Monday, October 09, 2006
Review if chapter % the Potential Uses of ICT for Sustainable Development
bAssignment: Review of Chapter 5 “the Potential Uses of ICT for Sustainable Development”of the book “Knowledge Societies. Information Technology for Sustainable Development“edited by Robin Mansell and Uta
Musa Salih Muhammad PGDIM/EDUC/56770/200-06 &
Inaya Evelyn PGDIM/EDUC/52399/2005-06
Chapter five Review of: “The Potential Uses of ICTs for Sustainable Development”
INTRODUCTION
Related to the rising production, use, and diffusion of ICTs there are a lot of hopes, dreams, and myths. This also applies for the potential uses of ICT for sustainable development, subsystem of society where discussions focus on the question if ICTs can advance potential sustainability, i.e. improvement of ICTs to the underdeveloped and developing nations. “Our contention is that, as ICT becomes more sophisticated and more embedded in our organizational structures and everyday life, we are in a better position than ever before to make sustainable development work.
“The Potential Uses of ICTs for Sustainable Development“ that wants to focus on ICT applications that could assist developing countries to reap the “social and economic benefits associated with extremely rapid innovation in advanced ICT based goods and services“ (Mansell/Wehn 1998: 82). Sustainable development is here understood as social and economic development. The chapter lists and discusses a number of ICT applications in the areas of e-traveling, e-government, e-transport, e-health, e-education, e-inclusion, and e-learning. These are technologies that today are mainly developed in Western countries and benefit the latter. The Third World is not only largely excluded from wealth, but also from technological progress. In 1999 there was 56 billion dollars in Western foreign aid for the Third World and the latter paid 136 billion dollars debt service to Western countries (Fuchs 2002: 370). Hence in total there was a value transfer from developing countries to developed countries and hence human aid in its current form is more ideology than real help. Although Africans make up 14,0% of the world population, Africa only accounts for 1,7% of the number of global Internet users (data from July 2005, source: World Internet Usage Statistics, I think what is needed for improving the situation of developing countries is on the one hand radical global redistribution of wealth starting with measures such as the increase of human aid, basic income for the absolute poor in the world, the elimination of debt burdens on Third World countries, and on the other hand a non-colonizing technology that is adapted to the needs of people in Third World countries and integrates their traditional knowledge and technologies. The authors of the chapter mention that “policy measures are needed to address the key areas within each country’s overall development strategy that could benefit from the use of ICT applications to promote initiatives that will generate financial resources“ (Mansell/Wehn 1998: 95) and that “a major goal of initiatives to implement ICT applications in developing countries is to help to alleviate poverty“ (ibid.: 98). But this chapter creates the image that solutions to the problems can be provided by Western technologies that are applied in Third World countries. This position is one of cultural imperialism that neglects that local and traditional ideas are of high cultural importance in solving the problems of the Third World and to avoid creating the impression of cultural imperialism. Western habits, colonialism, and postcolonial practices are part of the causes of the problems that Third World countries are facing today. What is hence needed in addressing issues such as poverty and ICTs in the Third World is unity in diversity management. In the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) passed in Geneva in 2003 technology transfer and ICT manufacturing is understood as a means for achieving a sustainable information society for developing countries:
“33. To achieve a sustainable development of the Information Society, national capability in ICT research and development should be enhanced. Furthermore, partnerships, in particular between and among developed and developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, in research and development, technology transfer, manufacturing and utilization of ICT products and services are crucial for promoting capacity building and global participation in the Information Society. The manufacture of ICTs presents a significant opportunity for creation of wealth. [...] 43. Sustainable development can best be advanced in the Information
Society when ICT-related efforts and programmes are fully integrated in national and regional development strategies. We welcome the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of this initiative as well as those belonging to similar efforts in other regions. Distribution of the benefits of ICT-driven growth contributes to poverty eradication and sustainable development.“ (WSIS 2003a, Principles 33, 43). Asustainable information society is here considered as one where ICTs promote participation and poverty eradication. Furthermore sustainable production and consumption patterns, usability, e-health, and e-learning are considered as aspects of a sustainable information society: “51. The usage and deployment of ICTs should seek to create benefits in all aspects of our daily life. ICT applications are potentially important in government operations and services, health care and health information, education and training, employment, job creation, business, agriculture, transport, protection of environment and management of natural resources, disaster prevention, and culture, and to promote eradication of poverty and other agreed development goals. ICTs should also contribute to sustainable production and consumption patterns and reduce traditional barriers, providing an opportunity for all to access local and global markets in a more equitable manner. Applications should be user-friendly, accessible to all, affordable, adapted to local needs in languages and cultures, and support sustainable development. To this effect, local authorities should play a major role in the provision of ICT services for the benefit of their populations.
