Development as Freedom in a Digital Age : Experiences from the Rural Poor in Bolivia.

Cover -- Contents -- Foreword -- Foreword -- Preface -- Acknowledgments -- About the Author -- Abbreviations and Acronyms -- PART I: ICTs and the Well-Being of Poor Communities -- 1. Introduction: People, Technology, and Well-Being -- Emerging Evidence on the Links between ICTs and Development -- The Role of Telecenters for Socioeconomic Development -- The Link between E-Governance, Participation, and Community Development -- Evaluating the Impact of ICTs on the Well-Being of Poor Communities: The Need to Go beyond Conventional Approaches -- The Multidimensional Approach to Well-Being Based on the Capability Approach -- Focus on Indigenous Peoples and the Impact of New Technologies on Their Well-Being -- Key Factors for Establishing a Link between ICTs and Poor People's Human Development -- The Theoretical Framework: Placing Human Well-Being at the Center of Impact Evaluations -- Toward an Alternative Evaluation Framework of ICT Programs -- Operationalizing the AEF for Research in Bolivia -- Structure of the Book -- Notes -- References -- 2. The Methodology -- Methodological Approach -- Definition of ICTs -- Methods of Data Collection -- Typology of Intermediary Organizations -- Methodological Challenges -- Notes -- References -- 3. Poverty, Inequality, and Human Development of Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia -- Identifying Indigenous Peoples -- The Demographics of Indigenous Peoples -- National and Indigenous Poverty -- Regional Distribution of Poverty -- The Unsatisfied Basic Needs Approach -- Income Inequality -- The Human Development of Indigenous Peoples -- Underlying Causes of Indigenous Poverty -- Notes -- References -- PART II: The Empirical Evidence -- 4. Poor People's Information Needs, Perceptions, and Expectations about the Internet -- Principal Findings -- Organization of the Chapter -- Data Analysis -- Survey Results of Non-ICT Users.

Information Gap by Program -- Communication Flows -- Value and Expectations: The Potential of the Internet to Promote Indigenous Development -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- 5. Beyond Access to Meaningful Use -- Principal Findings -- Data Analysis -- Role of Demographic and Socioeconomic Factors in Explaining ICT Use -- Educational Attainment -- Unsatisfied Basic Needs and Human Development -- Ethnicity -- Municipal Illiteracy Rates -- Role of Individual Factors in Explaining ICT Use -- Role of Socioeconomic Factors in Explaining ICT Use -- Role of Intermediary Organizations in Explaining ICT Use -- Cross-Validation of the Results: Multivariant Regression Analysis of the ECADI National Household Survey -- Conclusions -- References -- 6. Beyond Use: Expanding Poor People's ICT Capabilities -- Principal Findings -- Data Analysis -- Empirical Results of ICT User Survey -- Multivariate Regression Analysis of the ECADI National Household Survey -- Conclusions -- References -- 7. Poor People's Perspectives vis-à-vis the Internet's Impact on Their Well-Being -- Principal Findings -- Survey Design and Data Analysis -- Demographic and Socioeconomic Profile of Respondents -- Indigenous People's Overall Perceptions of the Internet's Impact on Well-Being -- Key Factors Influencing People's Perceptions -- Perceptions about the Impact of the Internet on People's Well-Being and Informational Capabilities -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- PART III: The Case Studies -- 8. Enacting and Interpreting Technology: Experiences of Aymara Women with ICTs -- Principal Findings -- Socioeconomic Profile of Tiwanaku: A Site of Cultural Richness and a Stagnant Local Economy -- Indigenous Peoples' Own Views of Poverty and Development -- OMAK: The Grassroots Aymara Women's Organization of the Kollasuyo -- OMAK's ICT Program.

Impact of the Program on the Well-Being of Indigenous Peoples -- Constraints Faced by Aymara Women in Enhancing Their Well-Being through the Use of ICTs -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- 9. Exploring the Links between ICTs, Decentralization, and Well-Being -- Principal Findings -- Socioeconomic Profile of Batallas and Comarapa: Two Diverse Municipalities -- The EnlaRed Municipal Program -- Overall Impact of the Program -- Conclusions -- Notes -- References -- PART IV: Conclusions -- 10. Conclusions: Toward an ICT Impact Chain -- Principal Conclusions -- Toward an ICT Impact Chain -- The Critical Role of Effective and Local Intermediaries -- Enabling Environment or Structural Barriers -- Principal Policy Implications and Recommendations -- Appendix A: Map of Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia -- Appendix B: Indigenous Peoples' Development Plan -- Appendix C: Instrumental and Substantive Social Capabilities -- Appendix D: The Ethnicity Index by Xavier Albó -- Appendix E: Statistical Data -- Appendix F: Definition of ICT Capability Variable -- Appendix G: Definition of Informational Capability Variable -- Appendix H: Definition of Sector and Thematic Indexes -- Appendix I: Interview List -- Appendix J: List of Focus Groups -- Appendix K: Survey Forms -- Index -- A -- B -- C -- D -- E -- F -- G -- H -- I -- K -- L -- M -- N -- O -- P -- Q -- R -- S -- T -- U -- V -- W -- Y -- Z -- Box -- 2.1 Some notes on logistic regression analysis -- Figures -- 1.1 The concept of informational capabilities -- 1.2 Alternative evaluation framework for the impact of ICTs on well-being -- 1.3 Structure of the study -- 2.1 Research methods used to gather data to validate alternative evaluation framework at different stages of ICT projects -- 3.1 Moderate and extreme poverty in Bolivia, 1997-2011.

