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Open Source in Africa : towards informed decision-making

BRUGGINK, Martin
August 2003

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Open Source solutions became a real alternative in western and northern countries as well as in Asian countries. In Africa, Open Source initiatives have not yet been discussed thoroughly. This brief summarizes research carried out in Tanzania, Uganda and Burkina Faso, asking how and if Open Source is used

Building inclusive information societies : Dutch perspectives for the WSIS

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNICATION AND DEVELOPMENT (IICD)
ONEWORLD NEDERLAND
HUMANIST INSTITUTE FOR CO-OPERATION WITH DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (HIVOS)
August 2003

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This document brings together recommendations for the Dutch delegation to the 2003 'World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)'. Themes identified are: cyber rights: property, privacy and freedom of expression; ICT and education; civil society and empowerment; and trade and entrepreneurship

Cultural and political factors in the design of ICT projects in developing countries

ROZENDAL, Rutger
March 2003

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This research report argues that the project environment should be divided into a political and a cultural dimension. Both dimensions are difficult to direct, but by analysing them it is possible to foresee problems between the project organisation and its environment. Instead of directing the political and cultural forces, the art of management lies in anticipating them in advance. [Publisher's abstract]

Wireless communication

VONK, Tjalling
MULDER, Rolof
March 2003

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The use of wireless networks in developing areas is promising. Since ground cables are only economic in high-density environments, a wireless network is much cheaper when long distances need to be crossed to rural areas

From beedees to CDs : snapshots from a journey through India's rural knowledge centres

FERGUSON, Julie
January 2003

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Rural ICT centres, if properly designed and managed, can be much more than just 'access centres.' They can become community owned 'knowledge centres' that directly and indirectly empower people living in rural areas. This was the conclusion reached by participants in the first South-South travelling workshop on ICT-enabled development, organised by the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation [Publisher's abstract]

Sustaining ICT-enabled development : practice makes perfect?

FERGUSON, Julie
BALLANTYNE, Peter
August 2002

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Report of a workshop that explored the sustainability of ICT-enabled development interventions. The discussion centred around the 'classic' or organisational and developmental factors, indicating that ICTs are not inherently more or less sustainable than other instruments. It also focused on some of the specific characteristics of ICTs - such as their fast pace and the effect of this acceleration on business processes and decision-making, and the illusion of the 'quick fix'. The report also pulls out the impact of basic infrastructure on the impact of ICTs in addressing poverty. It concludes with eight 'steps' or guides to enhancing the sustainability of ICT-enabled interventions

Collecting and propagating local development content : synthesis and conclusions

BALLANTYNE, Peter
May 2002

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Drawing from a consultation process to examine how local content in developing countries is created, adapted, and exchanged, this report provides some answers to these questions. It is a synthesis of lessons; the case stories which are reproduced in an accompanying report provide details on actual experienses and lessons from the ground

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