Deconstructing the ‘Digital Divide’ In Africa

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 56-69
Author(s):  
Stephen Mutula
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Society ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
World Summit ◽  
Cable Tv ◽  
The World ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Developed World ◽  
Made In

The debate about whether the digital divide between Africa and the developed world is narrowing or widening has intensified over the last five years. Some believe that access to technology is positively correlated to economic development and wealth creation, however, since the dawn of the last century, the gap between the rich and the poor within and between developed and developing countries has continued to grow. The protagonists in this debate do not seem to appreciate the notion that the digital divide is not about a single technology, and is driven by a complex set of factors that exist beyond wires. This paper attempts to deconstruct the concept of the digital divide beyond access to PCs, telephones, Internet, cable TV, etc… The authors argue that the phenomenon as currently conceived is misleading and flawed, and so are the indices for its measurement. Suggestions that a new model for mapping the phenomenon is made in order to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries. In deconstructing the digital divide, the authors use the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society and the indices used to measure e-readiness, information society, digital opportunity, and e-government.

Deconstructing the ‘Digital Divide’ In Africa

2012 ◽  
pp. 222-236
Author(s):  
Stephen Mutula
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Society ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
World Summit ◽  
Cable Tv ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The World ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Developed World

The debate about whether the digital divide between Africa and the developed world is narrowing or widening has intensified over the last five years. Some believe that access to technology is positively correlated to economic development and wealth creation, however, since the dawn of the last century, the gap between the rich and the poor within and between developed and developing countries has continued to grow. The protagonists in this debate do not seem to appreciate the notion that the digital divide is not about a single technology, and is driven by a complex set of factors that exist beyond wires. This paper attempts to deconstruct the concept of the digital divide beyond access to PCs, telephones, Internet, cable TV, etc… The authors argue that the phenomenon as currently conceived is misleading and flawed, and so are the indices for its measurement. Suggestions that a new model for mapping the phenomenon is made in order to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries. In deconstructing the digital divide, the authors use the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society and the indices used to measure e-readiness, information society, digital opportunity, and e-government.

Deconstructing the ‘Digital Divide’ In Africa

2012 ◽  
pp. 1343-1357
Author(s):  
Stephen Mutula
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Society ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
World Summit ◽  
Cable Tv ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The World ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Developed World

The debate about whether the digital divide between Africa and the developed world is narrowing or widening has intensified over the last five years. Some believe that access to technology is positively correlated to economic development and wealth creation, however, since the dawn of the last century, the gap between the rich and the poor within and between developed and developing countries has continued to grow. The protagonists in this debate do not seem to appreciate the notion that the digital divide is not about a single technology, and is driven by a complex set of factors that exist beyond wires. This paper attempts to deconstruct the concept of the digital divide beyond access to PCs, telephones, Internet, cable TV, etc… The authors argue that the phenomenon as currently conceived is misleading and flawed, and so are the indices for its measurement. Suggestions that a new model for mapping the phenomenon is made in order to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries. In deconstructing the digital divide, the authors use the Declaration of Principles of the World Summit on Information Society and the indices used to measure e-readiness, information society, digital opportunity, and e-government.

Computer professionals without borders

2021 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 17-17
Author(s):  
Norberto Patrignani
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Information Society ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
World Summit ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
North East ◽  
Homes For The Elderly ◽  
Italian Regions ◽  
Computer Professionals ◽  
The World

In November 2005, a group of Italian computer professionals decided to give their knowledge for bridging the digital divide and founded ISF, "Informatici Senza Frontiere" ("IT without borders") [1]. It is a non-profit organization with the goal of providing help to people living in situations of poverty and marginalization. With the main office in Treviso (in North-East Italy) now is present in most of the Italian regions with hundreds of members, men and women. Their activities span from Italy to developing countries, with courses, digitalization of hospitals and social centers, collaborating with schools, universities and prisons, retirement homes for the elderly and applications for people with disabilities. In May 2013 the UN invited ISF to Geneva for the World Summit on Information Society, recognizing its role and what IT can do for society.

The Future of Human Rights: A View from the United Nations

2014 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 239-250 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Gilmour
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
United Nations ◽  
The Other ◽  
World Summit ◽  
The World ◽  
The Future ◽  
The United Nations ◽  
Peace And Development ◽  
Made In

Ever since the Charter of the United Nations was signed in 1945, human rights have constituted one of its three pillars, along with peace and development. As noted in a dictum coined during the World Summit of 2005: “There can be no peace without development, no development without peace, and neither without respect for human rights.” But while progress has been made in all three domains, it is with respect to human rights that the organization's performance has experienced some of its greatest shortcomings. Not coincidentally, the human rights pillar receives only a fraction of the resources enjoyed by the other two—a mere 3 percent of the general budget.

scholarly journals KONSEP HAK MILIK DALAM EKONOMI ISLAM

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-207
Author(s):  
AN Ras Try Astuti ◽  
Andi Faisal
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Social Justice ◽  
Economic System ◽  
The Other ◽  
Private Ownership ◽  
The Poor ◽  
The World ◽  
Joint Ownership ◽  
The Rich ◽  
The Individual

Capitalism as an economic system that is implemented by most countries in the world today, in fact it gave birth to injustice and social inequalityare increasingly out of control. Social and economic inequalities are felt both between countries (developed and developing countries) as well as insociety itself (the rich minority and the poor majority). The condition is born from the practice of departing from faulty assumptions about the man. In capitalism the individual to own property released uncontrollably, causing a social imbalance. On the other hand, Islam never given a state model that guarantees fair distribution of ownership for all members of society, ie at the time of the Prophet Muhammad established the Islamic government in Medina. In Islam, the private ownership of property was also recognized but not absolute like capitalism. Islam also recognizes the forms of joint ownership for the benefit of society and acknowledges the ownership of the state that aims to create a balance and social justice.

The Heifer International Model of Sustainable Adult Education

2013 ◽  
pp. 1150-1163
Author(s):  
Carrie J. Boden McGill ◽  
Lauren Merritt
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Adult Education ◽  
Developing World ◽  
International Model ◽  
Self Reliance ◽  
The World ◽  
Developed World ◽  
And Training

Heifer International, an organization devoted to ending hunger and poverty through sustainable development, has worked throughout the world by giving “living loans” of gifts of livestock and training while empowering individuals and communities to turn lives of hunger and poverty into self-reliance and hope. To train a country’s population is to increase that country’s “human capital,” and educating the population while expanding the human capital is a necessity in order for developing countries to benefit from globalization. The Heifer model of adult sustainable education demonstrates the importance of education and training for people of the developing world, and not only can this model be adopted in developing countries for emerging “learning societies,” but it may be used to inform policies and practices in the developed world as well.

Gender Dimension of ICTs in Latin America

2015 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Aimée Vega Montiel
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Information Society ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Gender Mainstreaming ◽  
Communication Policy ◽  
World Summit ◽  
The World ◽  
Core Areas

The 1995 Beijing Platform for Action posed strategies to have in media and information technologies an ally for gender equality. “Chapter J” identified core areas for this agenda: content and representation, access of women to decision-making positions at media and ICTs, gender mainstreaming in communication policy, access and use of women to media and ICTs. These strategies were reinforced by the World Summit on Information Society, that pointed out the prominent role of ICTs in women's human rights. The aim of this paper is to contribute to a constructive debate on gender and ICTs, by presenting some of the most significative trends in Latin America.

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