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Improving the prospects for sustainable ICT projects in the developing world
Abstract
Projects that bring information and communications technology (ICT) to the developing world and especially to rural areas have the potential to empower the disenfranchised, foster economic opportunity, and narrow the digital divide that threatens to widen global disparity between the
haves and the have-nots. However, given the remarkable growth of such undertakings around the world, there has been little corresponding effort made to address the vital issues of long-term project sustainability and the diverse motivations and incentives facing the actors involved. As a result,
these projects continue to be implemented sporadically and in a piecemeal fashion, which in turn hinders our ability to define success and recommend best practices for implementing and/or scaling them. Through an analysis of publicprivate partnerships (PPPs), the prevailing vehicle for project
implementation today, the article addresses the issue of sustainability through partnerships, and also asserts that developing world technology recipients must be considered as stakeholders, as they hold the key to project sustainability. Following an overview of both theory and the current
state of ICT-related development projects, the article provides a case study of a Sri Lankan-based pilot project involving multiple stakeholders. This case reveals important success factors that can be applied to future developing world ICT projects.
... Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools have become important globally in the recent years for countries, societies and individuals, as these tools affect every part of life including, social interactions, economics, politics, health, wellbeing, and comprehensive development as a whole. ICT tools are enabling, considering a practical knowledge application in the information and communications areas (Hosman & Fife, 2008). Ashton and Thorns (2007) argued that community engagement development through ICT tools has become a popular theme, particularly in developed countries, over the last twenty years. ...
... ICT is a key common denominator of communities' initiatives as an essential vehicle for initiating and facilitating international, regional and local collaborations and creating a sustainable path to equitable human, social and economic development (Passerini & Wu, 2008). Interest and investment levels in ICT projects in developing countries have skyrocketed with high expectations for such projects in terms of improving quality of life, increasing empowerment and promoting economic development for target communities (Hosman & Fife, 2008). Developed and developing countries seek to enhance life for local people through ICT tools using different ways, approaches and tools to minimize the development gap between cities and rural communities. ...
... ICT is an efficient way to acquire technological experience and expertise to bridge the digital divide between information-rich and information-poor communities, and between those who have access to use high-quality content, socio-economic benefits through ICTs, and those who still use technology solely for recreational or communication purposes (Ashton & Thorns, 2007;Hosman & Fife, 2008;Al-Shqairat et al., 2014;Al-Shqairat, et al., 2015;ESCWA, 2017). ...
ABSTRACT: Knowledge Stations (KSs) have emerged as one of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) key initiatives designed to enhance the quality of life of those living in remote and local communities through improving their digital information literacy to enhance their educational and vocational wellbeing. This study aimed to fill a research gap by exploring KSs’ critical success factors (CSFs) that are vital for KSs to achieve their mission by answering the following two questions: what are KSs' CSFs?, and how can these factors enhance KSs’ role in the knowledge-based development of local communities (K-B DLC)? The findings suggested significant support for thirty-five CSFs divided into four groups related to KSs departments, KSs themselves, LCs, and Hosting Organizations (HOs). The findings also suggested significant support for ways that CSFs can enhance the services provided by knowledge stations as demonstrated via the study’s theoretical model. In addition, KSs as an ICT initiative, are integral in developing the knowledge society in Jordan, but face a range of inhibitors such as insufficient funds, the absence of trainers’ incentives, and a lack of cooperation with higher education institutions such as universities.
... It elaborate healthdecision support system as an online tool for health planners using geographic information systems. (Laura Hosman, 2008) gives an overview of both theory and the current state of ICT-related development projects, the article provides a case study of a Sri Lankan-based pilot project involving multiple stakeholders. This case reveals important success factors that can be applied to future developing world ICT projects. ...
This paper examines the factors influencing the sustainability and failure of rural health initiatives by conducting a literature review and administering questionnaires in the regions of Mwanza and Simiyu. The study identifies key factors responsible for the initiation, sustainability, and failure of such initiatives. Relationships between these factors and the data obtained from the questionnaires are analyzed and discussed. The findings from this analysis will be utilized in the development of a planning tool to aid in the planning and prediction of the sustainability or failure of health initiatives, particularly in rural areas of Tanzania.
... There is debate over the digital divide between those who are and are not benefiting from ICTs (Hosman and Fife 2008). Many ICT programs fail to have a substantial impact because they focus on technology instead of the relationship between ICTs and development (Richard 2010). ...
