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WSIS Papers Newsletter - July 2005 No. 9<BR>
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<BR>
In this issue: TELECENTRES: A NEW MODEL FOR SOCIAL APPROPRIATION OF ICTs<BR>
<BR>
Content:<BR>
<BR>
- Telecentres lessons and experiences<BR>
- Evaluation and sustainability<BR>
- Telecenters in developing regions<BR>
- Introducing gender in telecentre analysis<BR>
- Telecentres as a tool for rural development<BR>
- Beyond access: Not only telecenters<BR>
- Commonalities and differences between telecentres and cybercafes<BR>
- Related Choike's in-depth reports<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
Available online at:<BR>
<BR>
<A HREF="http://wsispapers.choike.org/">http://wsispapers.choike.org/</A><BR>
<BR>
-------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
In recent decades, an exponential increase has been registered in the<BR>
creation and development of new technologies, particularly those related<BR>
to information and technology. However, the present global configuration<BR>
in terms of availability of these technologies evidences the<BR>
continuation of an unequal distribution of power and wealth, so that the<BR>
so-called "digital divide" becomes a sub-dimension of the economic gap<BR>
existing between more developed and less developed countries. These<BR>
inequities are also registered to the interior of societies,<BR>
particularly in the poorest ones, where the access and property of new<BR>
technologies is concentrated on the highest socio-economic levels.<BR>
<BR>
In this context, several action plans have been brought forward aiming<BR>
at breaking the digital divide and contributing to the construction and<BR>
strengthening of the information society in all regions of the world.<BR>
Among these initiatives is the installation of telecentres. Although<BR>
these telecentres are classified into several groups - according to<BR>
their public character, type of management, services offered, etc. -<BR>
there is certain consensus in defining them as "physical spaces that<BR>
provide individuals, community groups and organizations with public<BR>
access to the information and communication technologies in order to<BR>
contribute to their educative, personal, social and economic<BR>
development". The sole provision of free or low-cost access to ICTs is<BR>
not the essential characteristic of telecentres, being such<BR>
characteristic their community dimension. It is a fact that the<BR>
successful realization of telecentre projects depends mainly on carrying<BR>
out their installation and development with and for the community, thus<BR>
respecting its specific demands. Telecentres then turn out to be spaces<BR>
for the promotion of digital inclusion, social equity and local<BR>
development, through mutual learning and exchange, particularly in areas<BR>
and social sectors with poor access to ICTs. In this sense, for example,<BR>
the potential of telecentres for strengthening communities in rural<BR>
areas has been stressed. The reduction in the gender gap, which is<BR>
especially related to the role of women in the production, access and<BR>
use of new technologies, has also been pointed out as one of the<BR>
potential benefits of telecentres, for example, through the design of<BR>
policies that would favour the use and management of such spaces by<BR>
women.<BR>
<BR>
One of the main dangers posed to the survival of telecentres is their<BR>
transformation into "cybercafe-type" facilities. That is to say, to stop<BR>
being focused on human development and democratisation of technologies,<BR>
and being instead turned into spaces just aimed at consumption and<BR>
entertainment. A number of studies have stressed the role played by<BR>
cybercafes in providing access and connection at low prices, which would<BR>
thus contribute to a wider dissemination of ICTs. However, those who<BR>
work on the promotion of ICTs for development usually make a clear<BR>
distinction between both type of facilities. As they indicate, that<BR>
which differentiates telecentres from cybercafes is the explicit purpose<BR>
of the first ones to become instruments for human development, to<BR>
channel local needs and to contribute to a change in community reality.<BR>
For this purpose, it is necessary to implement long-term training<BR>
programmes aimed at users and managers, in order to achieve a real<BR>
social appropriation of technologies, given the fact that they do not<BR>
promote development by themselves, but by means of the capability and<BR>
purposes for which they are used. <BR>
<BR>
The financing problem also affects the feasibility of this kind of<BR>
projects. Since at first telecentres appear as initiatives that are<BR>
scarcely or no profitable at all, external financing - either from<BR>
public institutions or foreign donors - is needed for their operation.<BR>
The issue of self-sustainability is turned then into an imperative since<BR>
foreign investment is generally not granted for long periods of time. In<BR>
this sense, the potential adaptability of telecentres has been pointed<BR>
out as a factor that may contribute to their successful development<BR>
without making them lose their characteristic community dynamics by<BR>
means of the implementation of self-financing or complementary financing<BR>
