Digital Divide

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome Idiegbeyan-ose ◽  
Christopher Nkiko ◽  
Mary Idahosa ◽  
Nwanne Nwokocha
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Handheld Devices ◽  
Curriculum Innovation ◽  
Adequate Funding ◽  
Internet Connections ◽  
The Individual

This paper discussed digital divide, issues and strategies for intervention in Nigerian libraries. It defined digital divide as the gap that exist between countries, within countries, individuals, families and so on in their access and usage of Information Technology facilities such as the internet, computers, laptops, various handheld devices, application software etc. The paper also discussed the causes of digital divide comprising finance, level of education, location of the individual and language as well as discussing the effects of digital divide to encompass inequality in access to information; ineffective services to users, libraries being unable to satisfy their clientele. The paper went further to discuss the present state of ICT facilities adoption and use by Libraries in Nigeria, compared to their equals in developed countries. The paper pointed out that most Nigerian libraries are far from full automation and Internet connectivity; the staff lack technical skills to build and maintain ICT for enhanced service delivery; libraries in rural areas of these developing countries are more neglected as available ICT facilities and internet connections are mostly available and accessible in the urban areas thus, those leaving in the rural areas are cut off from the numerous benefits of ICT. The paper concluded that Digital divide is a menace that affects information availability and access; growth and development in between countries and within countries and has led to inequality in access and use of ICT facilities as such, Nigerian libraries should wake up to their responsibilities by providing the required infrastructure needed to bridge the gap to prevent the escalation of digital divide. The paper finally recommended the formulation and implementation of ICT policy, adequate funding of libraries by those concerned, education and training of human resources to build and maintain ICT facilities, curriculum innovation by library schools so as to inculcate ICT courses for skills acquisitions of the professionals, improvement of maintenance culture and eradication of corruption in the entire system to enable developing countries take advantage of ICT facilities, make progress and move along with modernity and global sophistication.

scholarly journals Use of ICTS for socio-economic development of marginalised communities in rural areas: Proposals for establishment of sectoral Rural Entrepreneurial Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 71-91
Author(s):  
Geraldine Taponeswa Nyika
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Agriculture Education ◽  
Information Communication ◽  
Entrepreneurial Networks ◽  
Socio Economic Development ◽  
Potential Benefits

Information, Communication, Technology and Services (ICTS) is increasingly being used in various fields that include agriculture, education, medicine, tourism and business. However, due to challenges caused by the digital divide and other factors, the use of ICTS and its contribution to socio-economic development is generally more intense in developed countries than in developing countries, and also more in urban areas than in rural areas. This article gives an overview of ICTS, the extent of its adoption in different fields, factors that hinder ICTS driven socio-economic development in developing countries and rural areas, and various possible ways of maximizing potential benefits that marginalised communities can derive from the limited ICTS that is accessible to them. Keywords: ICTS, development, marginalised, rural, networks

scholarly journals Wi-Fi for Affordable Broadband & 5G in Rural Areas

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kishore Kumar Thakur ◽  
Ramjee Prasad
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Digital Subscriber Line ◽  
Communication Infrastructure ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Population Ratio ◽  
Very High

The importance of Internet in our lives today cannot be overemphasized. So much so that access to Internet has been declared a fundamental right of citizens in several countries such as Finland, Spain, and Greece [1]. In most of the developed countries, high-speed Internet connectivity is enabled through wired communication infrastructure such as Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) and Very high bit-rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL). Unfortunately, the situation is not particularly encouraging in developing countries due to non-availability of such a pervasive communication infrastructure. The difference in the fiber-deployed-to-population ratio across developed and developing countries further underscores this disparity; while this ratio is 1.2 in USA, it is barely 0.1 in India [2]. Owing to this inadequacy of fiber/DSL availability, cellular access technology has emerged as the primary broadband access mechanism in developing countries. However, the penetration of cellular network is limited in rural areas as its deployment becomes unviable due to challenges such as low average revenue per user, sparse population density, and intermittent availability of electricity. This situation leaves majority of the rural people unconnected thereby creating a massive rural urban digital divide. The next generation cellular system along with the use of unlicensed Wi-Fi Technology can bridge this divide if we overcome the above-mentioned challenges. However, since the Fifth Generation (5G) cellular technology has focus on requirements such as 10 Gbps data rate, 1 ms latency, and very high speed mobility, the problems of coverage and affordability are likely to persist, further widening the digital divide [3]. This article explains how Wi-Fi is being used for affordable high speed broadband in rural areas. A successfully implemented case study of Jharkhand state is also presented, and it can be adopted as reliable business model for 5G or 5G type services in rural areas [4].

