Assessing the impact of public access to icts

Abstract

During the past few months, your editors have been taking part in the launch of a 5-year study, supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) (of Canada) and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, investigating the social and economic impact of public access to information and communication technology (IPAI).1 Many researchers are involved, at institutions ranging from the University of Washington and IIIT Bangalore to Lirne.net to our own universities. Current country research teams in Chile, Bangladesh, and Lithuania will soon be joined by others in several other countries. At this formative stage of the project, our discussions have focused on coming up with a systematic assessment approach.