The governments and private sectors have taken several national or regional digital literacy training programs (DLTPs) to mitigate digital inequalities. However, there are noticeable differences in impact and outcomes produced by programs. Since digital literacy is essential for any technical vocational education and training (TVET), this study explores possible barriers influencing the effectiveness of DLTPs at different level levels. Relevant publications were synthesized and coded using a systematic literature review to link main research findings with specific barrier categories. It was found that at the administrative level, policy planning and administrative designing, whereas at the training level, infrastructure followed by training and pedagogy emerged as the most critical determinants for the effectiveness of DLTPs. At an individual level, lack of family support significantly affect learning behaviour. A strategic model for the effective implementation of DLTPs is provided. This study constitutes an essential input for research on the digital literacy training literature providing educators and program stakeholders with a reinforced understanding of various ways to manage DLTPs at different levels. Consequently, it closes some identified knowledge gaps and offers additional insights to improve the DLTPs performance at the community level.
... Evaluations of government-led ICT4D initiatives often reveal that the projects suffer weak impacts, and that development does not achieve set goals nor lasting improvements for communities (Kriz et al., 2016;Mog, 2004). ICT4D also fails to deliver in terms of sustainability and scalability of the proposed solutions (Heeks, 2008;Hosman & Fife, 2008;Quesada-Vázquez & Rodríguez-Cohard, 2015) and by permitting the disintegration of infrastructures initially set up to serve specific projects (Gunawong & Gao, 2017). Reasons to explain the mismatch between investments and results range from incoherent implementation to poor business models, to shortage of local infrastructure services, and finally lack of collaboration and appropriate assessment (Veldsman & Van Rensburg, 2006;Heeks, 2008;Pade & Sewry, 2009). ...
... Evaluations of government-led ICT4D initiatives often reveal that the projects suffer weak impacts, and that development does not achieve set goals nor lasting improvements for communities (Kriz et al., 2016;Mog, 2004). ICT4D also fails to deliver in terms of sustainability and scalability of the proposed solutions (Heeks, 2008;Hosman & Fife, 2008;Quesada-Vázquez & Rodríguez-Cohard, 2015) and by permitting the disintegration of infrastructures initially set up to serve specific projects (Gunawong & Gao, 2017). Reasons to explain the mismatch between investments and results range from incoherent implementation to poor business models, to shortage of local infrastructure services, and finally lack of collaboration and appropriate assessment (Veldsman & Van Rensburg, 2006;Heeks, 2008;Pade & Sewry, 2009). ...
Decreasing fossil fuel reserves and the environmental consequences related to the exploitation of petroleum products effectuate a shift to a more bio-based economy. This economy will be driven by biochemicals and biofuels derived from various biological feedstocks. The fermentation or direct transformation of these complex feedstocks is often preceded by a pretreatment step to activate the components of interest, followed by several downstream processing operations to isolate and purify the product from these complex feed streams. The cost of upstream and downstream processing is a major contributor to the total production cost of biochemicals. Traditional purification steps often include a combination of chemical and physical separation processes and are resource- and energy-intensive. Recent studies indicate that electrodialysis can be a cost-effective alternative to replace some of these costly upstream and downstream processing steps. This membrane separation technology makes use of an electric field to remove ions from a feed stream. Despite the advantages in terms of cost/material efficiency, one of the main bottlenecks for the application of electrodialysis on bio-based process streams is fouling. The physicochemical properties of the bio-based feedstocks lead to fouling of the membranes, spacers and clogging of the system and is a major hurdle to overcome. Several experimental studies have been performed on fouling in electrodialysis systems but have not yet led to a clear solution for the targeted bio-based streams. A limited understanding and lacking quantitative description of the complex fouling phenomena lies at the heart of this problem. Given the growing market share of the bio-based economy along with a growing pressure towards sustainability, a fouling resilient electrodialysis system, tailored to withstand the potential fouling in electrodialysis processing of bio-based process streams would be a significant improvement. Even if the increase in efficiency is modest, it will be an important contribution to the economy and the environment. Previous research shows that the fouling severity is heavily influenced by the process conditions and stack design but designing and optimising electrodialysis systems to reduce fouling is challenging. This work aims at tackling this problem by developing a mathematical model of the fouling process. A mathematical model that can predict the fouling behaviour as a function of the feed stream and foulant properties, the electrodialysis stack characteristics and the operational conditions could be leveraged as a digital twin for operational optimisation and model-based design and accelerate the innovation process. A lot of models have been developed to unravel the mechanisms of ED fouling but none of them is developed to relate the process settings to the fouling rate, defined as an amount of foulant attached to the membrane or as electrical resistance. To optimise ED performance in the presence of foulants, this formulation is essential and is the main focus of this