Relating Household Consumption Expenditures to Road Traffic Fatalities: A Rural–Urban Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 036119812110332
Author(s):  
Ruchika Agarwala ◽  
Vinod Vasudevan
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Traffic Safety ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Household Consumption ◽  
Household Expenditure ◽  
Traffic Fatality ◽  
Rural And Urban Areas ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
The Relationship

Research shows that traffic fatality risk is generally higher in rural areas than in urban areas. In developing countries, vehicle ownership and investments in public transportation typically increase with economic growth. These two factors together increase the vehicle population, which in turn affects traffic safety. This paper presents a study focused on the relationship of various factors—including household consumption expenditure data—with traffic fatality in rural and urban areas and thereby aims to fill some of the gaps in the literature. One such gap is the impacts of personal and non-personal modes of travel on traffic safety in rural versus urban areas in developing countries which remains unexplored. An exhaustive panel data modeling approach is adopted. One important finding of this study is that evidence exists of a contrasting relationship between household expenditure and traffic fatality in rural and urban areas. The relationship between household expenditure and traffic fatality is observed to be positive in rural areas and a negative in urban areas. Increases in most expenditure variables, such as fuel, non-personal modes of travel, and two-wheeler expenditures, are found to be associated with an increase in traffic fatality in rural areas.

scholarly journals Ensuring Sustainable Urban Transformation in Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-224
Author(s):  
B. Setiawan ◽  
Tri Mulyani Sunarharum
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
21St Century ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Third World ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Urban Transformation ◽  
The Third ◽  
The Many ◽  
The Third World

Of the many important events that occurred in the two decades of the 21st century, the process of accelerating urbanization—especially in third-world countries—became something quite phenomenal. It's never even happened before. In the early 2000s, only about 45 percent of the population in the third world lived in urban areas, by 2020 the number had reached about 55 percent. Between now and 2035 the percentage of the population living in urban areas will reach about 85 percent in developed countries. Meanwhile, in developing countries will reach about 65 percent. By 2035, it is also projected that about 80 percent of the world's urban population will live in developing countries' cities.

scholarly journals A Study of the Understated Violence Within Social Contexts Against Adolescent Girls

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-41
Author(s):  
Shivangi Nigam ◽  
Niranjana Soperna
Keyword(s):  
Adolescent Girls ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Social Contexts ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Individual

Violence against women is linked to their disadvantaged position in the society. It is rooted in unequal power relationships between men and women in society and is a global problem which is not limited to a specific group of women in society. An adolescent girl’s life is often accustomed to the likelihood of violence, and acts of violence exert additional power over girls because the stigma of violence often attaches more to a girl than to the  perpetrator. The experience of violence is distressing at the individual emotional and physical level. The field of research and programmes for adolescent girls has traditionally focused on sexuality, reproductive health, and behaviour, neglecting the broader social issues that underpin adolescent girls’ human rights, overall development, health, and well-being. This paper is an endeavour to address the understated or disguised form of violence which the adolescent girls experience within the social contexts. The parameters exposed under this research had been ignored to a large extent when it comes to studying the dimension of violence under the social domain. Hence, the researchers attempted to explore this camouflaged form of violence and discovered some specific parameters such as: Diminished Self Worth and Esteem, Verbal Abuse, Menstruation Taboo and Social Rigidity, Negligence of Medical and Health Facilities and Complexion- A Prime Parameter for Judging Beauty. The study was conducted in the districts of Haryana (India) where personal interviews were taken from both urban and rural adolescent girls (aged 13 to 19 years) based on  a structured interview schedule. The results revealed that the adolescent girls, both in urban as well as rural areas were quite affected with the above mentioned issues. In urban areas, however, due to the higher literacy rate, which resulted in more rational thinking, the magnitude was comparatively smaller, but the difference was still negligible.  

