mobile and social innovation governance, human empowerment and the role of ic ts for development
TRANSCRIPT
Mobile and social innovation: Governance, human empowerment !and the role of ICTs for development!
!!!!!Ruhiya Kristine Seward, Ph.D.!Research analyst/Consultant !e-governance & A2i !DGG/BDP !UNDP!
!!
Bahrain International eGovernment Forum April 2013!
Contents!
• The world and human development#• ICT evolution in development##• Second ICT ‘revolution’: mobile technologies #
• Examples of innovation#
• Challenges #
• Way forward...##
ICT and the world!
• Democratization of access to ICTs over the past 20 years propelled by new technologies #
• Mobile technologies#• Social networks #• Diminishing barriers to entry #
• And propelling social innovation…#• Billions of people access to a digital communications device for the first time in history#
The world: Human Development Index (HDI)!• Global ‘rebalancing’ – even during a global recession developing countries are growing#
###
• Every region has seen notable improvements in ranking in all Human Development Index HDI components#
The world!
• National HDI averages hide the stark disparities remaining within and between countries #
• Income inequality rising##• Elites are gaining most from rising wealth ##• Social mobilization and new social movements##• Rapid growth of mobile technologies and social network use##
Photo by: Emad Karim
Evolution of ICTs & human development!
#• ICT deployments used to be about infrastructure and connectivity #
• “Digital divide”#
• Now ICTs used by public & private sector to improve… #• Efficiency#• Effectiveness#• Transparency#• Service delivery#• Participation #
• ICTs as tool for efficiency => reduce costs, easier to scale###
l ICTs as tool of transformation => ICTs transform processes and create new ways to achieve goals… #
l Qualitative changes#l Networking and networks l New ways of doing things!#
ICT penetration by status of development!
Growth in mobile subscriptions!
Source: UNDP 2011 and ITU 2011
ICT access in Sub-Saharan Africa!
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
350
400
450
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
Mil
lion
s
Mobile cellular telephone subscriptions
Fixed telephone lines
Fixed (wired) Internet subscriptions
Global mobile subscriptions!
Mobile subscriptions by country categories!
Evolution of ICTs!
Mobile technologies!#Six billion users*#85.5% global penetration#Closed-proprietary#Cost-based#Low-speed#Few applications#Low barriers to entry
*ITU 2011
Internet !!2.5 billion users*#32.5% global penetration#Open/non-proprietary#Mostly free?#High speed/broadband#Many applications#High barriers to entry
Global & UNDP region ICT stats!
UNDP Regions! Internet users penetration!
Mobile phone subscriptions penetration!
Fixed phone subscriptions penetration!
Fixed broadband
subscriptions penetration!
African states! 12.3%# 53.2%# 1.4%# 0.2%#
Asia Pacific! 22.3%# 74.8%# 11.5%# 5.0%#
Arab States! 29.1%# 93.3%# 9.4%# 2.1%#
Europe/CIS! 42.3%# 131.3%# 25.3%# 10.2%#
Latin America! 38.6%# 106.9%# 18.1%# 7.3%#
UNDP Global! 24.3%# 80.1%# 11.6%# 4.8%#
Global! 32.5%# 85.5%# 17.3%# 8.5%#
Source: ITU 2012 and UNDP calculations#
Why the mobile revolution?!
#• Lower costs (devices and access)##• Broader network coverage##• User interface (voice plus simple text)##• Usability and portability##• Appropriation (personal device)##• Social status#
Socioeconomic impact of mobiles!
#• Link to GDP growth##• Increase of tax revenues##• New jobs in sector and outside##• Infrastructure leap-frogging##• Enhance public service delivery##• Reduce information asymmetries##
Photo: Stephanie Ludwig#Charging kiosk in Kenya#
Socioeconomic impact of mobiles!
• Reduce cost/travel expenditures for small and microenterprises (including small farmers)#!• Facilitates greater access to information and fosters communication (literally trillions of SMS are sent every year)##• Provide access to poor people – over 90 million people have a mobile but have no access to electricity!#
Reaching the poor!
• Complex cost/benefit analysis for critical development
problems as mobile services can be costly in poor countries. #
• Coverage in remote or marginalized areas is lacking.#
• Mobiles cannot fix larger infrastructure issues – transportation of goods, access to new/other markets. #
• Cannot de-localize trade or completely remove the role of ‘middlemen’ in markets. #
• Need for human-to-human interaction for trust to build. #
• Mobile applications must be linked to poor people’s realities on the ground.#
Global & UNDP region ICT costs!!
UNDP Regions! Fixed phone price basket % of
GNI!
Mobile phone price basket % of
GNI!
Fixed broadband price basket % of
GNI!
African states! 7.11%# 9.49%# 57.53%#
Asia Pacific! 3.78%# 4.26%# 24.65%#
Arab States! 0.78%# 1.85%# 5.05%#
Europe/CIS! 1.31%# 2.37%# 6.44%#
Latin American states! 2.01%# 3.60%# 14.59%#
UNDP Global! 1.97%# 3.20%# 13.4%#
Global! 1.23%# 1.84%# 6.16%#Non-UNDP global! 0.70%# 0.86%# 0.96%#
Source: ITU 2012 and UNDP calculations#
Crowdsourcing with Ushahidi (global)!
Fighting corruption with ‘I Paid a Bribe!’ (India)!
Mobile banking with M-Pesa (Kenya)!
Photo by: Stephanie Ludwig
Digital data collection for disarmament and demobilization (Central African Republic)!
Photo by: Tino Kreutzer/UNDP
Lessons learned
• Start small and scale up gradually#• Build flexible tools using open source software #• Participation, participation, participation #• Simple, usable, affordable #• Consider numeracy and literacy issues#
Lessons learned
• Support local service providers and build local technical capacity#• Infrastructure and technological limitations#• Build partnerships#• Good communication and outreach plans#
Challenges in reaching the poor!
• Basic ICT infrastructure #• Skills and acceptance levels #• Uneven ICT/mobile network penetration rates between urban population centers and rural areas#• Policy and regulation #• Costs of mobile services in developing countries#• Adequate project management#
Way forward...!
#• Empowering people##• Offering new ways of connecting with governments# #• Giving voice to those ##who had none before#
Way forward… • Innovation is coming from the South!#
• Emerging economies playing a larger role in global economy... #
• ...and are in fact investing in other developing countries#
• Lower barriers to entry (access & technology)#• New knowledge (and know-how) and innovation being created that is more useful for poorer countries#
• Local social innovators/entrepreneurs##• Increasing importance of South-South cooperation#
• ICTs are catalysts
#http://www.undpegov.org/sites/undpegov.org/files/
undp_mobile_technology_primer.pdf###
http://undpegov.org#
Mobile Technologies and Empowerment: Enhancing human development through participation and innovation##
