HPAIR 2001 - Identifying Barriers to ICT Development by David A. Rice

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HPAIR 2001

• Workshop One Asias Widening Technology
  Gap

David A. Rice, MPA
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Session One

• David Rice Presentation
• Identifying Barriers to ICT Development A
  high-level look at the causes of the digital
  divide
• Small Group Exercise
• Strategies to Bridge the Divide
• Delegate Survey

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Identifying Barriers to ICT Development A
high-level look at the causes of the digital
divide

• Categorizing major barriers
• Analysis of barriers
• Courses of Action

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Categorizing Barriers

• Governmental
• Financial
• Technological
• Social
• Cultural

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Government Barriers

• Government-owned telecom
• Political instability
• Corruption
• Absence of rule of law
• Undue regulation
• High import tariffs
• High taxes
• Inconsistent policies
• Limitations on Foreign Direct Investment
• Public Debt

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Financial Barriers

• Lack of capital
• Cost of connectivity
• Lack of competition
• Research and Development resources
• Inability to nurture Entrepreneurship
• Discriminatory pricing of ICT services
• Absence of consumer credit

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Technological Barriers

• Telecommunication Infrastructure
• Inadequate basic infrastructure (electricity,
  roads)
• Conflicting technical standards
• High-cost service areas
• Terminal access

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Social Barriers

• Poverty
• Clean water
• Inadequate health care
• Lack of housing
• Inequality
• Illiteracy/Lack of basic education

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Cultural Barriers

• Lack of local content
• Inappropriate user interface
• Fear of the unknown
• Western technology
• Commercialization
• Supply vs. Demand-driven solutions

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Courses of Action

• International
• National
• Private Sector
• G-8 Principles

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International

• Involvement of leadership at higher levels
• Inter-organizational working group
• Coordination of activities among
• Developed country governments
• Multi-national corporations
• Multi-lateral organizations
• International NGOs
• International declaration of principles
• Clearinghouse of information on efforts
• Enhance participation by civil society
• Creation of international web portals
  facilitating access to various programs

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National

• New policy mechanisms to coordinate digital
  opportunity activities
• E-Government Lead by example
• Transparent institutional arrangements to
  increase cooperation with other stakeholders
• Build capacity to effectively monitor and
  evaluate the implementation of internationally-fun
  ded programs
• Address the most disadvantaged members of
  society
• Rural populations
• Women
• Ethnic minorities and
• People with disabilities

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National

• Universal access to quality education
• Technological knowledge and skills training in
  elementary and secondary education levels
• Wire schools and public libraries
• Train teachers technological skills
• Develop distance education program
• Fiscal restraint, monetary stability, open
  markets, appropriate policies on taxation and
  investment
• Establish business incubators and entrepreneurial
  networks
• Community telecenters

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Private Sector

• Work with digital corps volunteers
• Donate recycled computers, specialized software
  applications, books and other instructional
  materials
• Provide affordable certification training in
  networking and related technology programs
• Assist governments in development of the
  e-commerce value chain
• telecommunications and computer-related services,
  
• distribution services,
• advertising services, and
• financial services

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G-8 Principles

• High-level leadership
• Coordination
• Inter-Sector Partnerships
• Access to Education and Training
• Climate of Entrepreneurship
• Digital Empowerment of Civil Society
• Competitive Domestic ICT Markets

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Small Group Assignment

• Task Solve the Digital Divide
• How Teams Based on Category of Barrier
• Procedure Start by asking questions
• What are the issues?
• What are the reasons behind it?
• Who are the stakeholders?
• How do we solve the problem?
• Outcome Strategies to overcome the barrier
• Deliverable Present your findings Thursday

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Small Group Assignment

• Group One Government
• Group Two Financial
• Group Three Technological
• Group Four Social/Cultural

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Small Group Assignment

• Administrative Details
• Presentations should be between 7 and 10 minutes
• Summarized in 2-3 pages
• Can be presented with Powerpoint, overheads, or
  orally
• Groups should meet once or twice for no more than
  one or two hours

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Workshop One Survey

• Please fill out the survey
• Name is optional
• Responses are confidential
• Return it at Session Three on Tuesday
• Results will be shared on Thursday