34877 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries: Current Status and Prospects toward the Millennium Development Goals Prepared for infoDev bridges.org 11 May 2005 For more information contact: Teresa Peters Executive director, bridges.org PO Box 715, Cape Town 8000 South Africa +27 (0) 21 465 9313 (Fax) +27 (0) 21 465 5917 policy@bridges.org www.bridges.org E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 2 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Copyright statement © 2005, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA The World Bank enjoys copyright under protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. This material may nonetheless be copied for research, educational, or scholarly purposes only in the member countries of the World Bank. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this document are entirely those of the author and should not be attributed to the World Bank, its affiliated organizations, or members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent. This paper is distributed on the understanding that if legal or other expert assistance is required in any particular case, readers should not rely entirely on statements made in this paper, but should seek the services of a competent professional. Neither the author nor the World Bank accepts responsibility for the consequences of actions taken by the readers who do not seek necessary advice from competent professionals on legal or other matters that require expert advice. Information for Development Program The World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA Telephone 202 458 5153 Facsimile 202 522 3186 Email infodev@worldbank.org www.infodev.org E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 3 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Table of contents Copyright statement................................................................................................. 2 Executive summary.................................................................................................. 5 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................ 12 Acronyms used in this report ................................................................................. 13 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................... 14 2 Background ...................................................................................................... 16 2.1 E-readiness assessment as a tool for ICT-based development ............................... 16 2.1.1 What do e-readiness assessments actually do?..........................................................16 2.1.2 E-readiness assessment: who's done what, where, and how? ......................................18 2.2 About the infoDev e-readiness initiative................................................................. 18 2.2.1 E-readiness assessment grants ...............................................................................19 2.2.2 E-readiness resources: Facilitation Center, toolkit, and guide ......................................20 2.3 Overview of the Millennium Development Goals..................................................... 21 2.3.1 The role for ICT in MDG strategies...........................................................................22 3 Study of the infoDev e-readiness initiative ....................................................... 24 4 Findings of the study ........................................................................................ 27 4.1 Overview of infoDev-supported assessment reports .............................................. 27 4.1.1 Who assessed what: authors and objectives .............................................................27 4.1.2 How assessments were conducted: tools and methodologies used................................28 4.2 Key findings and recommendations of the infoDev-supported assessments........... 32 4.2.1 Measuring physical access to ICT ............................................................................32 4.2.2 Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions ..........................................36 4.2.3 Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context ...................................................38 4.2.4 Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available .........................................40 4.2.5 Checking availability of locally relevant content and services .......................................46 4.2.6 Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives ...........................................49 4.2.7 Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use .................................................51 4.2.8 Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use .......................................52 4.2.9 Looking at security and whether people trust ICT ......................................................57 4.2.10 Examining the use of ICT in business ...................................................................59 4.2.11 Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use............................64 4.2.12 Gauging the government's role in driving e-readiness.............................................66 4.3 Outcomes from the infoDev-supported assessment processes............................... 69 4.4 Key external challenges faced in the assessments ................................................. 74 4.5 Overall project management and implementation of assessments......................... 77 5 Analysis and discussion .................................................................................... 83 5.1 Use of e-readiness assessments: content and measurements ............................... 83 5.2 Usefulness of e-readiness assessments: outputs and benefits .............................. 87 5.3 The assessment process: management and implementation................................. 88 5.4 Linking e-readiness strategies and the MDGs: opportunities and obstacles............ 90 6 Concluding remarks.......................................................................................... 93 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 4 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 1. Case studies on grantee countries' e-readiness assessment processes .. 95 Case study: Belarus ......................................................................................................... 95 Case study: Bulgaria ...................................................................................................... 100 Case study: Costa Rica................................................................................................... 108 Case study: Estonia........................................................................................................ 113 Case study: Jamaica....................................................................................................... 120 Case study: Kenya.......................................................................................................... 128 Case study: Panama....................................................................................................... 135 Case study: Philippines.................................................................................................. 