Technology

The use of donkeys in the central highlands of Mexico: a gender perspective

A historical study of migratory patterns in central Mexico shows that rural communities have seen shifts in population ratios as well as in the type of activities and responsibilities undertaken by men and women. This has also affected women's use of livestock, particularly the donkey. In this case study from the State of Mexico, the use of donkeys is analysed using PRA methodology.
Author: 
von Keyserlingk
Page: 
5

Information affluence for the developing world: the vision and work of WorldSpace

The author, founder and Chairman of WorldSpace Corporation, describes the creation of the WorldSpace Foundation to promulgate access to information in the developing world. WorldSpace has launched a digital radio service, and has gained licences to broadcast in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, with the aim of closing the gap between rich and poor countries' access to information. He argues that such access is a sufficient condition for development.
Author: 
Samara, Noah A.
Page: 
11

An innovative community-based waste disposal scheme in Hyderabad

The author highlights a community participation scheme in Hyderabad, India, which allowed informal sector workers, organised by the Municipality, to take steps towards a more cost-effective and ecocentric method of waste management. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development and Management.
Author: 
Snel, Mariëlle
Page: 
22

Information Technology and the management of corruption

The author examines the perception that information technology (IT) can be used to stamp out corruption in organisations. Using examples of corrupt practices, he argues that, invariably, development managers should consider the underlying organisational and environmental causes of corruption rather than seeing the introduction of IT systems as a solution in itself. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development and Management.
Author: 
Heeks, Richard
Page: 
19

Information for action: the Clearinghouse Project

The author, formerly Director of the Clearinghouse Project, describes the aims, achievements and underlying philosophy of the Project, which was set up in 1979 by the American Public Health Association (funded by USAID) to improve access to information for health-practitioners in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Author: 
Gibbons, Gayle
Page: 
9

The People's Communication Charter

Many governments and international organisations have offered utopian visions of a Global Information Infrastructure (GII), a successor to the Internet, which will enable global sharing and communication. The development of the GII rests on the capacity of all nations to have access to the requisite technology, and the currently widening gap between access to PCs and telephone lines does not bode well for the prospects of the envisioned network.
Author: 
Hamelink, Cees J.
Page: 
7

From development by effects to development by contexts via communication

The vision shared by most development scholars and practitioners today is for beneficiary-driven development, the impediment and the means to which both lie with communication. The debate concerns the communication approach that would best realise this vision. This paper examines and critically comments on two major approaches, Development Communication (DC) and Development Support Communication (DSC), though it argues for neither of these.
Author: 
Kasongo, Emmanuel
Page: 
3

Technological change among peasants in Central Argentina

Drawing on a case study from Central Argentina, this article suggests that researchers can be too cautious about introducing technologies of which farmers have no previous experience. In particular, it challenges the notion that the only technology appropriate to peasant conditions is that which is rooted in traditional ideas and culture. Under certain circumstances, externally supplied technologies may also be appropriate. Rather than focusing solely on the technology, it is necessary to look at the socio-economic and historical context in which the technology will be used.
Author: 
Cáceres, Daniel M.
Author: 
Woodhouse, Philip J.
Page: 
2

Global Knowledge: a US NGO perspective

Global Knowledge '97: Knowledge for Development in the Information Age was organised by the World Bank and the Canadian government and held in Toronto. The Benton Foundation put together a group of US experts from the NGO sector, and the author reports on the conference and how various NGO representatives viewed the discussions. The consensus at the conference was that technological improvements and updating infrastructure were of the greatest importance for development.
Author: 
Smith, Jillaine
Page: 
12

SatelLife - linking information and people: the last ten centimetres

SatelLife was set up by the organisation International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) in 1985, with the aim of providing a forum for the involvement of medical colleagues in the South in discussion of health and peace issues. SatelLife set up and run a satellite linking service (HealthNet) providing email and a medical information network for organisations and communities world-wide, integrating people working in countries with limited communications infrastructure into the debate. The author provides an overview of the system and the ethos behind it.
Author: 
Royall, Julia
Page: 
10
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