work. The first methodological part of the thesis focuses on the available mechanistic models to simulate fouling in electrodialysis. The goal of this part is to select a suitable electrodialysis process model and analyse the available fouling models. The different modelling frameworks to simulate the electrodialysis process are summarised and the trade-off between dimensionality, generalisability and computational cost of these modelling frameworks is discussed. The Nernst-Planck framework is compared to the Kedem-Katchalsky framework and several efficient simplifications of the ion transport and the hydrodynamics are reviewed as potential process models. Different open-source software libraries are highlighted that can be used to simulate these frameworks. The next chapter proposes extensions of three prominent mechanistic models to dynamically simulate electrodialysis fouling. The extended models are calibrated with experimental data and the suitability of these mechanistic approaches is determined through a combination of scenario and identifiability analyses. It was concluded that due to the large uncertainty on the underlying physics and limited specificity of the experimental data, a data-driven approach has to be adopted to fill in the gaps of missing knowledge in these mechanistic models and simulate electrodialysis fouling. The second methodological part focuses on the data-driven modelling of fouling. A dataset is gathered of the fouling behaviour of a pilot electrodialysis installation treating a humic acid solution at different operational conditions. The evolution of the stack resistance is monitored while varying the crossflow velocity, the current density and the salt concentration. Neural differential equations are put forth as a novel data-driven modelling framework for dynamic systems and the experimental data is used to train this model. The neural differential equation framework shows accurate predictions of the fouling dynamics even when a limited set of experimental data is used for model training. The robustness of the model is demonstrated by a scenario analysis and a sensitivity analysis indicates that the crossflow velocity is the most important variable influencing the fouling rate. The third methodological part extends the neural differential equations with a mechanistic process model and a mechanistic fouling model. The previous chapters establish that the development of a mechanistic fouling model is challenged by a large uncertainty on the underlying physics. Especially the mechanisms of foulant-membrane interaction, gelation and precipitation processes seem to be poorly understood. This work shows that neural differential equations can be used to fill in these knowledge gaps and improve the accuracy of the fouling models. Furthermore, we show that by including mechanistic knowledge in the data-driven model, the need for experimental data can be reduced while improving the generalisability of the model. This concept is applied to predict polyacrylamide fouling during electrodialysis. A historic dataset is used to calibrate and validate this hybrid model where the evolution of the stack resistance is predicted in time and is a function of the operational parameters and stack characteristics. Two important findings are highlighted in this part; First, the hybrid neural differential equations can leverage the mechanistic processes and generalises for new input variables which is impossible with a purely data-driven approach. Secondly, the data-driven part of the hybrid model is analysed and provides insight into the structure of the missing physics. Finally, model-based optimisation of electrodialysis operation is explored. An upcoming operational mode is pulsed electric field electrodialysis where a fluctuating current is applied to the system. Pulsed electric fields have been proved to reduce the fouling susceptibility of the system and several fouling suppression mechanisms have been put forth in previous research. A Nernst-Planck and Kedem-Katchalsky modelling approach is adopted and the evolution of the concentration profiles at the membrane surface is simulated. This model is applied to study organic fouling and sodium dodecyl sulphate is used as a foulant. An experimental study is performed and the fouling rate is studied as a function of the pulse frequency. The effect of different pulse parameters on the boundary layer concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate is studied along with an evaluation of the current efficiency and energy consumption. Our results show that concentration relaxation is an important contributor to the fouling suppression mechanisms of pulsed electric field operation but cannot fully explain the decrease in fouling at high-frequency pulses. The simulations illustrate the counterproductivity of low-frequency pulses and the trade-off between the current efficiency and fouling suppression. Fouling layer relaxation is put forth as an additional fouling suppression effect for future research.
... The real success of these ICT solutions depends on socioeconomic factors such as age, gender, and income that continue to define the intensity of use of ICT tools, as a source of agricultural information for smallholder farmers, with large parts of the rural population in Africa, Latin America, and India remaining unreached; while challenges facing the use of ICT in dissemination of agricultural information may even contribute to further inequality in agricultural productivity and economic performance (Musa et al. 2013;Tata and McNamara 2016). Many of these projects have proved unsustainable after the donor funding ends due to approaching physical access to technology as a development goal, while failing to equip communities with the skills and technical support they need to maintain the project (Hosman and Fife 2008). What needs to be considered is that the transformative effect of ICTs on people's lives is highly personalised, and technology might support outcomes that go beyond economic growth. ...