141 Case study: Romania ..................................................................................................... 146 Case study: Russia......................................................................................................... 155 Case study: Tanzania ..................................................................................................... 163 Case study: Trinidad and Tobago ................................................................................... 169 Case study: Uganda ....................................................................................................... 175 Annex 2. Overview of the e-readiness assessment process .................................182 Annex 3. Comparison of e-readiness assessment tools .......................................189 Comparing e-readiness assessment tools: which is best and why?................................. 191 The main e-readiness assessment tools currently used .................................................. 197 e-Readiness tools comparison tables.............................................................................. 206 Annex 4. Beyond e-readiness: digital divide assessments ...................................210 Annex 5. E-readiness assessments: Who's done what, and where? ......................214 Annex 6. Background on Y2K and e-readiness .....................................................220 Annex 7. RFP for infoDev e-readiness assessment grants ....................................225 Annex 8. RFP for the infoDev e-readiness Facilitation Center...............................229 Annex 9. Study questionnaire for grantee countries.............................................234 Annex 10: Study interview questions and discussion points .................................241 Annex 11: MDG targets and indicators ..................................................................244 Annex 12: List of references on e-readiness and MDGs .........................................246 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 5 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Executive summary Background During the last decade, many leaders in government, business, and social organizations around the globe have considered how best to harness the power of information and communication technology (ICT) for development. E-readiness assessments are meant to guide development efforts by providing benchmarks for comparison and gauging progress. Several e-readiness initiatives have been launched to help developing countries in this area, and numerous e-readiness assessment tools have been created and used by different groups, each looking at various aspects of ICT, society, and the economy. However, the use and usefulness of e-readiness assessments is increasingly questioned, as many in the field consider whether these initiatives really help decision-makers or they are just a waste of time and money. Perhaps most important is the criticism from those working at ground level who find the focus on e-readiness to be a distraction from more critical development issues like health, education and environment: these detractors ask, "e-ready for what?" The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may offer one answer. The MDGs, set out in 2000 as part of the Millennium Declaration, set clear targets for reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women by 2015. The MDGs, and the strong political will that backs them, have effectively placed development at the heart of the global agenda through the next decade. There are a few initiatives underway that look at measuring the impact of ICT on the MDGs. Although there appears to be some degree of collaboration among the various actors in this area, so far there is a lack of consensus on indicators and measurement. And, while a few have started to talk about the need for connecting ICT-based e-strategies with more concrete development goals, none have offered guidelines for how to do this. Adapting the concept of "e-readiness" and using it to frame strategies to tackle specific social and economic targets may offer a mechanism to help developing countries put ICT to work toward the MDGs. The infoDev e-readiness initiative To explore this idea further, the World Bank Information for Development Program (infoDev) put its e-readiness assessment initiative under examination. Building on the Y2K initiative, infoDev became a major funder in the area of e-readiness assessment during 2001-2003. InfoDev awarded grants averaging US$50,000 to developing countries to support them in conducting ICT infrastructure and e-readiness assessments and developing action plans. The funding was directed toward: (i) putting together multi-sector country e-readiness teams, (ii) customizing methodologies tailored to address country's own needs, (iii) implementing the first assessments, and (iv) putting in place a firm foundation for long term e-development action plans. Grantees were expected to produce the e-readiness assessment report, an ICT- based strategy, and an ICT national action plan. Since the inception of the program, infoDev has awarded a total of 21 grants, including 9 grants to some of the poorest countries of the world. To foster best practice in the e-readiness field, infoDev also supported the production and dissemination of key e-readiness assessment resources. A grant was awarded in 2002 to GeoSINC International to establish an e-readiness Facilitation Center that would provide organizational and technical assistance to country grantees. This study The overall objective for this study is to provide an overview of e-readiness assessments in developing and emerging countries by focusing on the activities and outcomes of the infoDev e-readiness initiative. Based on the findings, the study explores possible ways to move forward the e-readiness agenda in the developing world, looking into the potential linkages E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 6 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 between e-readiness action plans and the MDGs. To gauge the use and usefulness of e- readiness assessments and consider whether and how e-readiness strategies can be targeted toward the Millennium Development Goals, bridges.org looked at four key questions: What did the infoDev-supported e-readiness assessments measure? Have the e-readiness assessment processes improved these countries' e-readiness and brought related socio-economic benefits, and were the assessments sufficient to target the use of ICT toward broader development goals? If not, why not? How effective were the e-readiness assessment processes themselves in terms of project management, implementation, and support? How can infoDev (and other e-readiness initiatives) improve or adjust an approach to ICT- based development that aligns e-readiness strategies with the MDGs? As part of the foundation for the study, 13 case studies were conducted on country e- readiness assessments funded by infoDev. The study also considered how the entire infoDev- supported assessment process was conducted and the resulting strategies and outputs. Bridges.org framed this study by using a concept it has coined as "Real Access/Real Impact", which looks at whether and how ICT-based development approaches lead to concrete