ARTICLE IN PRESS

doi:10.1016/j.te

Telecommunications Policy 31 (2007) 139–140

www.elsevierbusinessandmanagement.com/locate/telpol

Book review

From rural village to global village—Telecommunications for development in the information age, E.H. Heather.

Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, NJ (2006). (179pp., Including references and index, Hardback $65.00,

ISBN: 0-8058-5667-6).

This is a wide-ranging book that explores the nature of the relationship between telecommunications anddevelopment. After a preface and introductory chapter, the remaining nine chapters of the book caneffectively be divided into three parts. The macro-level focus of Chapter 2 concentrates on the relationshipbetween telecommunications and rural development and is, perhaps inevitably, wide-ranging in nature.Having said this, one underlying theme that can be identified is that telecommunications facilitatesinformation access and sharing whilst another is that ICT alone cannot bring about development. In contrast,Chapters 3 and 4 examine ICT projects within two sectors: education and medicine, respectively. Broadlyspeaking, both chapters identify why, where and how ICT could be used. To this, Chapter 3 adds the notion ofwhether or not the project is sustainable whereas Chapter 4 highlights the institutional barriers that mayinhibit ICT adoption.

Chapters 5–8 form the second part of the book. Chapter 5 draws attention to the digital divide that existsand describes some of the initiatives that have been undertaken to close it. The latter part of the chapter turnsits attention towards the lessons that can be learnt from the implementation of ICT projects. The focus inChapter 6 is initially on universal access and service before some of the strategies that have been implementedto extend access are described. With respect to extending access, the use of service obligations and subsidiesare discussed towards the end of the chapter. A wide range of possible technologies for extending connectivityis covered in Chapter 7, whilst Chapter 8 examines how the telecommunications sectors of developingcountries could be restructured.

In Chapter 9 it is argued that many ICT projects have not been rigorously evaluated, and through doing sonot only will insight into what has worked and, perhaps more importantly, what has not worked be gained,but the lessons learnt can be incorporated into future projects and policy-making. After using the concept oftele-centres to raise a series of ‘methodological’ issues, the remainder of the chapter presents two evaluationframeworks—education and medicine—and thus reads as a checklist of the issues to consider. The finalchapter begins to draw together some of the issues identified in previous chapters, highlighting the untappedpotential of low-income populations and the social consequences of technology.

This is a short book—the 10 chapters reach to just 157 pages! There are clearly pros and cons associatedwith covering so much material in so few pages. On the positive side, readers are presented with a pared downargument, supported by illustrative examples, that highlights the main point(s) that the author wishes toconvey. Throughout endnotes are sparingly used. A good example of this is Chapter 7, which surveys availabletechnologies and comments on their suitability or otherwise for extending connectivity before brieflydiscussing other relevant issues such as the availability and nature of technical support for ICT projects.

Having said this, the chapter is only 17 pages long with the consequence that the strengths or weaknesses ofthe relevant technologies, when and where they are appropriate, etc., is only fleetingly discussed. Moreover,the chapters are without summaries or conclusions that would leave the reader in no doubt as to what the keypoints of each chapter actually are. Instead six out of the 10 chapters end with one or more vignettes.

The author’s rationale for adopting such an approach is outlined in the preface, a part of the book thatmany readers are likely to skip and which is not available online to would-be purchasers. The book is intendedas a sequel to a previous work as well as a ‘taster’ of the research in the area that can then be followed up by

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ARTICLE IN PRESSBook review / Telecommunications Policy 31 (2007) 139–140140

the reader. With this in mind, a clear suggestion of where readers could follow-up their interests on a chapter-by-chapter basis would have been welcome. Also, although the author acknowledges that the references areillustrative rather than exhaustive, greater referencing than the 120 or so included would have been useful.

Those readers looking for a detailed description and analysis of the role that telecommunications can play inrural development should look elsewhere. If, however, the reader is new to the field or wants an overview ofissues and how they fit together, the book has merit. It is brief, easy to read and contains a list of usefulwebsites that could direct further enquiry. But at $65.00 for the hardback version of a book that is only 179pages long, it is an expensive purchase.

Jason WhalleyDepartment of Management Science,

University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK

E-mail address: jason.whalley@strath.ac.uk