Measurement of tangible and intangible impacts of telecentres on rural communities

Self Cite

The paper explores the impact of a telecentre on the community living in Bario, a small village in the highlands of Malaysian Borneo. Specifically, it addresses indirect and intangible impacts on non-users of telecentre. Thus, far most research studies have primarily focused on direct and tangible impacts of telecentre on its users whilst impact on non-users is least covered and understood. Consequently, it was equally essential to study the concept of unquantifiable intangible impacts experienced by the non-users. Sen's "Capability Approach" (CA) was adopted to understand the impact of telecentre on human development. "The Most Significant Change" (MSC) was employed as a tool for collecting data in the form of stories from the telecentre users and non-users. The process involved gathering stories about the telecentre impact from the Bario community people. The MSC stories with significance relevance were identified and selected with the help of the community. Those were then analysed using the content analysis technique and Leximancer to identify the patterns of change experienced by the respondents. The results of the study on the whole suggests that the Bario community has benefited from the use of the telecentre, both directly and indirectly, including intangible impacts such as connectedness, a sense of belongingness, strengthened social ties, and psychological empowerment (selfesteem and self-efficacy). The theoretical approach together with methodological approach provided a base for understanding ways to conceptualize the development and determine the ways in which telecentre contributed directly or indirectly to the social and economic development of the community inhabitants.

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The indirect and intangible impacts of a telecentre on a rural community

Tabassum

Kulathuramaiyer

Harris

et al. 2019

Self Cite

“…However, there is no detail on what these outcomes might be. Another paper that does lend itself to the evaluation conundrum is the study by Tabassum and Yeo (). They advance the position of Gomez and Pather () and bring forth a perspective of what intangible benefits in telecentre programmes are.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Based on a case study; presents as findings a framework on how the success rate of ICT4D projects in rural settings can be improved. Tabassum and Yeo (2015) Argues that traditional measurable impacts of telecentre are not sufficient and proposes an alternative qualitative methodology to evaluate the intangible impacts of ICTs perceived by its nonusers. Mbatha (2015Mbatha ( , 2016 Investigated the usage and types of ICTs accessible to community members and argues for the development of enabling policy and legislative frameworks to provide for the training to ensure effective use of ICTs.…”

Section: Mamba and Isabiryementioning

confidence: 99%

A benefits framework for public access ICT4D programmes

Uys

Pather

2019

There have been expectations across the developing world that information and communications technologies (ICTs) will deliver benefits to marginalised people. Despite many programmes related to the promotion of Internet uptake and usage amongst poorer communities, evidence regarding such benefit is lacking, and there is little agreement in respect of frameworks and metrics to evaluate the benefits thereof. This paper reports on a case study that investigated the nature of a public access information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) programme and presents a framework for assessing the associated benefits in the South African context. The capability approach is used as a lens to assess the process of providing opportunities to ordinary citizens through ICT access and use. By operationalising agency and conversion factors, the study identified inhibitors and enhancers of opportunities and choices in realising benefits. Through the application of a critical realism paradigm and a mixed method analytical approach, perceptions of a changed life, aspirations for a better life, and “hope” emerged as key intangible benefits. The paper presents an ICT benefits framework, which serves as an important contribution to the ICT4D evaluation field. A novel outcome of the study is that it provides evidence of constructs that to date have been considered as intangible benefits in the literature.

Towards low‐cost community networks in rural communities: The impact of context using the case study of Beitbridge, Zimbabwe

Gwaka

May

Tucker

2018

Most rural communities in developing countries such as Zimbabwe are underserved and/or unserved with regard to telecommunication connectivity. Governments in developing countries are also under-resourced to provide adequate digital infrastructure. Thus, community networks are increasingly seen as viable alternatives to bridge the infrastructure gap in Africa. However, new infrastructure interventions in developing countries face many challenges including complex interventions stemming from complex policies inserted into complex sociopolitical environments. The success of community networks in other African countries prompts this investigation into the potential of transferring the community network approach to Zimbabwe. The objective of this article is to frame how context impacts development of digital infrastructure. Zimbabwe's telecommunication regulatory framework is on the verge of countenancing the development of community networks, and for this reason, there is need for research to inform would-be investors, policy makers, and other stakeholders such as academia, NGOs, and communities themselves, on how the sociopolitical and economic environment impact these efforts. This is important because successful deployment of a community network may result in improved community development, eg, in food security, health, and education.