Is ICT4D wrongly evaluated?
ICT as a luxury tool !
Back in the 80s, the developmental partners look at ICT as luxury in aiding the less developed countries.
How can you talk about the email and communications while people do not have safe water to drink or food to eat?
Big hope and ICT as means of the development
In the 90s, everything changed, ICT seemed to be like messiah in developmental aid. ICT is a solution for all the problems in the developing World. Streaming ICT into key sectors such as water, energy, health Governance etc. ICT were expected to transform the entire human race to unlimited prosperous!
Evaporate of hope!
Again the enthusiasm on ICT as rescuer recently has dramatically evaporated. The developmental agencies look to the whole range of the failed ICT related projects. Now, they compare high hope of ICT in developmental spheres to the DOTCOM bubble in 2000s !
Are we asking the right questions?!
Researchers, policymakers are now asking questions, is it true that ICT failed to lift up millions from poverty? Do we have all necessary measurements ? Have we measure all aspect of the impact of ICT on development to reach the disappointment conclusion ?
Ricardo and Shaun has expanded the perspective of ICT and development in their groundbreaking research paper, read it at http://www.ejisdc.org/ojs2/index.php/ejisdc/article/viewFile/879/393