ICTs, E-Government and the Digital ICTs, E-Government and the Digital Divide: Divide:

Where is the Connection?Where is the Connection?

Al Akhawayn UniversityAl Akhawayn UniversityIfrane, MOROCCOIfrane, MOROCCO

07/13/0407/13/04

Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.Visiting Professor: School of ManagementVisiting Professor: School of Management

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of TechnologyNewark, NJNewark, NJ

ICT’s: Information and Communications TechnologiesICT’s: Information and Communications Technologies

► What are ICT’s?What are ICT’s?► Why do they matter?Why do they matter?► ICT’s as enablersICT’s as enablers

Economic enablersEconomic enablers Social enablersSocial enablers Cultural enablersCultural enablers Organizational enablersOrganizational enablers

► ICT’s as instruments of transformationICT’s as instruments of transformation Economic transformationEconomic transformation Organizational transformationOrganizational transformation Social transformationSocial transformation Cultural transformationCultural transformation

Enabling Development with ICTsEnabling Development with ICTs

► Creating infrastructure for developmentCreating infrastructure for development► Creating/accessing resources for developmentCreating/accessing resources for development

Training and skills developmentTraining and skills development Accessing capitalAccessing capital Accessing knowledgeAccessing knowledge

► Creating/enabling the process of developmentCreating/enabling the process of development► Creating/enabling the means to promote/manage Creating/enabling the means to promote/manage

developmentdevelopment► Remote accessRemote access► Distributed networkingDistributed networking► Resourcing the localResourcing the local► Linking local to global and global to localLinking local to global and global to local► Integrating community based technologiesIntegrating community based technologies

ICTs and DevelopmentICTs and Development

► ICTs and healthICTs and health Health administrationHealth administration Local health informationLocal health information Health servicesHealth services

► Economic DevelopmentEconomic Development International tradeInternational trade SME developmentSME development Tourism management and developmentTourism management and development Micro-finance development and managementMicro-finance development and management Facilitating remittances from the DiasporaFacilitating remittances from the Diaspora

ICTs and DevelopmentICTs and Development

► ICTs and local resource developmentICTs and local resource development Land registry and managementLand registry and management Animal husbandry and agriculture informationAnimal husbandry and agriculture information Environment and waste Environment and waste

management/informationmanagement/information►Education and LearningEducation and Learning

On-line trainingOn-line training Use of information as components of K-12 Ed.Use of information as components of K-12 Ed. Continuing (adult) educationContinuing (adult) education

Enabling (e)GovernmentEnabling (e)Government

► ICT’s and administration—efficiencyICT’s and administration—efficiency► ICT’s and administration—effectivenessICT’s and administration—effectiveness► ICT’s and administration—new servicesICT’s and administration—new services►TransparencyTransparency►AccountabilityAccountability►SpeedSpeed►NetworkingNetworking

Community Innovation and DevelopmentCommunity Innovation and Development

►Why innovation mattersWhy innovation matters►Innovation is fundamental to developmentInnovation is fundamental to development►Innovation less an individual process than a social and Innovation less an individual process than a social and community onecommunity one►What are the origins (and outcomes) of innovation?What are the origins (and outcomes) of innovation?

Social environments--diverse, tolerant, knowledge richSocial environments--diverse, tolerant, knowledge richSocial networksSocial networksIndividual entrepreneurshipIndividual entrepreneurship

►How to create the conditions for innovationHow to create the conditions for innovationHow to create the social platform on which innovation can occurHow to create the social platform on which innovation can occur

►Community innovation—process and product innovation at the Community innovation—process and product innovation at the community level—”well it’s new for around here”community level—”well it’s new for around here”►New social process, new processes of political engagement, New social process, new processes of political engagement, new processes of local empowerment with ICTsnew processes of local empowerment with ICTs►Structuring PPP’s at the local levelStructuring PPP’s at the local level

But…But…

► Need infrastructureNeed infrastructure Technical infrastructureTechnical infrastructure

► Power supply, telephone access, technical infrastructure and Power supply, telephone access, technical infrastructure and maintenancemaintenance

Social infrastructureSocial infrastructure► Technical literacy, training, appropriate work practices Technical literacy, training, appropriate work practices

Organizational/management infrastructureOrganizational/management infrastructure► redesign of administrative practicesredesign of administrative practices► Renewal of administrative cultureRenewal of administrative culture

► Most of the developments have been in E-administration:Most of the developments have been in E-administration: AccountingAccounting Human resources managementHuman resources management Transaction managementTransaction management

Why Bother…Why Bother…

► ICTs make the flow and management of information ICTs make the flow and management of information exponentially more efficient—any activity will benefit from exponentially more efficient—any activity will benefit from ICTs to the proportion of its information componentICTs to the proportion of its information component

► The long term trend is to replace physical goods with The long term trend is to replace physical goods with information goods—(why move goods or people around when information goods—(why move goods or people around when it is easier and cheaper to move information instead)it is easier and cheaper to move information instead)

