Reconstruing the Digital Divide from the Perspective of a Large, Poor, Developing Country

2004 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 172-177 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey James
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Connectivity ◽  
Large Sample ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Global Digital Divide

The global digital divide is usually measured in terms of differences between rich and poor countries in the extent to which they use ICTs in general and the Internet in particular. Such a view of the problem, however, ignores the fact that there are all kinds of ways in which poor, illiterate persons in developing countries benefit from the Internet without any use of computers and Internet connectivity. Most of these benefits occur as a result of intermediaries who, in one way or another, transfer relevant parts of the knowledge available from the technology to recipients in a form that is relevant to their specific needs. Using India as an illustration of this argument, we find that usage understates actual beneficiaries by at least 30 percent. On the basis of this finding, we suggest that a reconstrued notion of the digital divide be based on usage as well as other more indirect forms of benefit from the Internet in developing countries. To this end, much more needs to be known about these other forms of benefit in a large sample of countries in addition to India.

E-Government Issues in Developing Countries

2012 ◽  
pp. 423-439
Author(s):  
Gohar Feroz Khan ◽  
Junghoon Moon
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Mobile Phone ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Public Services ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Electronic Government ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Government Agencies ◽  
Government Services

Electronic government, or e-Government, is the practice of providing public services to citizens, businesses, and other government agencies where government services can be accessed through the Internet, mobile phone, fax, mail, telephone, and personal visits (MGAHA, 2005). Developing countries, utilizing the late comer advantage, are mimicking trends of paperless governments with the expectations to reap the same benefits enjoyed by developed countries. However, e-Government initiatives have not always been successful in developing countries. According to the study conducted by Heeks (2003), the rate of e-Government success in developing countries was only 15 percent. The authors believe that such failures are mainly due to certain unique social, economic, technological, and environmental challenges faced by e-Government in developing countries. For example, some major issues include digital divide, political instability, and skills-related issues. However, the research dealing with these problems is limited. Therefore, in this chapter, the authors discuss these challenges.

Beyond the Digital Divide

2013 ◽  
pp. 277-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Undrah Buyan Baasanjav
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Internet Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Domain Names ◽  
The Public ◽  
Rapid Economic Growth ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Internet Development

This chapter explores the interplay between society and Internet technology in the context of the developing former socialist country of Mongolia. This chapter goes beyond questions of access to the Internet and explores three factors of the global digital divide. First, this chapter explores how language factors such as non-Roman domain names and the use of the Cyrillic alphabet exacerbate the digital divide in the impoverished country of Mongolia. ICANN's initiation of international domain names is an initial development toward achieving linguistic diversity on the Internet. Second, this chapter explores how post-communist settings and foreign investment and aid dependency afflict Internet development. A rapid economic growth in Mongolia has increased access to mobile phones, computers, and the Internet; however, the influx of foreign capital poured into the mining, construction, and telecommunication sectors frequently comes in non-concessional terms raising concerns over the public debt in Mongolia.

Global Digital Divide

2012 ◽  
pp. 210-234 ◽  
Author(s):  
Undrahbuyan Baasanjav
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Linguistic Diversity ◽  
Social Practices ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Domain Names ◽  
Aid Dependency ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
People’S Attitudes ◽  
Internet Development ◽  
Depth Interviews

This chapter explores several factors of the global digital divide in the former socialist country of Mongolia. By analyzing manifest media content on the Internet, as well as by interviewing people involved in Internet development, this chapter goes beyond the question of access to the Internet and asks how language factors exacerbate the digital divide in an impoverished country. Initiating non-Western alphabet domain names and setting culturally inclusive non-Western alphabet standards have been important steps in achieving linguistic diversity on the Internet and overcoming the global digital divide in countries like Mongolia. Furthermore, this chapter explores how a post-communist political setting, aid dependency, and international organizations influence Internet development. The analysis of in-depth interviews provides nuanced explanation of the socialist legacy that is traced in institutional routines, people’s attitudes, and social practices.

