Friday, November 21, 2014

New CSSP Working Paper "ICT for Economic and Social Transformation: An Empirio -Theoretical Review of Indian Initiatives" by Pradosh Nath http://bit.ly/1xYpXRZ

CSSPEWPS 4 :: ICT for Economic and Social Transformation: An Empirio -Theoretical Review of Indian Initiatives
by Pradosh Nath (Formerly with CSIR-NISTADS, New Delhi, India), November 2014
. http://www.jnu.ac.in/SSS/CSSP/EWPS.htm

Abstract

The central issue dealt in the paper is that connectivity matters for social and economic development of marginal and less developed economies. Connected wrong ways connectivity might widen the gap between developed and less developed economies. This is the flip side that occurs when connectivity itself is seen as solution of the complex developmental issues.
ICT is the digital device that makes information accessible in real time across the globe. It is the latest of network technologies. It is argued that as in the cases of earlier network technologies, the ICT adopter economies would prosper, while other languishing as laggards. Theoretical clarity notwithstanding, the faith on ICT as a tool to access to information and development led many experts to suggest that marginal economies may actually skip industrialisation and straight away enter ICT era for development The paper weaves an argument distinguishing the implications of access to information for developed economies and marginal economies. It is suggested that Distinction between advanced and marginal economy is – in case of former there is demand for information, which in case of latter, is need (as opposed to demand) of information for triggering development. The causality, therefore, could be reverse in the two cases. It is, therefore, argued that for marginal economies access to information has to be coupled with the development programme, otherwise the possibility of connectivity being counter productive, the flip side can be ruled out.
The paper examines the Indian initiatives in this regards, and observes that most of the Indian initiatives are stand-alone ICT access and, therefore, susceptible to become counter productive.

Download: http://www.jnu.ac.in/SSS/CSSP/CSSP-EWPS-4.pdf

With Best Regards

Anup

Assistant Editor, Journal of Scientometric Research

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