Remoteness, Exclusion and Telecentres in Mountain Regions: Analysing ICT-Based 'Information Chains' in Pazos, Peru

As a field of practice and research that is fast-growing and a locus for much attention and activity, open government data (OGD) has attracted stakeholders from a variety of origins.They bring with them a variety of meanings for OGD. The purpose of this paper is to show how the different stakeholders and their different perspectives on OGD can be analyzed in a given context. Taking Chile as an OGD exemplar, stakeholder analysis is used to identify and categorize stakeholder groups in terms of their relative power and interest as either primary (in this case: politicians, public officials, public sector practitioners, international organizations) or secondary (civil society activists, funding donors, ICT providers, academics). Stakeholder groups sometimes associated with OGD but absent from significant involvement in Chile -such as private sector-and citizen-users -are also identified.Four different perspectives on open government data -bureaucratic, political, technological and economic -are identified from a literature review. Template analysis is used to analyze text -OGD-related reports, conference presentations, and interviews in Chile -in terms of those perspectives. This shows bureaucratic and political perspectives to be more dominant than the other two, and also some presence for a politico-economic perspective not identified from the original literature review. The information value chain is used to identify a "missing middle" in current Chilean OGD perspectives: a lack of connection between a reality of data provision and an aspiration of developmental results. This pattern of perspectives can be explained by the capacities and interests of key stakeholders, with those in turn being shaped by Chile's history, politics and institutions.Overall, stakeholder analysis and perspectives analysis are shown from this case to be workable techniques for OGD that add value by exposing the identity, power, motivations and worldview of key actors. They provide a necessary foundation of knowledge for both researchers and practitioners who need to understand the different meanings of OGD in any particular context.

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“…We can understand this better via a basic information value chain model, as shown in Figure 5 (adapted from Heeks & Kanashiro, 2009).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The multiple meanings of open government data: Understanding different stakeholders and their perspectives

González-Zapata

Heeks

2015

Government Information Quarterly

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191

112

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“…The much more difficult question is whether the benefit side of the equation compensates. Prima facie, it is difficult to see why ICTs should bring more benefits to the poor than they do to the rich given, for example, the greater difficulties in delivering "information impact chain" resources required to allow ICTs to deliver development outcomes (see Box 2 and Heeks & Kanashiro 2009a, Forestier et al 2002. The high proportion of income spent on ICTs -mobile particularly -and the evidence of other spending foregone could suggest ICT-derived expenditure exceeds ICT-derived income.…”

Section: Icts and Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Icts and Poverty Eradication: Comparing Economic, Livelihoods and Capabilities Models

Heeks

2014

SSRN Journal

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“…Case studies and anecdotal evidence recorded at telecenter operations in the region have yet to yield, from a development communication perspective, comprehensive empirical findings about how ICTs are being adopted at telecenters in these countries. Still, a growing body of research that charts the evolution of telecenters in Brazil (Bossio, 2006;Sorj, 2001;Sorj, 2003), Colombia (Amariles, Paz, Russell, & Johnson, 2006;Parkinson & Lauzon, 2008;Parkinson & Ramirez, 2006;Vallejo Montoya, 2007), the Dominican Republic (Granqvist, 2005;Prado, 2009), Mexico (Robertson, 1998), and Peru (Heeks & León, 2009) examines how ICT access impacts social justice and human development. The latter line of research has yielded evidence about the different ways in which ICTs are being used at the telecenters, yet further study is needed to determine whether the reduction of digital poverty positively impacts communal prosperity, systemic inequality, and human well-being.…”

Section: Telecenters and Digital Inclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The latter can be understood as a beneficial impact insofar as ICT diffusion supports education and the practice of digital literacy, among other skills. However, Heeks & León (2009), among others, have expressed concern that the diffusion of ICTs in rural areas may perpetuate existing patterns of social inequality by privileging some and not all members of a community.…”

Section: Predictors Of Skills Usedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating ICT Adoption in Rural Brazil: A Quantitative Analysis of Telecenters as Agents of Social Change

Prado

Câmara²,

Figueiredo

2011

JoCI

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This quantitative study surveyed 538 adults in isolated rural settings in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, in order to examine whether telecenters operated by the non-profit organization Gems of the Earth in the area improve digital literacy and promote social change in those remote mountain communities. Using multivariate logistic regression, the study examined how individuals use information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the telecenter, and tested for predictors of their use. The findings confirm that these rural communities use ICTs for entertainment, to engage in civic participation, and to practice professional skills. Results also indicate greater odds of ICT use among individuals aged 18 to 24 and among those who seek diversion. The findings suggest that digital inclusion impacts these isolated communities by creating opportunities for entertainment, civic engagement, professional development, and education in ways that may positively impact human development.

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Remoteness, Exclusion and Telecentres in Mountain Regions: Analysing ICT-Based 'Information Chains' in Pazos, Peru

Cited by 8 publications

References 0 publications

The multiple meanings of open government data: Understanding different stakeholders and their perspectives

The multiple meanings of open government data: Understanding different stakeholders and their perspectives

Icts and Poverty Eradication: Comparing Economic, Livelihoods and Capabilities Models

Evaluating ICT Adoption in Rural Brazil: A Quantitative Analysis of Telecenters as Agents of Social Change

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