strategies based on the provision of additional services to the<BR>
community (such as PC repair services, photocopy services, etc).<BR>
<BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Telecentres lessons and experiences<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* Lessons from the field: ICTs in telecenters<BR>
Source: The Digital Dividend Project - World Resources Institute<BR>
Telecenters are one of the most rapidly growing applications of ICTs in<BR>
the developing world. This article argues that their rationale lies in<BR>
shared-access models that allow provision of a wide range of services to<BR>
more users at lower cost than privately-owned home or office computers<BR>
which are often out of financial reach of poor people.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.digitaldividend.org/pubs/pubs_02_tele.htm">http://www.digitaldividend.org/pubs/pubs_02_tele.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
* UNESCO: Community Multimedia Centres<BR>
Source: UNESCO<BR>
UNESCO's International Initiative for Community Multimedia Centres<BR>
(CMCs) promotes community empowerment and addresses the digital divide<BR>
by combining community broadcasting with the Internet and related<BR>
technologies. A CMC combines community radio by local people in local<BR>
languages with community telecentre facilities (computers with Internet<BR>
and e-mail, phone, fax and photocopying services).<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=1263&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SE">http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=1263&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SE</A><BR>
CTION=201.html<BR>
<BR>
* Telecentres experiences, lessons and trends<BR>
Sonja Oestmann, Andrew C. Dymond<BR>
Source: The Commonwealth of learning<BR>
This paper provides a brief introduction to telecentres, critically<BR>
examines the experiences to date, particularly in developing countries<BR>
and emerging markets, delineates the key issues, and points to new<BR>
directions and possibilities for telecentre development. Central<BR>
elements are a discussion of financing, ownership and operating models,<BR>
and a consideration of private sector involvement. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.col.org/telecentres/chapter%2001.pdf">http://www.col.org/telecentres/chapter%2001.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* ICTs, telecenters and community development<BR>
Royal D. Colle<BR>
Source: Cornell University<BR>
This paper identifies ten key issues that go beyond the connectivity<BR>
dimension of ICTs. Focusing especially on community telecenters, the<BR>
main idea is that a variety of social, economic, and political factors<BR>
influence the potential of ICTs as successful tools for development.<BR>
Addressing those factors is an important step in building demand-driven<BR>
local communication institutions such as telecenters. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://wsispapers.choike.org/ict_telecenters_dev.pdf">http://wsispapers.choike.org/ict_telecenters_dev.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Rethinking telecenters: knowledge demands, marginal markets,<BR>
microbanks and remittance flows<BR>
Scott S. Robinson<BR>
Source: Internet Society (ISOC)<BR>
This article proposes a novel use of information and communication<BR>
technology (ICT) to link the First and Second worlds, that is, the<BR>
creation of telecenters using satellite or local internet service<BR>
provider (ISP) internet connections linked with microbanks providing<BR>
digital remittance services while offering a set of generic financial,<BR>
communication, education, informational, and even e-commerce resources.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/0401/robinson.html">http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/0401/robinson.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecentre literature review<BR>
Isabella Rega<BR>
Source: Center for International Development & Conflict Management -<BR>
University of Maryland<BR>
An annotated literature review on telecentres. Articles, chapters and<BR>
books reviewed are presented in a table, where each document is<BR>
associated with a set of main topics. It provides a very useful and<BR>
comprehensive resource of information on telecenters.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/ICT/telecentres/index_of_literature_review.htm">http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/ICT/telecentres/index_of_literature_review.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Evaluation and sustainability<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* Telecentres sustainability: what does it mean?<BR>
Klaus Stoll<BR>
Source: Chasquinet<BR>
This paper argues that telecentre sustainability cannot been viewed on<BR>
the basis of financial sustainability alone. In order to reach the goals<BR>
of community development and financial sustainability, community-based<BR>
telecentres have to integrate social, political, cultural, and technical<BR>
sustainability as vital elements into the planning and operation of the<BR>
telecentre.<BR>
--> <A HREF="ftp://chasquinet.org/pub/docs/politicas/sostenibilidad.htm">ftp://chasquinet.org/pub/docs/politicas/sostenibilidad.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
