Pub Date : 2005-07-01DOI: 10.1162/154475205775249319
Ritu Dangwal, S. Jha, Shiffon Chatterjee, Sugata Mitra
This paper explores the possibility of constructing a "minimally invasive" learning model from the results of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) Icon Association Inventory (devised by Dangwal and Inamdar [Mitra 2003]). We discuss the results obtained from four playground (hole-in-the-wall) computer kiosk sites in southern India, made freely available to children, without supervision, for nine months. Computing skills acquisition, as measured by the Icon Association Inventory, was plotted for each month and the learning curves are reported in the paper. The observed curves were fitted to predicted curves to understand the rates and stages of learning. Results indicate uniform improvement in the computing skills of the children who used these kiosks.
{"title":"A Model of How Children Acquire Computing Skills from Hole-in-the-Wall Computers in Public Places","authors":"Ritu Dangwal, S. Jha, Shiffon Chatterjee, Sugata Mitra","doi":"10.1162/154475205775249319","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/154475205775249319","url":null,"abstract":"This paper explores the possibility of constructing a \"minimally invasive\" learning model from the results of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) Icon Association Inventory (devised by Dangwal and Inamdar [Mitra 2003]). We discuss the results obtained from four playground (hole-in-the-wall) computer kiosk sites in southern India, made freely available to children, without supervision, for nine months. Computing skills acquisition, as measured by the Icon Association Inventory, was plotted for each month and the learning curves are reported in the paper. The observed curves were fitted to predicted curves to understand the rates and stages of learning. Results indicate uniform improvement in the computing skills of the children who used these kiosks.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"41-60"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442485","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2005-03-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752054782457
Reena Patel, M. Parmentier
As women in India enter the rapidly expanding Information Technology (IT) workforce, it could be predicted that their active participation in this sector will change their socio-economic status within the employing organization and the communities in which they reside. It is often expected that women's participation in the professional realm will contribute to a breakdown of traditional gender roles. And indeed, the data illustrate that women are working in the IT sector in India in increasing numbers. However, data collected in 1992 and again in 2002 by the Indian Institute of Technology suggest that not only does women's participation fail to occur at the same speed as IT expansion, but that their participation is based on a continuation of traditional gender roles, which places women on the periphery of an employing organization. Questioning the paradigm of technological determinism, this paper examines how technology and its development can adapt to the existing social structure. The persistence of such gender divides perpetuate the notion of gender segregation and do not enhance women's socio-economic and political status, nor provide equal participation in the information economy.
随着印度妇女进入迅速扩大的信息技术(IT)劳动力队伍，可以预见，她们在这一部门的积极参与将改变她们在就业组织和所居住社区中的社会经济地位。人们往往期望妇女参与专业领域将有助于打破传统的性别角色。事实上，数据表明，在印度IT行业工作的女性越来越多。然而，印度理工学院(Indian Institute of Technology)在1992年和2002年收集的数据表明，不仅女性参与的速度没有跟上IT的扩张，而且她们的参与是基于传统性别角色的延续，将女性置于雇佣组织的边缘。本文对技术决定论的范式提出质疑，探讨了技术及其发展如何适应现有的社会结构。这种性别差别的持续存在使性别隔离的概念永久化，并不能提高妇女的社会经济和政治地位，也不能使妇女平等参与信息经济。
{"title":"The Persistence of Traditional Gender Roles in the Information Technology Sector: A Study of Female Engineers in India","authors":"Reena Patel, M. Parmentier","doi":"10.1162/1544752054782457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752054782457","url":null,"abstract":"As women in India enter the rapidly expanding Information Technology (IT) workforce, it could be predicted that their active participation in this sector will change their socio-economic status within the employing organization and the communities in which they reside. It is often expected that women's participation in the professional realm will contribute to a breakdown of traditional gender roles. And indeed, the data illustrate that women are working in the IT sector in India in increasing numbers. However, data collected in 1992 and again in 2002 by the Indian Institute of Technology suggest that not only does women's participation fail to occur at the same speed as IT expansion, but that their participation is based on a continuation of traditional gender roles, which places women on the periphery of an employing organization. Questioning the paradigm of technological determinism, this paper examines how technology and its development can adapt to the existing social structure. The persistence of such gender divides perpetuate the notion of gender segregation and do not enhance women's socio-economic and political status, nor provide equal participation in the information economy.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"29-46"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442292","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2005-03-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752054782475
Isabel Neto, M. Best, S. Gillett
New radio technologies and public policies have, in many countries, allowed transmission on specific frequencies by individuals without a license. These license-exempt, or "unlicensed," bands (including 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in the United States and much of Europe) are increasingly used for data and voice communications through technologies such as Wi-Fi. We surveyed all African countries on the regulation and use of these bands to assess the implications of unlicensed wireless for telecommunications and Internet development in Africa. Responses from differing country informants, though mostly from regulators, were received from nearly every country on the continent. Responses showed significant policy diversity across countries, with wide variation observed in licensing and equipment certification requirements, enforcement, and restrictions on power output, range, and service offerings. We argue that this regulatory diversity across the continent inhibits economies of scale and may discourage large entrants. Furthermore, lack of clarity and enforcement discourages innovation and small entrepreneurs.
