Information lives of the poor : fighting poverty with technology / Laurent Elder, Rohan Samarajiva, Alison Gillwald and Hernán Galperin.

Format:

Book

Government document

Author/Creator:

Elder, Laurent, 1971- author.

Samarajiva, Rohan, author.

Gillwald, Alison, author.

Galperin, Hernan, author.

Contributor:

International Development Research Centre (Canada)

Series:

In focus (International Development Research Centre (Canada))

In focus

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Information technology--Economic aspects--Developing countries.

Information technology.

Technological innovations--Economic aspects--Developing countries.

Technological innovations.

Digital divide--Economic aspects--Developing countries.

Digital divide.

Technology and state--Developing countries.

Technology and state.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (107 p.)

Distribution:

Beaconsfield, Quebec : Canadian Electronic Library, 2014.

Place of Publication:

Ottawa [Ontario] : International Development Research Centre, [2013]

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Information and communication have always opened opportunities for the poor to earn income, reduce isolation, and respond resiliently to emergencies. With mobile phone use exploding across the developing world, even marginalized communities are now benefiting from modern communication tools. This book explores the impacts of this unprecedented technological change. Drawing on unique household surveys undertaken by research networks active in 38 developing countries, it helps to fill knowledge gaps about how the poor use information and communication technologies (ICTs). How have they benefited

Contents:

Part 1. The issues and the development context. Wireless signals, changed lives

Poverty alleviation and ICT access

Taking research questions into the home

Part 2. The approach. Critical areas for research

Research networks based in the global South

The need for household-level information

Collecting household data

Part 3. Current and potential uses of ICTs by the poor. How the poor use ICTs

Why the poor use ICTs

Can ICT access help ease poverty?

Part 4. Lessons for policymakers. ICTs play a positive role in poverty alleviation

The case for breaking up monopolies

Competition comes from start-ups

Important data must be released

Governments' role in increasing ICT access

The Internet needs an ecosystem

Content is king

Regions differ

Part 5. The future. The open movement offers promise

Harnessing the crowd

The Facebook and Twitter effect

Threats in an increasingly networked world

Information and Networks program: IDRC's role

Glossary of terms and abbreviations.

Notes:

Issued also in French under title: Les pauvres et l'information, lutter contre la pauvreté à l'aide de la technologie; and in Spanish under title: Los pobres en la era de la información, combatiendo la pobreza con tecnología.

Includes bibliographical references.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-55250-574-X

OCLC:

876861015