This chapter introduces communication as an analytical tool for a more nuanced understanding of sustainable development. Communication is approached through the field of ‘Communication for Development and Social Change’ (CDSC), which provides a systematic connection between communication and development. Drawing on some key lessons from the field of CDSC and from theories of interpersonal and collaborative communication, the chapter develops the concept of weak communication, a new concept that captures the less visible social relations that underpin the global food market. The concept of weak communication is employed as a novel theoretical tool for the study of sustainable development in the context of global food networks.
This study aimed to assess the socio and psychological impacts of internet use among youth in Tanzania. It examined the extent of internet use, socio effects, and psychological effects on this group. Data were collected from 88 respondents in the Kinondoni Municipal area using a convergent parallel design. The study found that while the internet and technology are important, they can become problematic when they replace human interaction. Online risks such as addiction, cyberbullying, and sexual solicitation were associated with negative consequences for youth. Furthermore, the study revealed an increase in psychological effects among youth due to internet usage. To address these findings, it is recommended that youth understand both the negative and positive effects of the internet. Parents should take steps to protect their children, utilizing technology to block access to inappropriate content. However, it is crucial for parents to supplement these measures with active supervision and guidance. By promoting awareness and responsible internet use, stakeholders can address the socio and psychological impacts of internet use among youth in Tanzania.
Business intelligence systems are used in support of strategic decision‐making in organisations. Strategic decisions in support of the sustainable development goals require accurate and accessible data. Of equal importance is the sustainability of the business information systems themselves. Not only should they be sensitive to resource consumption but they should also be designed for the future needs of the organisation. We argue that sustainable business intelligence systems should represent as many perspectives in the organisation as possible supported by the available data. In order to achieve this, a critical (Kantian) systems perspective is suggested that foster appreciation of different perspectives in the organisation. Prevailing belief in the business intelligence system industry is that a key business problem should drive development of the system. Our position is more future oriented in that we argue that inclusion of all available perspectives on business problems will prolong the life of the system, thereby making it more sustainable. This is not an idealistic requirement when a data vault is used for the data model of the system. Contrary to the more common dimensional modelling, data vault modelling does not require restrictive decisions to be made on the scope of the system. In fact, the worst‐case scenario is addressed in the initial model. The paper provides a conceptual discussion of how a business intelligence system should be designed and developed to ensure that it is sustainable. Since the right system should be developed in the right way, we incorporate known success factors into our discussion. We argue that the critical (Kantian) systems perspective can lead to the right system and that data vault modelling in context of lessons from identified success factors is the right way to develop the business intelligence system.
Academic research that examines different leadership models utilised in the digital age within ICT4D that facilitates the Fourth Industrial Revolution for the marginalised people are scarce. This study focused on the e-Sri Lanka program, initially funded by the World Bank as a unique South Asian project that established a network of 1,005 Nenasala telecentres. Sri Lanka is further focused on building an e-smart, e-inclusive society through ICT4D. In 2020, the Nenasala 2.0 initiative is to be expanded on the Nenasala network to scale up e-society innovations. This context provides an exciting research bedrock to explore. The research findings revealed that leadership at various organisational levels will be key to Nenasala 2.0 and ICT4D program sustainability. The Nenasala model that benefitted from unique community-based leadership was termed socio-cultural leadership. A replication of the study in other developing countries to identify the leadership needed in ICT4D could prove invaluable as it may identify viable complementary options to commercially orientated telecentres.
This paper analyses the recent phenomenon of private/public partnerships (PPPs) in the ICT sector of the developing world. The partners may come to these projects with divergent motivations: profit on the one hand and the provision of public services on the other, but at the end of the day, the interests of the partners that are symbiotic can – and indeed should – be aligned to ensure successful long-term projects. To investigate what can be done to promote successful and sustainable PPPs, this paper extends the traditional two-actor analysis to include both a third-party non-profit-oriented facilitating organization and the technology recipients that are the targets of these projects. Following an overview of the current state of PPPs in the developing world, the paper provides two case studies, based in Vietnam, where all four of the above-mentioned stakeholders were involved. The cases reveal important success factors that can be applied to future PPPs in the ICT sector.
Capitalism is indeed at a crossroads, facing international terrorism, worldwide environmental change, and an accelerating backlash against globalization. Companies areï¾ atï¾ crossroads, too: finding new strategies for profitable growth is now more challenging. Both sets of problems are intimately linked. Learn how to identify sustainable products and technologies that can drive new growth while also helping to solve today's most crucial social and environmental problems.ï¾ Hart shows how to become truly indigenous to allï¾ markets -- and avoid the pitfalls of traditional 'greening' and 'sustainability' strategies. This book doesn't just point the way to a capitalism that is more inclusive and more welcome: it offers specific techniquesï¾ to recharge innovation, growth, and profitability.