{"title":"License-Exempt Wireless Policy: Results of an African Survey","authors":"Isabel Neto, M. Best, S. Gillett","doi":"10.1162/1544752054782475","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752054782475","url":null,"abstract":"New radio technologies and public policies have, in many countries, allowed transmission on specific frequencies by individuals without a license. These license-exempt, or \"unlicensed,\" bands (including 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz in the United States and much of Europe) are increasingly used for data and voice communications through technologies such as Wi-Fi. We surveyed all African countries on the regulation and use of these bands to assess the implications of unlicensed wireless for telecommunications and Internet development in Africa. Responses from differing country informants, though mostly from regulators, were received from nearly every country on the continent. Responses showed significant policy diversity across countries, with wide variation observed in licensing and equipment certification requirements, enforcement, and restrictions on power output, range, and service offerings. We argue that this regulatory diversity across the continent inhibits economies of scale and may discourage large entrants. Furthermore, lack of clarity and enforcement discourages innovation and small entrepreneurs.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"73-90"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2005-03-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752054782448
E. J. Wilson, M. Best, D. Kleine
{"title":"Moving Beyond The Real Digital Divide","authors":"E. J. Wilson, M. Best, D. Kleine","doi":"10.1162/1544752054782448","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752054782448","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"3-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442284","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2005-03-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752054782420
H. Galperin
Recent developments in wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies are raising new hopes for sustainable Internet diffusion in the rural areas of the developing world. These technologies allow drastic reductions in network deployment costs, particularly for last-mile connectivity in low-density areas. More important, the technologies make possible an infrastructure development model based on community-shared resources, small-scale investments, and user experimentation. This paper argues that the new generation of WLAN technologies can significantly alleviate the constraints that limit Internet connectivity in Latin America to the wealthy, urbanized areas. Yet for this potential to be realized governments must rethink current assumptions about spectrum management and universal service policies.
{"title":"Wireless Networks and Rural Development: Opportunities for Latin America","authors":"H. Galperin","doi":"10.1162/1544752054782420","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752054782420","url":null,"abstract":"Recent developments in wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies are raising new hopes for sustainable Internet diffusion in the rural areas of the developing world. These technologies allow drastic reductions in network deployment costs, particularly for last-mile connectivity in low-density areas. More important, the technologies make possible an infrastructure development model based on community-shared resources, small-scale investments, and user experimentation. This paper argues that the new generation of WLAN technologies can significantly alleviate the constraints that limit Internet connectivity in Latin America to the wealthy, urbanized areas. Yet for this potential to be realized governments must rethink current assumptions about spectrum management and universal service policies.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"47-56"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442745","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2005-03-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752054782466
M. Micevska
The paper investigates the proposition that complementarities exist between information technologies and public health promotion. The results of the cross-country analysis indicate that an increase in the stock of telecommunications infrastructure is positively correlated with an improved health status of the population. To integrate more realism into the macrolevel analysis, the paper utilizes household surveys conducted in two emerging market economies: Bangladesh and Laos. The analysis at the household level shows that a basic telephone service offers opportunities in delivering timely information on health services to households with relatively greater demand for this type of information. Telephone access is also associated with an increased demand for telecommunications infrastructure and medical facilities.
