Linking ICTs to Rural Development: China’s Rural

Information Policy

Jun XiaGovernment Information Quarterly 27(2010) 187-195

Lia PuspitasariUniversity of Tsukuba

AGENDA

IntroductionStatus of China’s ICT (before 2010)Characterization of the Rural Information

Policy System in ChinaConclusions

Access Application

Village Informatization program (VIP)

VAPs

INTRODUCTION

Intended to ‘informatize’ China’s rural communities by:◦Improving rural access to communications infrastructures, including telephone, television, and the internet; (kasih ilustrasi devicesnya)

◦Providing applications of so-called ‘comprehensive information services’, including township government websites, information service stations, and agriculture-related websites and e-commerce portals.

INTRODUCTION

Integration of access and applications in China’s rural communications policy has been more a practical coincidence than based on a rigorous and intentional theoretical deliberation.

The disparity in economic reform between rural and urban areas has emerged unbalanced economic development and social stability.

INTRODUCTION

The absence of explicitly defined objectives and effective organization, the nationwide VIP activities have appeared to be uncoordinated.

Lack of coordination results:◦Inadequate investment;◦Wasteful duplicate construction;◦Information projects tend to be low in utilization

rate and poor in maintenance.

STATUS OF ICT

Current Status (before 2010)

Level of major indicators in terms of residents’ access to telephones, television and the internet services in rural communities of China roughly 1/3 of urban counterparts.

- Being a rural dweller mean accepting an extremely unfavorable status in almost all socio economic aspects.

- The deployment of ICTs in rural areas has profound political, economical, and socio cultural implications.

- Rural informatization is in need.

Two phases of informatization initiatives1. The Village Access Projects (VAPs)

Objective: telephone/television to each villageconventional line-ministry system in China remains a practical governance solution in mobilizing and organizing nation wide resources for public projects.

History of VAPs

Access penetrati

on reached

99.7%

2006 – 2008

Renewed by The

MIIAccess

task distribut

ed to 6 carriers

2005

Suspension due

to industry

restructuring

1998 - 2004

Executed by

China telecom

Before 1998

2. The Village Informatization Program (VIP)

Universal service/digital

divide

Comprehensive information

service

Weaknesses1. Objectives are vague;2. Institutional arrangement is not clearly defined;3. The regime left the implementation to department and/or

regional interpretations and discretions.4. Execution mainly relied on disconnected, sporadic,

departmental and/or regional initiatives, and so called ‘action projects’ or ‘model projects’

Characterization of current rural information policy system

Too many various documents as guidance Diversified or decentralized and fragmented

across various departmentGovernment department more often engaged

in independent projectsUnable to capitalize on its merit side in he

absence of a coherent system of policies and organization

Suggestion to the next move1. Definition of objectives2. Technical solutions3. Institutional design, should be evaluated

based on:• Integrity• Measurability• Transparency• Equality• Consistency• Neutrality• Cost-effectiveness

CONCLUSIONBiggest problem are objective, and sustainable

institutional arrangementLayer based localization regulatory is the best

model which highlights the role of local government.

Lessons drawnHow to translate the implementation of a

national rural information strategyUnique case in which ideological/political forces

are capitalizedHow to integrate into a single national public

program which tend to the multi-channeled and regionalized/localized.