* Comparing approaches: telecentre evaluation experiences in Asia and<BR>
Latin America<BR>
Ricardo Gomez, Katherine Reilly<BR>
Source: Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing<BR>
Countries (EJISDC)<BR>
This paper reports on some of the experiences of International<BR>
Development Research Centre, a key player in the telecentre movement in<BR>
developing countries. Their analysis provides useable guidelines for<BR>
telecentre evaluation and provides a common framework for assessing<BR>
individual telecentre experiences. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/ejisdc/vol4/v4r3.pdf">http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/ejisdc/vol4/v4r3.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecentre evaluation: a global perspective<BR>
Source: Chasquinet<BR>
The contributions in this volume are the result of an international<BR>
working meeting on telecentre evaluation, held at Far Hills, Quebec from<BR>
September 28-30, 1999. The main aim of this meeting was to explore in<BR>
depth the challenges and opportunities of telecentre evaluation in Latin<BR>
America, Asia and Africa. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="ftp://ftp.chasquinet.org/pub/docs/wrkshp2.pdf">ftp://ftp.chasquinet.org/pub/docs/wrkshp2.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Themes and issues in telecentre sustainability<BR>
Raul Roman, Royal D. Colle<BR>
Source: University of Manchester<BR>
Based on data collected from Australia and South Africa to Hungary and<BR>
Canada, this paper describe some of the strategies being used to sustain<BR>
telecentres. The discussion is focused in the context of developing<BR>
nations because of the intense interest in the early 21st century in<BR>
incubating telecentres in places where individual connectivity to<BR>
information access is most problematic. PDF format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/NISPAcee/UNPAN0155">http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/NISPAcee/UNPAN0155</A><BR>
44.pdf<BR>
<BR>
* Sustainable telecentres? Two cases from India<BR>
Roger Harris<BR>
Source: Development Gateway<BR>
While small-scale experiments have supplied ample testimony to the<BR>
benefits that poor people can derive from ICTs, the financial<BR>
sustainability of telecentres remains contentious, and attempts at<BR>
large-scale replications suffer from economic uncertainty. This article<BR>
shows two initiatives from India that point to mechanisms for<BR>
sustainable rural telecentres that involve the private sector.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/sdm/previewDocument.do~activeDo">http://topics.developmentgateway.org/ict/sdm/previewDocument.do~activeDo</A><BR>
cumentId=442648<BR>
<BR>
* The community telecentre cookbook for Africa: recipes for<BR>
self-sustainability<BR>
Mike Jensen and Anriette Esterhuysen<BR>
Source: UNESCO<BR>
Most of the existing introductory texts, guidelines and manuals have<BR>
been written for telecentre operators in developed countries and there<BR>
is a shortage of knowledge on how to establish and sustain them in<BR>
developing regions. The aim of this manual is to draw upon existing<BR>
knowledge and materials and adapt them to the African context. PDF<BR>
format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001230/123004e.pdf">http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0012/001230/123004e.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecenters and telecommunications development: options and strategies<BR>
<BR>
David N. Townsend, Daniel Espitia, Sonia N. Jorge, Christopher B. Lee<BR>
Source: DNTA<BR>
The concept of community-based telecenters has recently gained<BR>
widespread attention as a strategically vital response to the perpetual<BR>
lack of access to information and communications technologies and<BR>
services in economically deprived areas. While telecenters are not an<BR>
entirely new idea, the strong emphasis on this new policy option offers<BR>
an intriguing and encouraging approach to overcoming the wide<BR>
disparities of access in the Information Society, and to provide<BR>
opportunities for developing societies and historically disadvantaged<BR>
populations to participate in the newly emerging social and economic<BR>
order. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://wsispapers.choike.org/options_strategies.pdf">http://wsispapers.choike.org/options_strategies.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Telecenters in developing regions<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* African experience with telecenters<BR>
Peter Benjamin<BR>
Source: eOTI<BR>
Telecenters have been seen as a means of addressing the lack of ICTs<BR>
throughout Africa and of assisting in providing universal access, to<BR>
both telephony and other forms of ICTs. This article reviews various<BR>
initiatives throughout Africa and looks at two telecentre type: type A<BR>
microenterprise telecenters; and type B, bigger, donor-funded<BR>
telecenters.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1100/benjamin.html">http://www.isoc.org/oti/articles/1100/benjamin.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* Wondering about telecentres: can they contribute to sustainable<BR>
development in Latin America? <BR>
Ricardo Gómez, Patrik Hunt, Emmanuelle Lamoureux<BR>
Source: IDRC<BR>