{"title":"Telecommunications, Public Health, and Demand for Health-Related Information and Infrastructure","authors":"M. Micevska","doi":"10.1162/1544752054782466","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752054782466","url":null,"abstract":"The paper investigates the proposition that complementarities exist between information technologies and public health promotion. The results of the cross-country analysis indicate that an increase in the stock of telecommunications infrastructure is positively correlated with an improved health status of the population. To integrate more realism into the macrolevel analysis, the paper utilizes household surveys conducted in two emerging market economies: Bangladesh and Laos. The analysis at the household level shows that a basic telephone service offers opportunities in delivering timely information on health services to households with relatively greater demand for this type of information. Telephone access is also associated with an increased demand for telecommunications infrastructure and medical facilities.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"22 1","pages":"57-72"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2005-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442305","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2004-12-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752044193452
E. J. Wilson, M. Best
{"title":"Creating Necessary Knowledge","authors":"E. J. Wilson, M. Best","doi":"10.1162/1544752044193452","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752044193452","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"3-6"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442613","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2004-12-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752044193461
Anjali Dhingra, Anjali Misra
{"title":"Information Needs Assessment Model (INAM) for Identifying the Information Needs of Rural Communities","authors":"Anjali Dhingra, Anjali Misra","doi":"10.1162/1544752044193461","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752044193461","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"77-78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2004-12-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752044193470
Mingzhi Li, Zhangxi Lin, M. Xia
The software industries in developing countries face enormous challenges in order to grow amid fierce competition of imports from software manufacturers in developed countries. In this paper, using China as an example, we identify the issues that must be addressed for the software industry, as well as the special characteristics of software products that must be dealt with carefully. We propose promoting Open Source Software as a strategy the government should adopt to foster the software industry and we then recommend a course of actions.
{"title":"Leveraging the Open Source Software Movement for Development of China's Software Industry","authors":"Mingzhi Li, Zhangxi Lin, M. Xia","doi":"10.1162/1544752044193470","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752044193470","url":null,"abstract":"The software industries in developing countries face enormous challenges in order to grow amid fierce competition of imports from software manufacturers in developed countries. In this paper, using China as an example, we identify the issues that must be addressed for the software industry, as well as the special characteristics of software products that must be dealt with carefully. We propose promoting Open Source Software as a strategy the government should adopt to foster the software industry and we then recommend a course of actions.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"45-63"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442666","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2004-12-01DOI: 10.1162/1544752044193443
Norma L. Miller
Infoplazas arose in Panama as a means to combat the digital divide by providing Internet connectivity to the economically disadvantaged and geographically remote. Yet there is a dearth of information regarding their actual performance. This study constitutes a first attempt to assess the contribution of infoplazas to the diffusion and use of the Internet in Panama. In so doing, this study sets the ground for the development of a more rigorous measurement tool that might obtain better estimates of the dynamics of infoplazas and similar community information centers. Our research suggests that infoplazas account for approximately 7% of Panama's Internet users, that infoplazas might constitute the only connectivity option for at least 25% of users, and that the annual number of serviced visits might be considerably higher than the official figure. This study also draws attention to a number of challenges faced by the Infoplaza Project.
{"title":"Measuring the Contribution of Infoplazas to Internet Penetration and Use in Panama","authors":"Norma L. Miller","doi":"10.1162/1544752044193443","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/1544752044193443","url":null,"abstract":"Infoplazas arose in Panama as a means to combat the digital divide by providing Internet connectivity to the economically disadvantaged and geographically remote. Yet there is a dearth of information regarding their actual performance. This study constitutes a first attempt to assess the contribution of infoplazas to the diffusion and use of the Internet in Panama. In so doing, this study sets the ground for the development of a more rigorous measurement tool that might obtain better estimates of the dynamics of infoplazas and similar community information centers. Our research suggests that infoplazas account for approximately 7% of Panama's Internet users, that infoplazas might constitute the only connectivity option for at least 25% of users, and that the annual number of serviced visits might be considerably higher than the official figure. This study also draws attention to a number of challenges faced by the Infoplaza Project.","PeriodicalId":45625,"journal":{"name":"Information Technologies & International Development","volume":"2 1","pages":"1-23"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2004-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"64442602","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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