Global Digital Divide, Global Justice, Cultures, and Epistemology

2011 ◽  
pp. 37-50
Author(s):  
Soraj Hongladarom
Keyword(s):  
Information Technology ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Social Epistemology ◽  
Global Justice ◽  
Internet Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Social Good ◽  
The Social ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Digital Divide

The problem of global digital divide, namely disparity in Internet access and use among the various regions of the world, is a growing concern. Even though, according to some reports, the gap is getting narrower, this does not mean that the problem is disappearing, because the problem does not just consist in getting more people to become “wired,” so to speak. This chapter investigates the various relationships among the global digital divide, global justice, cultures and epistemology. Very briefly stated, not getting access to the Internet constitutes an injustice because the access is a social good that can lead to various other goods. Furthermore, as information technology is a second-order technology, one that operates on meaning bearing symbols, access to the technology is very much an issue of social epistemology, an attempt to find out the optimal way to distribute knowledge across the social and cultural domains.

Do Insecure Systems Increase Global Digital Divide?

2010 ◽  
pp. 234-243
Author(s):  
Jawed Siddiqi ◽  
Ja’far Alqatawna ◽  
Mohammad Hjouj Btoush
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Information Security ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
New Model ◽  
Security Issues ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Global Digital Divide

This chapter surveys the issues concerning the digital divide facing developing nations. The authors assert that “insecurity” and the “digital divide” are highly dependent on each other and as insecurity increases so does the digital divide. Therefore, the authors propose to extend the concept of the digital divide to include information security features by putting forward a new model or paradigm of security that is multi-faceted and is able to assist in bridging the digital divide gap. They argue that a lack of attention to security reduces the access to and use of resources with which to attack the digital divide. In particular, for e-business, the authors conclude that in developing countries having security issues at the forefront would encourage engagement with e-initiatives, or restrain it if there is an absence of security.

A Framework for Narrowing the Digital Divide

2003 ◽  
pp. 104-115
Author(s):  
Alexander Osterwalder ◽  
Mathias Rossi ◽  
Minyue Dong
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Business Model ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Model Framework ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
New Information ◽  
Information And Communication

The bridging of the so-called digital divide is an important issue in today’s development efforts of international and non-governmental organizations and developing countries. This does not only concern access to new information and communication technology (ICT) such as the Internet, but also access to the knowledge how to use these technologies for economic development. This chapter outlines the business model framework and the business model handbook that shall help to develop a knowledgeable class of e-entrepreneurs that are able to use ICT and to detect the opportunities of the Internet era.

scholarly journals Exploring the Gender Digital Divide in E-Government Use in a Developing Country

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
Ali Acilar
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Developing Country ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Historical Trends ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Wrong Side ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Digital Gap ◽  
Services Use

This article explores the gender digital divide in e-government use in Turkey. Historical trends and differences in internet and e-government use by males and females are investigated. The findings of this study indicate that although internet use has increased over the years, there remains a steady and significant gap between males and females in terms of internet use and e-government services use. It appears that females in Turkey tend to be on the wrong side of the digital divide, and a significant number of females do not benefit from the potential advantages of the internet and e-government services. The gender digital gap in e-government use is higher than in internet use.

Policy as a Bridge across the Global Digital Divide

2010 ◽  
pp. 40-56
Author(s):  
Meena Chary ◽  
Stephen K. Aikins
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Technology Policy ◽  
Developing Nations ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Policy Action ◽  
Socioeconomic Characteristics ◽  
Global Digital Divide ◽  
Case Vignettes ◽  
Investments In Education

This chapter assesses how public policy can be used to bridge the global digital divide, especially in developing nations. First, the chapter characterizes the Internet technologies encompassed within the digital divide according to dimensions of individual socioeconomic characteristics and service provider infrastructure characteristics. Then, the chapter develops a set of technology policy dimensions as they affect those two dimensions, using case vignettes from India to illustrate policy actions. Finally, the chapter makes policy action recommendations to bridge the digital divide, including investments in education and literacy, e-governance, intermediary services, infrastructure, and regulation.

The Evolution of ICT, Economic Development, and the Digitally-Divided Society

2008 ◽  
pp. 91-103
Author(s):  
Sadayoshi Takaya
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Cooperative Effort ◽  
The Public ◽  
Digital Devices ◽  
Divided Society

In this chapter, we mention that a digital divide could bring about an income divide both within a country and between countries. The more the uses of the Internet diffuse, the more the divide may introduce serious concerns. From a macroeconomic point of view, the increase in the digital divide diminishes ICT investments and delays the innovation of ICT. As a result, we propose that the public policies of each government provide the devices of ICT as social capital and infrastructure. On the global stage, the digital divide exists between developed and developing countries. Therefore, international provision of the digital devices should be achieved through a cooperative effort between developed countries and international organizations.

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