Telecentres are now the focus of much attention in international<BR>
development discourse. Hailed as the solution to development problems by<BR>
providing desperately needed access to ICTs, telecentres are springing<BR>
up in Africa, Latin America and Asia. This paper examines the notion of<BR>
telecentres under a critical light, suggests a typology to describe the<BR>
diversity of experiences emerging, calls attention to the need for<BR>
assessment of their impact on communities, and describes some telecentre<BR>
efforts in Latin America.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-4343-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html">http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-4343-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* Lessons from community telecentres in Latin America and the Caribbean<BR>
Karin Delgadillo, Ricardo Gómez, Klaus Stoll<BR>
Source: Chasquinet<BR>
This document is the result of several years of research into community<BR>
telecentres in Latin America and the Caribbean, coordinated by Fundación<BR>
Chasquinet of Ecuador and supported by the PAN Americas program of the<BR>
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="ftp://ftp.chasquinet.org/pub/docs/sinimagenesi.pdf">ftp://ftp.chasquinet.org/pub/docs/sinimagenesi.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Introducing gender in telecentre analysis<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* Telecenters and the gender dimension: an examination of how engendered<BR>
telecenters are diffused in Africa<BR>
Kelby S. Johnson<BR>
Source: Soul Beat Africa<BR>
This paper explores the complex relationship between the diffusion of<BR>
ICTs, telecenter design and women's access to new technologies in the<BR>
African context. The argument formulated is based on the contention that<BR>
sustainability of ICTs in Africa is dependent upon moving away from a<BR>
gender-neutral approach to telecenter design and towards a more<BR>
engendered one that is tailored to the diverse needs of women (and men)<BR>
users. PDF format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://cct.georgetown.edu/thesis/">http://www.comminit.com/redirect.cgi?r=http://cct.georgetown.edu/thesis/</A><BR>
KelbyJohnson.pdf<BR>
<BR>
* Gender analysis of telecentre evaluation methodology<BR>
Rebecca Holmes<BR>
Source: APC WNSP<BR>
Based on experiences with the APC WomensNet in South Africa, the autor<BR>
states that effective and viable telecentres must incorporate the needs<BR>
of women. A gender-based approach to evaluation would allow for<BR>
questions to be asked concerning design, development, and management of<BR>
the telecentre. For instance, policy processes need to be interrogated<BR>
(were women involved in decision-making?), and questions need to be<BR>
asked about the selection, ownership, and management of telecentres.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.apcwomen.org/resources/research/telecentre-gender.html">http://www.apcwomen.org/resources/research/telecentre-gender.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecentres for universal access: engendered policy options<BR>
Sonia N. Jorge<BR>
Source: Women in Action<BR>
This article states that most of telecentres projects difficulties<BR>
result from the lack of gender analysis and training to address the<BR>
specific needs and demands of women and girls. So, it is crucial to<BR>
invest in gender analysis and training to ensure that telecentres can<BR>
appropriately respond to women's needs and demands. From a gender<BR>
perspective, telecentre projects must make an active effort to consider<BR>
the disparate needs of women and men in the communities they serve.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.isiswomen.org/pub/wia/wia202/telecentres.htm">http://www.isiswomen.org/pub/wia/wia202/telecentres.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
* Creating a participatory telecenter enterprise<BR>
Raul Roman and R. D. Colle<BR>
Source: Cornell University<BR>
This paper looks at the obstacles to community participation in<BR>
telecenter operations, and it suggests some approaches that have the<BR>
potential to increase participation, especially that of women. PDF<BR>
format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://wsispapers.choike.org/creating_participatory_telecenter.pdf">http://wsispapers.choike.org/creating_participatory_telecenter.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Telecenters as a tool for rural development<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* Telecenters and rural communities<BR>
Source: Centro Internacional de Agricultura Tropical (CIAT)<BR>
Recent spread of the Internet, cellular phones and other new ICTs in<BR>
developing countries offers exciting opportunities for better linking<BR>
R&D organizations with information networks in rural communities. One<BR>
approach to seizing those opportunities involves community telecenters,<BR>
where individuals and organizations can learn to use ICTs for<BR>
development.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/inforcom/info_networks.htm">http://www.ciat.cgiar.org/inforcom/info_networks.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
* School-based telecenters: an approach to rural access to ICTs<BR>
Source: Women of Uganda Network<BR>