scholarly journals PERAN STRATEGIS PENERAPAN KONSEP SISTER CITY DALAM MENCIPTAKAN SURABAYA GREEN-CITY

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 144-151
Author(s):  
Inggang Perwangsa Nuralam
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
City Development ◽  
Rapid Population Growth ◽  
Good Practices ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
Complex Activities ◽  
Green City

Indonesia has many big cities with dynamic urbanization trend, increased economic growth and activities, rapid population growth, and dense populations such as Jakarta, Bandung, Medan, Surabaya and Balikpapan. As a result, the complex activities of people in urban areas need space and these needs cause environmental degradation, such as the practice of throwing garbage that is not in place. To prevent this in the future, it is important for developing countries like Indonesia to have benchmarks. Benchmarks for developing countries can come from developed countries. So far inter-city development usually has partnerships with cities abroad, including the sister city concept. Sister city practices can be used by cities in Indonesia for the development of good practices. The collaboration of Surabaya (Indonesia) with Kitakyushu (Japan) focuses a lot on creating urban planning that is environmentally sound or commonly known as green city or eco-city.

Follow-up of Children With Trait in a Rural Setting

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 83 (5) ◽  
pp. 876-877
Author(s):  
Herman Harris
Keyword(s):  
Sickle Cell ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Hb S ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Limited Testing

The Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers were established in 1972 to test, educate, counsel, and research sickle cell anemia and related hemoglobinopathies. Standards and protocols for testing, education, and research were readily established because similar procedures and methods were already in operation at the institutions where the centers were located. The most difficult and still the most controversial program to provide is counseling. It became evident, early, that there is no universally accepted method for informing carriers of abnormal Hb S about their results. Centers located in large urban areas with a limited testing radius do not face the same problems as centers located in rural areas where the testing radius may cover an entire state or several states. Individual, or one-on-one, counseling of persons with trait results appears to be successful for urban centers where the individual may be called to the center and given information. But, in a rural setting, it is not feasible for the center to ask a person to travel 350 miles to be told he or she has nothing to worry about. And it is not cost-effective to send a caseworker 350 miles to say the same thing. It must, therefore, be concluded that each agency or center must adopt counseling methods that meet its specific needs. Each program must be flexible, imaginative, and creative and must successfully and accurately deliver information about being a carrier for the sickle gene or other hemoglobinopathy and its implication and significance for patients and their future offspring. To do this, we must first look at the problems facing us.

SKEWED PEDIATRIC PRIORITIES

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1979 ◽  
Vol 63 (3) ◽  
pp. 388-388
Author(s):  
D. Morley
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Medical Care ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Low Cost

Although three quarters of the population in most developing countries live in rural areas, three quarters of the spending on medical care is in urban areas, where three quarters of the doctors live. Three quarters of the deaths are caused by conditions that can be prevented at low cost, but three quarters of the medical budget is spent on curative services, many of them provided for the elite at high cost.

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.

The Evolution of the Digital Divide across Developing Countries

2013 ◽  
pp. 1554-1570
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Corrocher ◽  
Anna Raineri
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Competition Policy ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Effective Strategy ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Emerging Patterns

This chapter aims at investigating the evolution of the digital divide within a set of developing countries between the years 2000 and 2005. In doing so, it moves away from the traditional analysis of the digital divide, which compares developed countries and developing countries, and examines the existing gap within a relatively homogeneous group of countries. On the basis of the theoretical and empirical contributions from scholars in different disciplines, we select a series of socioeconomic and technological indicators and provide an empirical assessment of the digitalization patterns in a set of 51 low income and lower-middle income countries. By means of cluster analysis techniques, we identify three emerging patterns of the digital divide and derive a series of policy implications, related to the implementation of an effective strategy to reduce digital backwardness. The characteristics of each pattern of digitalization can be also usefully employed to understand whether past interventions, especially in the area of competition policy, have been successful in addressing country-specific issues.

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