► Long term competition between state administrations—those Long term competition between state administrations—those who aren’t networked will be ignoredwho aren’t networked will be ignored

► The inherent benefit (network effect) of networks and The inherent benefit (network effect) of networks and networkingnetworking

► Without an effective local government effective local Without an effective local government effective local economic development is impossibleeconomic development is impossible

► Globalization (at all levels)Globalization (at all levels)► ““An Information Society” for allAn Information Society” for all

The Digital DivideThe Digital Divide

►What is the Digital Divide?What is the Digital Divide? The “Divide” between countriesThe “Divide” between countries The “Divide” within countriesThe “Divide” within countries The “Divide” within communitiesThe “Divide” within communities

►Why does it matter?Why does it matter?► The DD and E-GovernmentThe DD and E-Government

E-Government as lever for local ICTsE-Government as lever for local ICTs Creating infrastructureCreating infrastructure Creating skillsCreating skills Creating expectations/demand/cultural Creating expectations/demand/cultural

acceptanceacceptance

And…And…

► A major limitation is that “people don’t know A major limitation is that “people don’t know what they don’t know”—what they don’t know”—

► The need for an “effective use approach”The need for an “effective use approach”► E-Government and Community Informatics E-Government and Community Informatics

Effective UseEffective Use

►The elements of effective use:The elements of effective use:InfrastructureInfrastructureInput/output devicesInput/output devicesSoftware and controlSoftware and controlContentContentSocial contextSocial contextOrganization of social Organization of social context/animation/leadershipcontext/animation/leadershipPolicy/funding contextPolicy/funding context

Community InformaticsCommunity Informatics

►““Enabling Communities with Information and Communications Enabling Communities with Information and Communications Technologies”Technologies”►Concerned with research, practice and policyConcerned with research, practice and policy►Delivery: Community based technologies, telecentres, community Delivery: Community based technologies, telecentres, community networkingnetworking►Problem: Digital Divide, enabling, empowering communities, regional and Problem: Digital Divide, enabling, empowering communities, regional and rural networkingrural networking►Local economic development, local e-health, local ICT enabled resource Local economic development, local e-health, local ICT enabled resource management, local e-participation/e-democracy, community based GISmanagement, local e-participation/e-democracy, community based GIS►Design of technology & implementation from community perspective (CIS Design of technology & implementation from community perspective (CIS rather than MIS)rather than MIS)►Sustainability of initiatives, local innovation, capacity buildingSustainability of initiatives, local innovation, capacity building►Effective use approachEffective use approach►Community innovationCommunity innovation►Communities of place and communities of interestCommunities of place and communities of interest

What Is HappeningWhat Is Happening► ICT application/implementation is an inherently complex and ICT application/implementation is an inherently complex and

multiparty processmultiparty process Technical—infrastructureTechnical—infrastructure Content developmentContent development Human skills developmentHuman skills development Organizational and managerialOrganizational and managerial

► Miss one of the elements and you have a party that no one Miss one of the elements and you have a party that no one comes to comes to

► ICT applications require sufficient resources to handle the ICT applications require sufficient resources to handle the various elements of the process generally where most of those various elements of the process generally where most of those resources are already in place in one form or anotherresources are already in place in one form or another

► In the LDC context many of those resources need to be In the LDC context many of those resources need to be provided and the process is expensive and time consuming provided and the process is expensive and time consuming involving multiple, separate and even competing parties with involving multiple, separate and even competing parties with different cultures, languages, funders different cultures, languages, funders

► Policy, programming, piloting processes have been top-down Policy, programming, piloting processes have been top-down and concerned with quick results rather than sustaining and concerned with quick results rather than sustaining processes and effective usesprocesses and effective uses

Now Where To Go…Now Where To Go…

►Where not to go is to develop stand alone Where not to go is to develop stand alone single application ICT “projects”—these fail single application ICT “projects”—these fail and are unsustainableand are unsustainable

►Where to go is to build the demand and Where to go is to build the demand and expectation for effective and efficient expectation for effective and efficient service delivery from the users/communities service delivery from the users/communities -- enable existing processes/activities (sub--- enable existing processes/activities (sub-activities) using ICTs to make processes activities) using ICTs to make processes more efficient and effectivemore efficient and effective

► Build the ICT component in as a Build the ICT component in as a facilitator/extender to other activitiesfacilitator/extender to other activities

Because…Because…

►The Real Power of ICTs comes when The Real Power of ICTs comes when communities are enabled with communities are enabled with Community Based ICTs and where a Community Based ICTs and where a Community Informatics approach Community Informatics approach empowers local communities to use empowers local communities to use those ICTs for…those ICTs for…

Michael GursteinMichael GursteinVisiting Professor: School of ManagementVisiting Professor: School of Management

New Jersey Institute of TechnologyNew Jersey Institute of Technology

Newark, NJNewark, NJ

gurstein@njit.edugurstein@njit.edu