The school-based telecenter (SBT) approach developed out of a<BR>
combination of motivational factors. In Uganda's rural communities like<BR>
most parts of Africa, there is general lack of basic ICT infrastructure.<BR>
By the end of 1998, Multi-purpose Community Telecenters (MCT) pilot<BR>
projects had been launched with the support of IDRC/ITU/UNESCO at three<BR>
different sites in Uganda. The broad mission of the MCTs was to study<BR>
the efficacy of use of ICTs to promote rural community development. PDF<BR>
format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.wougnet.org/Events/IARW/SchoolBasedTelecenter_MMayanja.pdf">http://www.wougnet.org/Events/IARW/SchoolBasedTelecenter_MMayanja.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Comparing urban and rural telecenters costs<BR>
Hani Shakeel, Michael Best, Bruno Miller, Sam Weber<BR>
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)<BR>
If deployed in both urban and rural areas, telecenters can decrease the<BR>
gap in social services and economic opportunities that often exist<BR>
between the two. However, establishing and operating rural telecenters<BR>
is perceived to be more costly than urban ones. This paper presents a<BR>
cost comparison of establishing urban and rural telecenter in Costa<BR>
Rica. It shows that telecenter operations in rural areas disconnected<BR>
from the power and telecommunication<BR>
grids may not be significantly more expensive than those of an urban<BR>
telecenter. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/ejisdc/vol4/v4r2.pdf">http://www.is.cityu.edu.hk/research/ejisdc/vol4/v4r2.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Information nodes in the rural landscapes<BR>
Source: Information for Development (I4D)<BR>
This article critically examines digital development in order to reveal<BR>
the larger impact that ICTs could have on rural economies and societies,<BR>
and it goes further to identify information kiosks as the most effective<BR>
vehicle for digital development<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.i4donline.net/issue/may03/aditya_full.htm">http://www.i4donline.net/issue/may03/aditya_full.htm</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecenters for socioeconomic and rural development in Latin American<BR>
and the Caribbean<BR>
Francisco J. Proenza, Roberto Bastidas-Buch, Guillermo Montero<BR>
Source: Inter American Development Bank (IADB)<BR>
The report examines some of the main telecentre experiments in Latin<BR>
America (especially Central America and the Caribbean). Survey results<BR>
provide a characterization of users; help identify the main uses of<BR>
cabinas publicas in Peru and their needs; and perceived notions as to<BR>
the quality of service received. Investment opportunities are<BR>
identified, and design recommendations made. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.iadb.org/sds/itdev/telecenters/fullrep.pdf">http://www.iadb.org/sds/itdev/telecenters/fullrep.pdf</A><BR>
<BR>
* Integrated rural development and universal access<BR>
Source: ITU<BR>
The document contains the methodology currently being developed to<BR>
evaluate the pilot multipurpose community telecentre projects by the ITU<BR>
and partners as part of the Buenos Aires Action Plan adopted by the<BR>
World Telecommunication Development Centre 1994. The multipurpose<BR>
community telecentres (MCTs) introduced in the pilot projects provide<BR>
facilities and support for a wide range of services and applications<BR>
responding to the needs of the local communities.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/univ_access/telecentres/papers/guelph.html">http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/univ_access/telecentres/papers/guelph.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* Telecentres in Rural Asia: Towards a Success Model<BR>
Roger Harris<BR>
Source: UNPAN (United Nations Online Network in Public Administration<BR>
and Finance)<BR>
This report describes five telecentre projects that are concerned with<BR>
bringing about social and economic development in rural communities in<BR>
Asia. A success model for telecentres is derived and applied to this<BR>
five projects. Results indicate that earlier research offers promise in<BR>
understanding what leads to a successful community telecentre. In<BR>
particular, the characteristics of communities emerge as the most potent<BR>
influence on the success of community telecentres, yet are probably the<BR>
least manageable. PDF format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN006304">http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN006304</A><BR>
.pdf<BR>
<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
Beyond access: Not only telecenters<BR>
---------------------------------------------------------<BR>
<BR>
* Thoughts on the telecenter as a model for ICT deployment in the rural<BR>
"South" <BR>
Ted Byfield<BR>
Source: SSRC (Social Science Research Council)<BR>
The autor of this paper argues that the success of the telecenter<BR>
approach to ICT interventions, particularly in the rural "South", comes<BR>
at the expense of less efficient or rational research and projects that<BR>
are context-specific and, perhaps,<BR>
irreproducible. As a model, its current formulation is becoming more<BR>
responsive to the needs of funders, development agencies, and, possibly,<BR>