Argues that for achieving a sustainable information society governments, businesses, civil society, and international and regional institutions must take responsibility, argues in favour of a mixed strategy of political practice and economic investment for achieving a sustainable information society. Government should devise national strategies for digital inclusion, promote public access, e-government, e-business, e-learning, e-health, e-employment, e-environment, e-agriculture, e-science, etc. For achieving a sustainable information society in developing countries, the WSIS Plan of Action argues on the one hand that debt cancellation is needed, on the other hand that more private national and international markets for ICTs should be provided by developing countries. “D2. c. For those developing countries facing unsustainable debt burdens, we welcome initiatives that have been undertaken to reduce outstanding indebtedness and invite further national and international measures in that regard, including, as appropriate, debt cancellation and other arrangements. Particular attention should be given to enhancing the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. These initiatives would release more resources that may be used for financing ICT for development projects. Recognizing the potential of ICT for development we furthermore advocate: i. developing countries to increase their efforts to attract major private national and foreign investments for ICTs through the creation of a transparent, stable and predictable enabling investment environment; ii. developed countries and international financial organisations to be responsive to the strategies and priorities of ICTs for development, mainstream ICTs in their work programmes, and assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition to prepare and implement their national e-strategies. Based on the priorities of national development plans and implementation of the above commitments, developed countries should increase their efforts to provide more financial resources to developing countries in harnessing ICTs for development; iii. the private sector to contribute to the implementation of this Digital Solidarity Agenda.
What is missing here is the insight that markets don’t automatically eliminate poverty because they don’t determine how wealth is distributed. Hence what is needed are regulatory practices that ensure that the benefits from ICT and economic production can be shared by all. Capital here is assessed only as a positive factor in achieving sustainable development, assesses IC markets as very positive means of advancing social sustainability, it neglects aspects of political regulation of the economy and income distribution and gives priority to economic logic.
Conclusion
The Chapter was dedicated to the potential uses of ICTs (urban and rural development, transportation, health, special needs, education, environment, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism) that can contribute to sustainable development in the developing and least developed countries. The report analyzes some important components of ICTs for developing countries: satellite infrastructures, new media services, audiovisual markets, and software capabilities, strategies, and markets. The report presents a useful table on barriers to the improvement of software capabilities in developing countries. This chapter also discusses how the cultural framework influences people's attitudes toward ICTs and the debate about English language dominance that is accompanying diffusion processes and use of ICTs
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm). Retreved on 30/9/2006
Musa Salih Muhammad PGDIM/EDUC/56770/200-06 &
Inaya Evelyn PGDIM/EDUC/52399/2005-06
Chapter five Review of: “The Potential Uses of ICTs for Sustainable Development”
INTRODUCTION
Related to the rising production, use, and diffusion of ICTs there are a lot of hopes, dreams, and myths. This also applies for the potential uses of ICT for sustainable development, subsystem of society where discussions focus on the question if ICTs can advance potential sustainability, i.e. improvement of ICTs to the underdeveloped and developing nations. “Our contention is that, as ICT becomes more sophisticated and more embedded in our organizational structures and everyday life, we are in a better position than ever before to make sustainable development work.
“The Potential Uses of ICTs for Sustainable Development“ that wants to focus on ICT applications that could assist developing countries to reap the “social and economic benefits associated with extremely rapid innovation in advanced ICT based goods and services“ (Mansell/Wehn 1998: 82). Sustainable development is here understood as social and economic development. The chapter lists and discusses a number of ICT applications in the areas of e-traveling, e-government, e-transport, e-health, e-education, e-inclusion, and e-learning. These are technologies that today are mainly developed in Western countries and benefit the latter. The Third World is not only largely excluded from wealth, but also from technological progress. In 1999 there was 56 billion dollars in Western foreign aid for the Third World and the latter paid 136 billion dollars debt service to Western countries (Fuchs 2002: 370). Hence in total there was a value transfer from developing countries to developed countries and hence human aid in its current form is more ideology than real help. Although Africans make up 14,0% of the world population, Africa only accounts for 1,7% of the number of global Internet users (data from July 2005, source: World Internet Usage Statistics, I think what is needed for improving the situation of developing countries is on the one hand radical global redistribution of wealth starting with measures such as the increase of human aid, basic income for the absolute poor in the world, the elimination of debt burdens on Third World countries, and on the other hand a non-colonizing technology that is adapted to the needs of people in Third World countries and integrates their traditional knowledge and technologies. The authors of the chapter mention that “policy measures are needed to address the key areas within each country’s overall development strategy that could benefit from the use of ICT applications to promote initiatives that will generate financial resources“ (Mansell/Wehn 1998: 95) and that “a major goal of initiatives to implement ICT applications in developing countries is to help to alleviate poverty“ (ibid.: 98). But this chapter creates the image that solutions to the problems can be provided by Western technologies that are applied in Third World countries. This position is one of cultural imperialism that neglects that local and traditional ideas are of high cultural importance in solving the problems of the Third World and to avoid creating the impression of cultural imperialism. Western habits, colonialism, and postcolonial practices are part of the causes of the problems that Third World countries are facing today. What is hence needed in addressing issues such as poverty and ICTs in the Third World is unity in diversity management. In the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) passed in Geneva in 2003 technology transfer and ICT manufacturing is understood as a means for achieving a sustainable information society for developing countries:
“33. To achieve a sustainable development of the Information Society, national capability in ICT research and development should be enhanced. Furthermore, partnerships, in particular between and among developed and developing countries, including countries with economies in transition, in research and development, technology transfer, manufacturing and utilization of ICT products and services are crucial for promoting capacity building and global participation in the Information Society. The manufacture of ICTs presents a significant opportunity for creation of wealth. [...] 43. Sustainable development can best be advanced in the Information
Society when ICT-related efforts and programmes are fully integrated in national and regional development strategies. We welcome the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and encourage the international community to support the ICT-related measures of this initiative as well as those belonging to similar efforts in other regions. Distribution of the benefits of ICT-driven growth contributes to poverty eradication and sustainable development.“ (WSIS 2003a, Principles 33, 43). Asustainable information society is here considered as one where ICTs promote participation and poverty eradication. Furthermore sustainable production and consumption patterns, usability, e-health, and e-learning are considered as aspects of a sustainable information society: “51. The usage and deployment of ICTs should seek to create benefits in all aspects of our daily life. ICT applications are potentially important in government operations and services, health care and health information, education and training, employment, job creation, business, agriculture, transport, protection of environment and management of natural resources, disaster prevention, and culture, and to promote eradication of poverty and other agreed development goals. ICTs should also contribute to sustainable production and consumption patterns and reduce traditional barriers, providing an opportunity for all to access local and global markets in a more equitable manner. Applications should be user-friendly, accessible to all, affordable, adapted to local needs in languages and cultures, and support sustainable development. To this effect, local authorities should play a major role in the provision of ICT services for the benefit of their populations.
Argues that for achieving a sustainable information society governments, businesses, civil society, and international and regional institutions must take responsibility, argues in favour of a mixed strategy of political practice and economic investment for achieving a sustainable information society. Government should devise national strategies for digital inclusion, promote public access, e-government, e-business, e-learning, e-health, e-employment, e-environment, e-agriculture, e-science, etc. For achieving a sustainable information society in developing countries, the WSIS Plan of Action argues on the one hand that debt cancellation is needed, on the other hand that more private national and international markets for ICTs should be provided by developing countries. “D2. c. For those developing countries facing unsustainable debt burdens, we welcome initiatives that have been undertaken to reduce outstanding indebtedness and invite further national and international measures in that regard, including, as appropriate, debt cancellation and other arrangements. Particular attention should be given to enhancing the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries initiative. These initiatives would release more resources that may be used for financing ICT for development projects. Recognizing the potential of ICT for development we furthermore advocate: i. developing countries to increase their efforts to attract major private national and foreign investments for ICTs through the creation of a transparent, stable and predictable enabling investment environment; ii. developed countries and international financial organisations to be responsive to the strategies and priorities of ICTs for development, mainstream ICTs in their work programmes, and assist developing countries and countries with economies in transition to prepare and implement their national e-strategies. Based on the priorities of national development plans and implementation of the above commitments, developed countries should increase their efforts to provide more financial resources to developing countries in harnessing ICTs for development; iii. the private sector to contribute to the implementation of this Digital Solidarity Agenda.
What is missing here is the insight that markets don’t automatically eliminate poverty because they don’t determine how wealth is distributed. Hence what is needed are regulatory practices that ensure that the benefits from ICT and economic production can be shared by all. Capital here is assessed only as a positive factor in achieving sustainable development, assesses IC markets as very positive means of advancing social sustainability, it neglects aspects of political regulation of the economy and income distribution and gives priority to economic logic.
Conclusion
The Chapter was dedicated to the potential uses of ICTs (urban and rural development, transportation, health, special needs, education, environment, agriculture, manufacturing, tourism) that can contribute to sustainable development in the developing and least developed countries. The report analyzes some important components of ICTs for developing countries: satellite infrastructures, new media services, audiovisual markets, and software capabilities, strategies, and markets. The report presents a useful table on barriers to the improvement of software capabilities in developing countries. This chapter also discusses how the cultural framework influences people's attitudes toward ICTs and the debate about English language dominance that is accompanying diffusion processes and use of ICTs
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm). Retreved on 30/9/2006
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with regards to africa and particularly in Nigeria, there is the need for the potential use of ICT for sustainable development. the reasons are not far feached; with e-government, the government will be able to make the right decision as they have the right sense of direction through the aid of ICT and impliment it.
the truth about having ICT implimented in Nigeria is when the government know and have seen the impart of ICT and embrace it, then will all the other E's have effect.
the much of ICT that have come into Nigeria have shown that ICT can not be left behind. it has changed lives and developed the country to some extent. one can now communicate through the internet and it has created job opportunities to many.
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the truth about having ICT implimented in Nigeria is when the government know and have seen the impart of ICT and embrace it, then will all the other E's have effect.
the much of ICT that have come into Nigeria have shown that ICT can not be left behind. it has changed lives and developed the country to some extent. one can now communicate through the internet and it has created job opportunities to many.
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