Lnfortnation Echn,Ology and Developtnent • Ill the Network Tttt
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lnfortnation echn,ology and developtnent • ill The Network tttt The Australian Development Studies Network seeks to provide a forum for discussion and debate of development issues, and to keep people in the field up-to-date with developments and events, publications, etc. The Network does this through its publications program and by conducting or co-sponsoring seminars, symposia and conferences. The Network produces three publications: Development Bulletin is the Network's quarterly Newsletter. It includes short articles (normally I ,000 to 2,000 words); reports on conferences and seminars; announcements of forthcoming events; details of courses, research and work related to development or development studies; articles on the centres pursuing these activities; and information , about development education materials, recent publications and other news. Briefing Papers address a wide variety of development-related issues. They are concise (normally 2,000 to 5,000 warps) and accessible to the non-technical reader, and may include implications for Australia's foreign development assistance policy. The Register of Developmem Research & Expertise (2nd Edition, 1988) contains the names, institutions, research, project experience and publications of people in Australia who are working in development-related research or who have first-hand experience of Third World development issues. Their expertise covers a broad range of disciplines and geographical areas. The Register is indexed by name, institution, discipline, country of expertise and keywords. To obtain the Register, please send a cheque for A$25.00, made out to Bibliotech, to Bibliotech, ANU, Canberra, ACT0200. / -:· Correspondence You may have information you wish to share with others i~ the development field: conference announcements or reports, notices of new publications, information about the work of your centre or courses you offer, or you may wish to respond to articles or Briefing Papers. If so, please write to the Editor. If you wish to obtain Network publications or enquire about membership, subscriptions, seminar sponsorship, etc., please write to the Network Director. The address is: Development Bulletin Australian Development Studies Network Australian National University Canberra ACT0200 Tel: (06) 249 2466 Fax: (06) 257 2886 Deadlines Closing dates for submissions to Development Bulletin are mid-November, -February, -May and- August for the January, April, July and October issues respectively. ISSN 1035-1132 Information echnology and development Discussion Series Communications systems and development: The pragmatic approach Richard Coyne 4 The impact of information on development Don Lamberton 8 Internet and developing countries Harry Bruce 11 The political economy of teleports: Telecommunications and economic (re)development Jonathon R. Strand 14 Information technology and network infrastructures in the Asia-Pacific region Susan MacDougall 17 Pacific Islands, information technology and universal access: It's not just about wires Michael R. Ogden 19 The CocoNET wirless: A sea of islands in cyberspace Suzanna Layton 23 Communications for development in the South Pacific: Issues and challenges Helen Molnar 27 Introducing computers into development programmes: Some problems and suggested solutions for NGOs Duncan Wells 31 Accessing statistical information to support research on the Internet Dale Chatwin 33 The use of computers in rural development planning in Thailand Ebel Wickramanayake 35 Bibliography on information technology and telecommunications in the Pacific Craig Boaden 37 Viewpoint 40 From the field 47 From the press 51 Conferences 53 Publications 62 Courses 73 Resources 75 October 1995 1 Editors' notes New information technologies are changing the relationship between developed and developing countries and providing new ways of 'doing development'. This issue ofDevelopment Bulletin looks at the impact of information technologies on international social, economic and political relationships and the future opportunities for equitable and sustainable social and economic development. The papers in the issues section provide a wide range of perspectives on the way governments and individuals have utilise the new technologies. We review new developments in libraries, on electronic mail and the media and provide a bibliography of literature on information technology in the South Pacific. Briefing Paper Two briefing papers are included with this issue. Tony Hughes takes up the challenge posed at the Barbados conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island States 'can the sustainability of development be monitored?', and reviews the practicalities of such a task. Elizabeth Brouwer provides a comprehensive overview of the process and achievements of the UN Fourth World Conference on Women. Viewpoint Keith Suter reviews the UN document 'An agenda for development' and considers the reforms required within the organisation to ensure its relevance and utility in a rapidly changing world. Ted Trainer puts forward an alternative to economic growth as the model for sustainable development. In his paper 'Development: The essentials' he asks the question 'what needs developing?'. From the Field In a joint paper 'The role of indigenous social organisations in rural development in a West African village', three authors reflect on their individual experiences of rural in Ghana and review the activities and impact of different social groups, including outside NGOs. Electronic Forum We have surfed the internet, reviewed the South Pacific in cyberspace and selected a few delectable bytes for print reproduction. Conferences We have reviewed several recent conferences and symposia, including the Beijing Women's conference, and included a list of forthcoming conferences. Books, Journals, Courses and Resources The latest literature, courses and support materials for formal and non formal training in 'development' are reviewed and listed. AusAID The staff and members of the Australian Development Studies Network gratefully acknowledge the on-going assistance of AusAID in publishing the Development Bulletin. Next Issue. The theme for the next issue of Development Bulletin will be Gender and Development. Place your special orders now. Pamela Thomas and Rafat Hussain 2 Development Bulletin 35 Information technology and development Perhaps the most dramatic global development in the last century, and one that has had by far the most far reaching social, political and economic impact, has been the expansion of communication technologies. Thirty years after McLuhan wrote of a mass media revolution and the development of the global village, information technologies have facilitated not only a global village but a global economy, global access to information and the possibility of a global political system. Thirty years ago, the free flow of information and knowledge from the developed to the developing world was considered a necessary component to rapid social and economic development. At community level, access to information on improved agricultural practice, improved health and nutrition were expected to lead to beneficial social and economic change. At national level improved communication links with world markets, and improved access to financial resources were expected to assist economic development. Communication links within the country were considered important to gaining and maintaining national political stability. There remains today a strongly held assumption that improved communication systems and the free flow of information and knowledge carry positive benefits for developing. countries. As the following papers indicate it is becoming increasingly apparent that information technologies do not necessarily support beneficial change. There is growing evidence that in many situations they promote greater divisions between the rich and the poor and between rich and poor nations. The availability of technology alone is of little value if there is not the expertise to use and maintain it. Nor is there value in a free flow of information if it cannot be utilised because other necessary conditions are not in place. These papers review these issues and the ways governments, international corporations, national institutions or organisations, development agencies and individuals are using new information technologies to create a new, but not necessarily better, world. Richard Coyne suggests that vast quantities of often conflicting information available on Internet have led to scepticism of professional expertise and greater pressure on the individual to decide what is the responsible thing to do. Don Lamberton takes to task researchers who have attempted to link Third World development to growth in telecommunications and information hardware and suggests that information technologies may create electronic colonialism because of inappropriate or incomplete infrastructure and lack of attention to other elements needed for local growth. Harry Bruce points out the considerable barriers many developing countries face in becoming involved in Internet. A lack of information infrastructure and a shortage of personnel skilled in using and maintaining Internet systems make it difficult for developing countries to keep pace with information technology developments. The cultural and political implications of access to information pose further problems. He maintains that Internet is representative of a shift in modern societies towards information environments that are involving