access to information a solution to poverty?!
It has been often stated that technology will solve the problems of poverty. While it might be true that technology has increased productivity in certain areas around the world, it is perhaps very much debatable whether it has decreased poverty in general. That is why I read with skepticism the following statement by Switzerland's Communications Minister Moritz Leuenberger, in Switzerland sees technology as key to democracy, speaking at a conference on e-Government:
“It is our mission to make modern technology accessible to everybody,” Leuenberger said. “People living in developing countries can only escape poverty if they have access to information.”
If history is any indication, we should have already learned that technology alone does not solve social problems, not necessarily, and perhaps not unless it can be shown so. For example, it would be beneficial to hear how does access to information help developing countries escape poverty? It might, if the means of production in the developing countries are improved to build self sustainable economy based on access to information and information technology in general.
However, considering the conditions around the world at this stage, I would rather expect that activities related to building sustainable local economies (independently if they are related to information access or no) are more important in escaping poverty. People in the developing countries can have access to all information they want (even this process is questionable because to achieve such access to information one needs to first create the necessary economic conditions in order to bring access to information to majority of the people) and still might not be able to escape poverty unless some sort of sustainable local economy is established to a certain degree.
- open access journals: Revolution or evolution? - Aug 11, 2003
- other facets of open source - Aug 10, 2003
- Public Library of Science - more on open access - Aug 07, 2003
- open access to federally funded research - Aug 07, 2003
- the cost of digital content and digital libraries - Aug 04, 2003
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Hello!
While Capital continues its empire in the world there will be more and more poor people.
Under the power of money , the benefits of the technology and knowledge go to a few people, only.
Knowledge and technology are 'products to sell' and the poor people are instead only to buy.
If you look at the public polices of World Bank for education in poor countries you will see that they ask us only to consume technology and knowledge. To be audience and not authors.
We need social justice.
best regards,
Suzana,
* teacher from Brazil
The argument perhaps holds also true for developed countries, or perhaps should I say for those countries that the UN does not consider developing countries. The digital divide is evident in the US and other western countries and the gap between the 'haves' and 'have nots' in terms of access to information and information technology does not seem to be decreasing.
The unfortunate argument is also used here that more technology in schools will solve the social issues that are responsible for the digital divide. Information technology and technology in general can definitely help to alleviate some social problems; however, it should be accompanied by appropriate changes in social conditions.
People are poor because they don't have jobs, and it is not possible to obtain sufficient employment when one does not have a steady residence (that being with a postal address). It is my contention that work camps be set up. The homeless could get jobs doing public services such as picking up trash, landscaping public parks, and fixing roads, while living in temporary housing provided by the taxpayers. They could then soon acquire a better job and a residence of their own and become productive taxpayers themselves.