Development Connections: Unveiling the Impact of New Information Technologies - Softcover

"This book takes a refreshingly candid look at the role of Information and Communications Technology interventions for development. It starts off with a simple yet unpopular premise: that a technology may sound cool, but that does not mean it alleviates poverty. We need more than good intentions. We need to measure the impact of interventions to know what works, what does not, and why. And in the case of Information and Communications Technologies, it is not hard to imagine that technology still needs humans, and good human intentions, in order to generate positive social change." - Dean Karlan, Professor of Economics, Yale University and President and Founder, Innovations for Poverty Action

"Computers, mobile phones, and the Internet are frequently touted as miracle-working tools in the battle against global poverty. This book brings a welcome dose of realism to these claims, through experimental case studies of several information and communication technology interventions in Latin America. The conclusion? While technology has great potential, its value emerges only with the proper institutional support. No amount of technology makes up for deficient political commitment, human capacity, or institutional integrity. A must-read for anyone considering ICTs for international development." - Kentaro Toyama, Visiting Scholar, University of California, Berkeley and Co-Founder of the IEEE/ACM International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD)

Development Connections takes stock of recent advances in what is broadly known as Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs)-cell phones, computers, and related Internet applications, as well as software advances that aim at improving the welfare of societies by empowering them. It is a comparative look at Latin America and ICTs in relation to the rest of the world and other countries in the region and the trends for widespread use of ICTs. In turn, the authors seek to discover how information and telecommunication technologies affect both the public and private sectors of the region and how they can optimize ICT returns to society. Projects focus on the use of ICTs for education, health, finance, environment, and labor. ICT trends are crucial to policy makers and ICT development is critical to the future of the region.