W(h)ither the digital divide?

Abstract

Bridging the digital divide: The role of librarians and information professionals in the third millennium", The Electronic Library, Vol. 26 Iss 2 pp. 226-237 http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation.Abstract The``widening digital divide'' has the status of fact in most discussions of the global distribution of information and communications technologies (ICTs), and that this divide is a problem is widely accepted. This paper challenges both assumptions. First, looking at various measures of the digital divide, there is a divide in per-capita access to ICTs but developing countries show faster rates of growth in network development than developed countries. Moreover, when employing a per-income measure of access, developing countries already``digitally leapfrog'' the developed world. Second, the paper examines the prediction that disparities in absolute access to ICTs between countries will lead to reduced development prospects in poor countries. Past experience has shown that it is very difficult to make predictions of this type. The paper concludes that we may be posing the wrong policy questions when focusing on a``digital divide'' as it is commonly understood.

Mapping the global digital divide

“…Thus the global digital divide may be summed up as the inequality in access to ICTs and the inequality in the ability to derive benefit from ICTs both between and within countries. And though evidence exits suggesting that access to ICTs is growing faster in developing countries than it is in developed countries (Fink and Kenny, 2003), the gap in access on a country by country basis has not received much attention. Cullen (2001) suggests that those without adequate access to ICTs share some common characteristics including low income, low educational attainment, low literacy and high unemployment.…”

Assessing the evidence on Indigenous socioeconomic outcomes : A focus on the 2002 NATSISS

“…As we know, Fink and Kenny (2003) define the digital divide as both infrastructure access and individual capabilities. It would be ideal to have data that demonstrate-or at least go some way towards understanding-the depth of the digital divide in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.…”

“…Unfortunately, only a few statistics were collected on ICT use in the NATSISS, leaving many aspects of the digital divide unable to be examined. Therefore, we cannot speculate too much on an individual's ICT skill set, nor can we gauge whether the Indigenous community derives any economic advantage by using ICT as outlined by Fink and Kenny (2003) (Langton 2002). Also, the data presented here further demonstrate that CDEP programs perpetuate the digital divide.…”

Global Factors Affecting Women's Participation in Leadership

“…This is supported by a prior study of the positive effects of personal computers on entrepreneurship (Fairlie, 2006;Postman, 1993). The negative finding for the relationship between women in leadership and telephone mainlines mirrors the positive relationship between women in leadership and mobile phone subscribers, indicating that countries at lower levels of modernity are leapfrogging over the unnecessary expense of telephone line installation and moving right to mobile technology (Fink & Kenny, 2003;Lee et al, 2006;Mrad, 2006).…”

“…Physical infrastructure and technological advancements make society more efficient, which mirrors economic development, as can be seen in the correlations with these variables to GDP and the Human Development Index in the Appendix 3 table. These societal advances represent modernity (Fagerberg, 1994;Fink & Kenny, 2003;Lee et al, 2006;Mrad, 2006) and have a positive impact on women becoming more involved in leadership.…”