IT4D?

July 18th, 2003

Wolfson College

Oxford University

Dr. Philip N. Howard, Convenor

Programme in Comparative Media Law & Policy

 

 

Agenda

 

Friday, July 18, Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford

 

Time & Event

Details

8:30am  Breakfast

Meet At Haldane Room, Wolfson College for a light breakfast (Directions).

9:00am  Session 1

Case Studies

Facilitator:  Muhsin on “The e-Development Challenge.”

Guest Presenters:  Kolko on “A Case Study of Uzebekistan; Pergola on building “A Computer Lab in the ‘Bush’”; Tacchi and Slater on how to “Evaluate Community-Based Media Initiatives”; Badshah on “Utilizing the Knowledge-Based Economy to Empower the Poor.”

Questions:  What are the main challenges of specific IT4D projects?  What were relationships with local IT, development and regulatory agencies like?  Is the Internet an instrument of elite NGOs and/or the authorities?  Are new media development tools just another form of globalization and development from 'outside'? What are the advantages and disadvantages of technical assistance and the use of Internet in different stages of a project?  Are successes sector-specific, limited to problems of access to the legal system, to health care, education, participation in decision-making of the population?

Goal:  To draw lessons from specific development projects in which new media and Internet communication tools have played a key role.

10:30am  Coffee Break

 

11:00am  Session 2

Social Contexts

Facilitator:  Yeomans on the difference between “Development Goals and Technology Outcomes.”

Guest Presenters:  Nafus on how “Information and Society Do Not Necessarily Make an Information Society; Rao and Beardon on “Content Creation and Strategy” in an ActionAid development project in India; Wheeler on “Internet Connectivity in the Arab World.”

Questions:  What are some of the institutional barriers and policy challenges for infrastructure, regulation and access?  Does the scale of problems faced by developing countries trivialize the potential of costly information technologies? Do low rates of Internet penetration in the developing world prevent the use of the Internet in outreach to mobilize the population at large?

Goal:  To critically assess the role of new media in local, state, national and multi-national development work.

12:30am  Lunch

Private Dining Rooms

1:30pm Session 3

Scenarios

Facilitator:  Sandvig

Goal:  To workshop ideas on manageable IT4D projects.

3:00pm  Coffee Break

 

3:30pm  Session 4

Transportability & Benchmarks

Facilitator:  Tambini

Guests:  Tambo on “Major Lessons from the OECD Global Forums”; Yamanaka on TO COME; Scott on “ICTs, Livelihoods, and Small-Scale Producers; Laing on the “Attachment to Links Project”.

Questions:  Which Internet-related development strategies have been successful, if any? Is the Internet in fact revolutionizing the workings of development policy? Since access to Internet is limited to elite groups, can the Internet realistically improve the quality of life for people in developing countries?

Goal:  To generalize from lessons from specific development projects and strategize about how these lessons can be transported to other parts of the world

5:00pm  Reception

This will be held at the new Said Business School and transportation is provided.  Thanks to the Oxford Internet Institute, the international research team of the World Internet Project will join us.