| Abstract |
Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are widely believed to promote social and economic development, including the improvement of individual livelihoods, community prosperity, and achievement of national development goals related to the UN Millennium Development Goals. National ICT strategies and programmes of international donors are increasingly incorporating ICT components on this basis, with specific objectives in reaching poor rural and peri-urban as well as urban communities.
There is, however, little scientific evidence - in particular, evidence from detailed field research in specific poor communities - about the ways in which individuals and communities exploit access to ICTs, particularly telephony but also radio and (where available) the Internet, and the impact they have on livelihoods in rural and peri-urban communities. This is particularly true where ICT access development has not been accompanied by specific development initiatives. Lack of evidence on the relationship between ICT access and rural livelihood inhibits effective decision-making on both ICT and livelihood initiatives and programmes by development planners and the ICT sector. This means that scarce development resources may be ineffectively deployed or opportunities for effective pro-poor initiatives are missed.
The study aims to contribute towards addressing this problem by providing evidence on the actual relationship between telecommunications/ICT access and rural livelihoods in selected areas of India (state of Gujarat), Mozambique, and Tanzania.
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