3.2 Gap in the rates of extreme and moderate poverty between the non-indigenous and the indigenous populations in Bolivia, 1999-2011 -- 3.3 Trends in extreme and moderate poverty in rural and urban areas of Bolivia, 1996-2010 -- 3.4 Poverty in Bolivia, by department, 1999, 2005, and 2012 -- 3.5 Income inequality in urban and rural areas of Bolivia, 1996-2011 -- 3.6 Infant mortality in Bolivia, by department, 2003 -- 3.7 Literacy rates in rural and urban areas of Bolivia, by age group, 1997-2012 -- 3.8 Years of education in Bolivia, by ethnicity and geographic location, 1998-2008 -- 4.1 Most frequently used information sources -- 4.2 Most frequently used information sources, by type of intermediary organization -- 4.3 Most frequently used source of information, by program -- 4.4 Use of television, telephone, and the Internet as information source, by type of organization -- 4.5 Most frequently used source of information, by ethnicity -- 4.6 Most frequently used channel of communication with family and friends -- 4.7 Use of personal visits as a means of communication, by program -- 4.8 Use of amateur radio as a channel of communication, by program -- 4.9 Municipalities with and without access to the Internet, by degree of ethnicity -- 4.10 Illiteracy rates in municipalities, by degree of ethnicity -- 4.11 Prior use of the Internet -- 4.12 Principal reasons for not using the Internet -- 4.13 Information needs -- 4.14 Information received -- 4.15 Information gap, by type of information (full sample) -- 4.16 Detailed information gap, by type of information -- 4.17 Information gap for OMAK youth, by type of information -- 4.18 Information gap, without the youth cohort, by type of information -- 4.19 Detailed information gap, by type of information (without youth cohort) -- 4.20 Information gap regarding educational material, by program.

4.21 Information need regarding educational material, by ethnicity -- 4.22 Information gap regarding educational material, by ethnicity -- 4.23 Information needs for education by ethnicity (without youth cohort) -- 4.24 Information gap regarding educational material, by ethnicity (without youth cohort) -- 4.25 Information gap regarding educational material, by gender -- 4.26 Information gap regarding agricultural practices, by program -- 4.27 Information gap regarding citizen rights, by program -- 4.28 Information gap regarding market prices, by age -- 4.29 Information gap regarding market prices, by program -- 4.30 Information gap regarding government policies, by program -- 4.31 Information gap regarding government policies, by gender -- 4.32 Information gap regarding government policies, by ethnicity -- 4.33 Information gap regarding government policies, by ethnicity (without youth cohort) -- 4.34 Most needed flow of communication, by type of organization -- 4.35 Usefulness of the Internet for indigenous peoples' development -- 4.36 Interest by non-users in using the Internet in the future -- 4.37 Expectations about the role of the Internet in improving the relationship between the government and indigenous peoples -- 5.1 Principal language spoken in the household, by type of organization -- 5.2 Use of ICTs, by level of education -- 5.3 Illiteracy rates of municipalities, by degree of ethnicity -- 5.4 Internet use of respondents, by gender -- 5.5 Educational attainment of respondents, by gender -- 5.6 Internet use of respondents, by education level -- 5.7 Educational attainment of respondents, by ethnicity -- 5.8 Internet use of respondents, by ICT access in the municipality -- 5.9 Internet use of respondents, by ethnicity -- 5.10 Internet use, by municipal illiteracy rate -- 5.11 Internet use, by geographic location -- 5.12 ICT use, by program.

5.13 Use or non-use of ICTs, by ethnicity.

Under what conditions can new technologies enhance the well-being of poor communities? The study designs an alternative evaluation framework (AEF) that applies Amartya Sen’s capability approach to the study of information and communications technologies (ICTs) in order to place people’s well-being, rather than technology, at the center of the study. The AEF develops an impact chain that examines the mechanisms by which access to, and meaningful use of, ICTs can enhance people’s "informational capabilities†? and improve people’s human and social capabilities. This approach thus uses people’s individual and collective capabilities, rather than measures of access or use, as its principal evaluative space.Based on empirical evidence from indigenous communities’ use of new technologies in rural Bolivia, the study concludes that enhancing poor people’s informational capabilities is the most critical factor determining the impact of ICTs on their well-being. Improved informational capabilities, like literacy, do enhance the human capabilities of poor and marginalized peoples to make strategic life choices and achieve the lifestyle they value. Evaluating the impact of ICTs in terms of capabilities thus reveals no direct relationship between improved access to, and use of, ICTs and enhanced well-being; ICTs lead to improvements in people’s lives only when informational capabilities are transformed into expanded human and social capabilities in the economic, political, social, organizational, and cultural dimensions of their lives.The study concludes that intermediaries are bound to play a central, even fundamental, role in this process. They help poor communities to enact and appropriate ICTs to their local socio-cultural context so that their use becomes meaningful for people’s daily lives, enhances their informational capabilities, and ultimately

improves their human and social capabilities.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.