The IPTS Report, Issue 56

July, 2001

Abstract

"Issue: Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have the potential to create opportunities for development in rural and remote regions in a range of areas, such as the supply of new production inputs and processes, the creation of new services, the improvement of communication flows, and the empowerment of local people.

"Relevance: Assessing potential applications of ICTs for rural development is a crucial first step toward the design of appropriate science and technology policies, both at national and international level. The exercise is valid for less developed countries, but it could be extended to pre-accession countries and some less favoured regions of the EU.

"Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have varying impact on local socio-economic development in different regions of the world. Their impact in industrialized countries is clearly powerful, enabling new ways of production and work and inducing profound changes in patterns of consumption, living and learning (IPTS, 1999). In less developed countries as well they are expected to open up a new window of opportunity. Providing more efficient management tools for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), creating new jobs through the relocation of branches of trans-national firms and developing new production sectors for export markets are just a few examples of the possibilities of ICTs.

"There is a major difference, however, between the effect of ICTs in urban and rural areas. Benefits arising from ICT adoption to date have mainly been concentrated in urban areas, due the better infrastructure and the availability of people with the appropriate skills, while rural and remote areas tend to be left aside, often driving them into further marginalization. These areas, with very low connectivity levels...are present mainly in less developed countries but there are also examples in some less favoured regions of pre-accession countries and the EU. Here, the need for communication tools is usually related to emergencies and social reasons - such as getting in touch with relatives abroad or calling a hospital for medical assistance - while economic activities rely mainly on traditional methods of communication, such as personal contacts. Supporting the diffusion of ICTs, including new technologies such as the Internet and satellite communications, as well as more traditional ones such as phones and faxes, may contribute to fostering development in these regions. Depending on each specific social and economic context, areas of application for ICTs range from supplying new production inputs and processes, creating new services, improving communication flows and empowering local people...."

Continuing, the author makes the following key points about the use of ICTs in rural areas:

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