(Routledge Explorations in Development Studies) 1st Edition
by Jack J. Barry (Author)
Despite global economic
disparities, recent years have seen rapid technological changes in
developing countries, as it is now common to see people across all
levels of society with smartphones in their hands and computers in their
homes. However, does access to Information Communication Technologies
(ICTs) actually improve the day-to-day lives of low-income citizens?
This book argues that access to the internet can help alleviate poverty,
improve development outcomes, and is now vital for realizing many human
rights.
This book posits that good governance is essential to
the realization of inclusive pro-poor development goals, and puts
forward policy recommendations that aim to mitigate the complex digital
divide by employing governance as the primary actor. In making his
argument, the author provides a quantitative analysis of developing
countries, conjoined with a targeted in-depth study of Mexico. This
mixed method approach provides an intriguing case for how improvements
in the quality of governance impacts both ICT penetration, and poverty
alleviation. Overall, the book challenges the neoliberal deterministic
perspective that the open market will "solve" technology diffusion, and
argues instead that good governance is the lynchpin that creates
conducive conditions for ICTs to make an impact on poverty alleviation.
In fact, the digital divide should not be considered binary, rather it
is a multifaceted problem where income, education, and language all need
to be considered to address it effectively.
This book will be
useful for researchers/students of development, communication
technologies, and comparative politics as well as for development
practitioners and policy makers with an interest in how modern
technology is impacting the poor in the developing world.
