessment of impact, sustainability, and replicability.
  • Approaches:
    • Quantitative: Numbers-driven, surveys, and aggregate analysis.
    • Qualitative: Experience-driven, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and case studies.
  • Key Challenge: The lack of documentation of internal management processes and "design-reality gaps" often leads to project failure.