This paper is a systematic analysis of the comparative method. Its emphasis is on both the limitations of the method and the ways in which, despite these limitations, it can be used to maximum advantage.
The comparative method is defined and analyzed in terms of its similarities and differences vis-à-vis the experimental and statistical methods. The principal difficulty facing the comparative method is that it must generalize on the basis of relatively few empirical cases. Four specific ways in which this difficulty may be resolved are discussed and illustrated: (1) increasing the number of cases as much as possible by means of longitudinal extension and a global range of analysis, (2) reducing the property space of the analysis, (3) focusing the comparative analysis on “comparable” cases (e.g., by means of area, diachronic, or intranation comparisons), and (4) focusing on the key variables.
It is argued that the case study method is closely related to the comparative method. Six types of case studies (the atheoretical, interpretative, hypothesis-generating, theory-confirming, theory-infirming, and deviant case analyses) are distinguished, and their theoretical value is analyzed.
Once viewed as "less developed countries," emerging markets (EMs) now offer a significant growth opportunity for multinational corporations (MNCs). Because they differ dramatically from mature markets, however, they raise new strategic questions that traditional marketing frameworks do not resolve. While traditional models argue against first-mover advantages in EMs, additional sources of advantage favorable government relations, pent-up demand, marketing productivity, marketing resources, and consequent learning - can make early market entry a desirable option. The authors provide a framework, oriented toward demand rather than risk, that enables companies to assess long-term market potential, identify business prospects, and predict potential benefits. Using the framework, companies can categorize EMs on the basis of short- and long-term potential. Once an MNC decides to enter a market, it needs new frameworks to guide product and partner policy decisions. The different patterns of marker development in EMs imply that, contrary to conventional models, companies can expand the market rapidly, should offer a combination of global imported brands and locally made joint venture brands, and use EMs to lest product innovations. The design and management of relationships with local distributor partners is the most critical challenge for executives. In the areas of industry experience, direct selling, local autonomy, and exclusivity, experienced MNCs are adapting the approaches employed in developed markets in ways that are appropriate for emerging markets; As MNCs continue ta gain experience in EMs, marketing models willi have to change to incorporate the new practices and new learning that are coming from markets.
This article is a study of the way in which two Type Two multistakeholder partnerships (TTPs) for water and sanitation in Africa – the UK-based Partnership for Water and Sanitation (PAWS) and the EU-based European Union Water Initiative (EUWI) – have interpreted the concepts of ‘stakeholder’ and ‘partnership’. First, after establishing our theoretical framework, we show how stakeholding and partnership are elements of the contemporary shift from government to governance, whereby responsibility for public decision-making is widened beyond politicians to include the private sector and civil society. Second, we analyse the meaning and implications of the concepts of ‘stakeholder’ and ‘partner’. Third, we apply this conceptual analysis to our two case studies – PAWS and the EUWI – and we find that in both TTPs, governments are the primary partners, while the private sector and civil society are the secondary stakeholders. We argue that in the case of PAWS, this two-tier structure is mainly unintentional, but in the case of the EUWI, it is partly strategic.
Much has been said of the benefits of access to telecommunication especially at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’.2 The economic as well as social benefits from such access can, in theory enable people to graduate from poverty and also contribute more widely to development. Thus it can be argued that inequality in access to telecom services can lead to limitations in fighting poverty. Many in the ‘ICT for development’ movement highlight the benefits that telecommunication, the Internet and other information and communication technologies (broadly put, ICTs) can bring to the table in the fight against poverty. A number of studies have attempted to demonstrate the impacts of access on income at the macro-level. However supporting evidence for these arguments at the household level is limited at best. This paper takes a unique look at telecom access and studies the perceived impacts of direct access to telecom services, that is, telephone ownership at a household level at the ‘Bottom of the Pyramid’ in five developing Asian countries. It focuses on the perceived economic impact (positive or negative) of telecom ownership in terms of the potential to increase indirect income generation capacity or save on expenditure or transactions costs. The findings reveal that some telecom users do perceive the economic benefits of direct access to be high, but this finding is not seen across the board for a number of reasons explained. The paper is based on a large sample survey of telecom users at the BOP in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and Thailand. Section 2 reviews the existing literature on the impacts of telecommunication. Section 3 explains the study design and methodology, and examines the difficulties faced in conducting a study of this nature and the methodological innovations undertaken. Section 4 explores in detail the impacts of telecom services at the BOP in the five countries. Section 5 concludes, looking at the policy implications from the study.