investors, and less responsive to the needs of local beneficiaries. PDF<BR>
format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.ssrc.org/programs/itic/publications/knowledge_report/memos/by">http://www.ssrc.org/programs/itic/publications/knowledge_report/memos/by</A><BR>
fieldmemo1.pdf<BR>
<BR>
* The lamp without a genie: using telecentres for development without<BR>
expecting miracles<BR>
Ricardo Gómez, Angélica Ospina<BR>
Source: IDRC<BR>
Authors state that telecentres initiatives have demonstrated the<BR>
importance of participatory strategies that allow community involvement<BR>
in the process of adoption and implementation of ICTs for development<BR>
but they criticize the assumption of the intrinsic benefits of the new<BR>
information economy and of the role of telecentres in it. They conclude<BR>
stressing that promoting development involves more than facilitating<BR>
access to needed devices and services. It also implies an effort to<BR>
shape broader structures of opportunity in ways that further social and<BR>
economic progress. PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-11973-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html">http://www.idrc.ca/en/ev-11973-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html</A><BR>
<BR>
Prometheus riding a cadillac? Telecentres as the promised flame of<BR>
knowledge<BR>
Alfonso Gumucio Dagron<BR>
Source: Cornell University<BR>
The author criticizes the idea that knowledge, coming from the north of<BR>
the world, is the solution for development. He challenges the<BR>
effectiveness of telecentres claiming that only one out of every one<BR>
hundred telecentres are really useful for the local community where they<BR>
have been set-up, in terms of supporting development and social change.<BR>
PDF format.<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://wsispapers.choike.org/prometheus_riding_cadillac.pdf">http://wsispapers.choike.org/prometheus_riding_cadillac.pdf</A><BR>
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Commonalities and differences between telecenters and cybercafes<BR>
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* Telecenter sustainability-myths and opportunities<BR>
Francisco. J. Proenza<BR>
Source: FAO<BR>
This article focuses on telecenters's financing issues. The autor states<BR>
that is an unfortunate but common mistake to disregard cybercafés,<BR>
because they are "not development oriented". He argues that people<BR>
working in telecenters projects should take the example of cybercafes,<BR>
as they can teach important lessons about policy and managerial<BR>
approaches that contribute to sustainability.PDF format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.fao.org/Waicent/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/ags/Agsp/pdf/ProenzaTelecent">http://www.fao.org/Waicent/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/ags/Agsp/pdf/ProenzaTelecent</A><BR>
er.pdf<BR>
<BR>
* Commercial cybercafés: A useful weapon against the "digital divide"?<BR>
Ana María Fernández-Maldonado<BR>
Source: eLearningeuropa.info<BR>
In some countries of the developing world, cybercafés are by far the<BR>
main way to connect to the Internet and to interact with computers. This<BR>
is the starting point of this interesting analysis on the role of<BR>
Internet in less developed countries.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://www.elearningeuropa.info/index.php?page=doc&doc_id=5077&doclng=4">http://www.elearningeuropa.info/index.php?page=doc&doc_id=5077&doclng=4</A><BR>
<BR>
* Public telephone & Internet services in Africa - The rise of<BR>
telecentre & cybercafe<BR>
Mike Jensen<BR>
Source: APEC Telecenter Workshop<BR>
Two different groups can be distinguished among the community access<BR>
projects that are now in process of formation in a number of African<BR>
countries: a) those that are emerging from entrepreneur driven<BR>
initiatives or through expansion of services at existing public<BR>
'telephoneshops' and in other businesses, and b) national or<BR>
international development programmes to support non-profit telecentres<BR>
driven by NGO, government entities or international organizations.PDF<BR>
format.<BR>
--><BR>
<A HREF="http://telecenter.rdec.gov.tw/tel30_telecenter/tele_02%20Public%20Tel%20">http://telecenter.rdec.gov.tw/tel30_telecenter/tele_02%20Public%20Tel%20</A><BR>
n%20Internet%20Svcs%20in%20Africa.pdf<BR>
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Related Choike's in-depth reports<BR>
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<BR>
* The right to communicate<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1215.html">http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1215.html</A><BR>
<BR>
* World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)<BR>
--> <A HREF="http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/703.html">http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/703.html</A><BR>
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- "WSIS Papers" and "Choike" are projects of the<BR>
Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM) - Third World Institute<BR>
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- "WSIS Papers" is supported by the<BR>
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) / PanAmericas<BR>
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