Information, communication and social networks : the innovative role of telecenters in rural Nepal

Abstract

An enduring question about the global diffusion of technology from industrially developed economies is: what happens when 'enabling technologies' such as digital communication and the internet are introduced into remote rural areas in least developed economies? How and to what extent do the social dynamics in very different contexts influence the way the technology is delivered, accessed and used? In 2002 Nepal introduced a telecenter program to provide community access to the internet in remote rural areas. The objective of the program was to establish an 'information hub' and provide information across six key development themes. This thesis investigates that program in order to gain a deeper understanding of the ways telecenters may or may not have met the expectations of the many individuals and organizations involved with designing, implementing, and using the program. In particular, it has sought to reveal the social processes that enable access to and use of the internet and associated communication technology for individual and / or collective community benefit. The empirical component of the study is based on ex-ante and ex-post analyses, drawing on documentary and interview data from 144 interviews with telecenter providers, telecenter management committees, operational managers and users across 25 telecenters in four topographical regions. A follow-up group discussion and a national stakeholder workshop were held to review the preliminary findings and gain further insights. One of the problems in the literature concerning telecenters in developing countries is the limited analysis of the social process underlying the introduction and management of internet technology and the ways information is accessed and used individually and collectively to change business and social practices. The thesis contributes to overcoming that gap. It reveals that telecenters in Nepal present considerable variation in the ways they have contributed to learning and innovative practice. Although there is little evidence of a national information hub to deliver 'useful content to rural communities', as conceived by the government, the study found that the social dynamics around Telecenters created a cycle of information flow through extended family networks that promoted sharing, learning and collective action within and beyond communities. The conceptual framework developed in the thesis draws on and contributes to the concepts of social capital, openness, trust, and absorptive capacity. The thesis found that the better performing telecenters offered users and their networks extended access to bridging social capital through links to new information networks. Bonding social capital was generated through collective ways of using the telecenters and the internet, thus sharing information and learning. The study found that access to bridging and bonding social capital, together, served to enhance absorptive capacity enabling effective use of information, knowledge and communication technology in a local context - often in innovative ways. Both absorptive capacity and openness facilitated social interaction and greater participation in exploiting external knowledge for productive purposes and interactive learning. The thesis concludes by arguing that because telecenters can provide access to social capital, offer a learning environment and information and knowledge for rural based enterprises they should be considered an important component of the Nepalese national innovation system.

Date of Award	2012
Original language	English