What do we mean by

development?
Shirin Madon, Ch-2,
e-Governance for Development
A Focus on Rural India
Origin and meaning
● Industrialization and bureaucratic
organisation

● 1960 onwards: basic needs and

participatory development

● Developed and developing

nations

● State no more sole authority.

Civil society, market's role
increased
Origin and meaning
● Institutional and organisation capacity building

● Marshal Plan

● Development economics driven by modernisation/development is imposition

of modernity

● Tickling effect
Social capital
We can think of social capital as the links, shared values and understandings in
society that enable individuals and groups to trust each other and so
work together.
Technology as information
● Heavy investment in bringing green revolution

● Mass media a great multiplier

● Parameters such as daily newspaper, cinema seats, TV receivers per 100

persons
Technology as information
● Ineffective in reducing inequality at best and at worst increased disparity

● Development in a divided world

● Economic growth with a provision to address unequal distribution of

resources
Economic growth not enough

● Range of needs: livelihood, income, health and education

● Basic need approach

● Schumacher’s intermediate technology

● Bureaucratic, inefficient, wasteful and often corrupt

● Active involvement of poor

● Corn kernel remover

Participatory Development

● Radical populist

● Business efficiency and productivity replacing focus on technology only with a

socio-tech approach to IT

● Nehru’s India satisfying basic needs through collective participation

● Focus on process rather than outcome

● Urban bias leads to loss in long term

● Commitment and dedication of leaders of village important

 Amartya Sen’s development/ HDI
● Development as ‘freedom’ in terms of enabling an
individual to pursue what she values in life

● Mix of non economic and economic factors

● Economic transactions

● Political liberties

● Education

● Access to media not only political but …

● So public policies?
Disparities
● Digital divide

○ Example mobile penetration level

● Agriculture sector has far greater impact on poverty

● Institution not growing at the speed of economic growth,

deep rooted social and institutional factors, legal structures
and traditions

● Path dependent process

● example:ICT without institutional support leads to economic

divergence
Developing nations and impact of developed nations
● Integration with world economy not enough for eradication of poverty

● Internal institutional and organisational capacity building required

○ Partnership and consensus building

○ Governance mechanism

○ Participatory process

○ Monitoring mechanisms

● Income differences more visible

● Social, cultural, economical and political dependency on developed nations

Technological development a “distraction”
● One laptop per child OLPC,2007 USA NGO

● Little evidence of ICT reducing inequality

Conclusion
●Intermediate technologies

●Institutional and organizational changes

●Economic growth not enough

●Technological distraction

●Increase in inequalities and their visibility

●Development is imposition of modernity