The Value of Research in Global ICT and Development Projects

Lecturers: Anke Schwittay and Paul Braund
Thursday, February 16, 2006
12pm, Harris Room, 119 Moses Hall

Global Information and Communication Technology and development (ICT+D) projects are usually driven along three axes: designed and developed by ICT experts, funded by multilateral organizations, and implemented by development organization in tandem with local groups. What is missing in this tripartite division of labor is a focus on the end users of the technology, the key ingredient to ensure that sustainability of ICT+D project. Anke Schwittay and Paul Braund argue for this importance of long-term, human-centered research that brings these end users back into focus. They draw on a multi-year research project- specifically the Lincos project in Costa Rica and Hewlett-Packard's I-community in India- to show how their market-driven focus, their designs of virtual and physical space, and their deployment of a neo-liberal discourse of community appropriation impeded their potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of their recipients.

Anke Schwittay is a socio-cultural anthropologist at UC Berkeley. Her most recent research focuses on the role of Silicon Valley high-tech companies in the ICT+D area.

Paul Braund is an educator, designer, and social entrepreneur with many years of experience in ICT. Together they found the RiOS Institute in 2005 to promote the use of long-term, human-centered research in ICT+D.