Public Access ICT across Cultures: Diversifying Participation in the Network Society

Public access venues – most often Internet cafés in cities and state-run rural telecentres – are places where people can use computers and the Internet. This volume offers the first systematic assessment of the impact of shared public access in the developing world, with findings from 10 countries in South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru), Asia (China, India, Malaysia, Thailand), and Africa (Cameroon, Jordan, Rwanda). The book documents the impacts of public access, positive and negative, on individuals, society and networks, and women, and examines the policy implications of findings.

The editor

Francisco J. Proenza spent 35 years working as an economist for international development agencies. He is now visiting professor of Information and Communication Technology at Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

Contributors

Contributing Editors: Erwin A. Alampay, Roxana Barrantes, Hernán Galperín, Abiodun Jagun, George Sciadas, Ramata Molo Thioune, and Kentaro Toyama

Chapter Authors: Ali Farhan AbuSeileek, Carolina Aguerre, Oluwasefunmi ‘Tale Arogundade, Nor Aziah Alias, Sebastián Benítez Larghi, Jorge Bossio, Juan Fernando Bossio, Marina Laura Calamari, Nikos Dacanay, Jean Damascène Mazimpaka, Laurent Aristide Eyinga Eyinga, Mary Luz Feranil, Ariel Fontecoba, Omar Fraihat, Martin S. Hagger, Jianbin Hao, Sulaiman Hashim, Izaham Shah Ismail, Haziah Jamaludin, Xuemei Jiang, Laura León, Guoxin Li, Balwant Singh Mehta, Nidhi Mehta, Marina Moguillansky, Marhaini Mohd Noor, Avis Momeni, Théodomir Mugiraneza, Jimena Orchuela, Patricia Peña, Alejandra Phillippi, Jimena Ponce de León, Ghaleb Rabab’ah, Saif Addeen Alrababah, Wei Shang, Ryan V. Silverio, Sylvie Siyam Siwe, Mai M. Taqueban, Olga Balbine Tsafack Nguekeng, and Xiaoguang Yang

Dedication

This book is dedicated to the memory of Amy Mahan. Please visit the Amy Mahan Research Fellowship Program to Assess the Impact of Public Access to ICT webpage for more information.