improvements in people's lives. The study involved three groups of stakeholders: the country government agencies and grantees, the assessment teams, and the infoDev e-readiness team. Information was collected from background documents and reports, questionnaires, field visits, workshops, and country interviews. This report and the attached Annexes (which include the 13 case studies) constitute the deliverables for this study. It should be noted that when the country assessment teams embarked on their work, there was no stated objective for them to consider development goals specifically. This discussion and analysis is not intended to criticize grantees for failing to achieve something that they never planned to do. However, looking at the assessments through the lens of the Real Access criteria is a means of critiquing what has been done in the infoDev program, with an aim to identify opportunities for using ICT to make a Real Impact on people's lives and help developing countries put ICT to use to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Findings of this study Who assessed what: authors and objectives The infoDev grants were awarded to government departments and agencies, and non-profit organizations in the respective countries. The governments of the grantee countries were involved in executing the assessments, albeit to varying degrees. The definitions of "e- readiness" used vary in scope, so the assessments measured e-readiness in different ways. Most took a general view of e-readiness as the extent to which the country is prepared to integrate into the global information society/networked world/digital economy. For some, the objective of the assessment was only to evaluate the country's level of e-readiness, however defined. Beyond this, there were four main objectives cited: informing policy, collecting baseline statistics for benchmarking, promoting and publicizing the country's e-readiness, and improving e-readiness of a specific sector. How assessments were conducted: tools and methodologies used The majority of the assessments used the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID) Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries as recommended by the GeoSinc Facilitation Center. Most countries adapted the model to suit E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 7 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 their specific context, or incorporated elements from other assessment tools. Many assessments started with a review of relevant literature on e-readiness, including previous assessments. Where appropriate, the reports referenced or incorporated the results of previous and parallel efforts in the area. A number of assessment teams used centrally- available statistics as secondary data to inform their report. The assessment teams' approaches varied in the extent of and methodologies for primary data collection. The data collection tools mostly used included questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. The assessments involved and consulted a wide range of stakeholders, including variety of NGOs, Internet service providers (ISPs), higher education and training institutions, government departments and Ministries, national science councils, experts, businesses, and associations. Only a few assessment teams addressed the issue of bias in their methodology, data collection, or interpretation of results. Key findings and recommendations of the infoDev-supported assessments In terms of gauging whether and how countries have achieved Real Access to ICT, the reports measured the following: Physical access to ICT: Most assessments calculated fixed-line and mobile teledensity, and Internet access, but other ICT infrastructure was looked at less intensely. However, sometimes even the most basic indicators do not give a full view on the real local situation affecting the availability of ICT. For example, Africa's "cell phone revolution" is widely celebrated because penetration is high, yet the majority of people cannot afford to make a call.1 And again, each assessment measured even basic indicators in different ways, so country comparison is difficult if not impossible. Appropriateness of ICT: Only a few assessments considered whether the ICT that is available is appropriate to local conditions, or which ICT might be most appropriate for future rollout. Most e-readiness approaches were too broad to assess appropriate technologies in specific contexts. Exceptions include those assessments that conducted case studies on certain industries or areas (such as banking or mobile services), where they looked in-depth at specific contexts, and recommended appropriate technologies (such as wireless or cable Internet access) for reaching particular goals. Affordability of ICT in the local context: Despite significant variations in local economic conditions and prices, all assessments found that most ICT access and use is prohibitively expensive for the majority of people and organizations. Many country reports cited cost as the greatest obstacle to widespread access and use of ICT. ICT capacity and training: Overall the assessments treated the use of ICT in education as a critical issue; however, few reports covered the sector thoroughly. Most looked at how many schools have computers and Internet access, and the general conclusion is that numbers are too low. Only a few assessments considered the computer skills of teachers, the use of ICT in higher education, or university degree programs offering ICT training, and again the general conclusion is that numbers are too low. While some reports included information on available training opportunities, almost none provided critical analysis of their effectiveness, or detailed how ICT is integrated into learning programs. Few assessments considered the country's literacy levels or the education system as a whole, or the impact these have on ICT uptake. Availability of locally relevant content and services: Some assessments looked at the numbers of locally produced and/or hosted websites and a few looked at language. Although most were biased in their focus on web-based content, exceptions looked at the availability 1 Many people maintain only the minimal service so they can receive calls on their cell phones (which costs nothing). Calls are generally made at public pay phones. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 8 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 and use of content communicated via other, more ubiquitous, ICT-based media. Most of the assessments covered e-commerce and e-government services. Fewer considered other content and services critical for social development goals, such as e-health or e-learning. Although many assessments identified the need for more locally relevant content and services, only a minority suggested the means for improving the situation. Integration of ICT into peoples' lives: Very few reports looked at how ICT was integrated into people's lives, whether the use of ICT was an additional burden (such as the need to travel long distances to access telecentre services), or whether it reduced a burden (for example by improving work efficiencies). A few assessments explored how and why people used ICT in their daily lives (such as email for corresponding with family) or work. Socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use: Inequalities in ICT access and use throughout society were considered by most assessments, albeit in varying degrees of detail. A few assessments considered socio-cultural factors that affect ICT access and use, specifically looking at geography, age, gender and economic status. One action plan included promoting the use of ICT by disabled persons. Those that compared the e-readiness of rural and urban areas found evidence of digital divides within the country. Similarly, every assessment that looked at age found that young people are far more prolific users of ICT (although most looked at Internet access only). The findings on access to ICT by gender varied between countries. Legal and regulatory environment for ICT use: All assessments considered the liberalization of telecommunications an important issue, and concluded that liberalizing this sector helped (or would help) to reduce telecommunications costs. Some also considered whether a national e-strategy or ICT policy was in place, and looked at the role of an independent regulator. Others commented on areas where ICT policies are generally lacking, notably related to e-commerce, privacy, security and intellectual property. Only a few reports gave a comprehensive overview of the legal frameworks affecting the use of ICT. Security and peoples' trust in ICT: People will not embrace the use of ICT if they do not trust it in terms of privacy, data protection, information security, or cybercrime. But few assessments considered whether people trust ICT or how user confidence affects ICT use in the country. Those that did looked predominantly at e-commerce transactions, including notably consumer protection issues. Some countries indicated that they intend to investigate e-justice and cybercrime issues, which could be considered an outcome of the assessment, but it was not actually considered as part of the assessment. Issues around political corruption, transparency, and democracy were considered by a few reports. Use of ICT in business: All of the assessments looked to some extent at the access to and use of ICT in business. One country focused solely on SMEs. Another looked exclusively at electronic payments in the financial sector, with a strong focus on banks. Others indicated that the government intends to look in more detail at SMEs, and some have already started. Most assessments looked at how many businesses are using computers and the Internet; the number of local businesses with websites; e-commerce; hardware and software development and the local ICT sector, but none measured whether or how ICT affects businesses' efficiency or productivity. Macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use: Some reports considered macroeconomic factors, covering issues such as competitiveness rankings with other countries, the contribution of the ICT sector to GDP, expenditure on ICT-based research and development, ICT creating and/or replacing jobs, export of ICT-related products and services, and state, civil society and private sector partnerships. The ICT industry, investment E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 9 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 environment, and taxation issues were examined in some reports. A few reports offered ideas for promoting the acquisition of ICT by government. Government's role in driving e-readiness: Governments were usually involved in the assessments, and most of the reports described the governments' active involvement and political will in this area. Very few reports provided statistics for actual government expenditure on ICT. Some assessments mentioned or provided summaries of major public- initiated and/or funded initiatives, while others made suggestions for establishing them. Very few critically analyzed the impact of already existing government initiatives. All of the assessments that mentioned public-private partnerships were in agreement about their benefits. Analysis and discussion Use of e-readiness assessments: content and measurements Although GeoSINC International established a Facilitation Centre and produced documents to guide the grantees in their e-readiness assessments, grantees were given complete discretion in choosing and using assessment methodologies, and presenting the results. Each report was presented in a unique way. Reports generally described what ICT is available -- sometimes within a limited context, such as e-commerce -- but they generally failed to illustrate the extent to which ICT is not available in local settings. No assessments measured the impact (or gauge the potential impact) of ICT. Some reports were more critical than others of the government's role in fostering (or hindering) the use of technology and development of ICT infrastructure The following opportunities for improving content and measurements in e-readiness assessments were identified: Provide more information on assessment tools and how to use them comprehensively within the local context. Focus on ICT as a development tool. Measure ICT use and impact. Treat economic and social goals as interdependent. Use standard measurements and ICT indicators to make comparison possible. Refine and standardize data collection processes for benchmarking. Leave benchmarking to the benchmarkers and focus on deeper analysis. Create national clearinghouse databases of all available data. Usefulness of e-readiness assessments: outputs and benefits The significant effort and resources expended in conducting e-readiness assessments is only worth it if the e-readiness process leads directly to concrete positive change in the country. Although most assessments provided some level of action plan, however loosely defined, only a few were comprehensive. Most provided high-level recommendations without specific next steps for action. And overall, the reports have not been used enough. Nevertheless, in many cases the e-readiness assessments provided networking opportunities for experts and institutions that led to beneficial connections between stakeholders. Some assessments formed a foundation for further research. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 10 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The following opportunities for improving outputs and benefits from e-readiness assessments were identified: Provide guidance on how to influence change. Treat the assessment and action plans as a starting point. Do not proceed without government involvement and commitment. Ensure ownership of the process by key decision-makers and champions. Focus action plans on a particular sector. Set out action plans with specific tasks and timeframes. The assessment process: management and implementation The wide range in quality of the infoDev-supported assessments could be put down to the experience of the assessment teams; but it also seems to be related in large part to the varying levels of effectiveness of project management and implementation across the program as a whole. While best practice principles for e-readiness assessments are widely available, they could have been put to better use to inform the rollout of this initiative. Finding the balance between affording grantees independence in the assessment process and providing sufficient support proved to be a challenge for infoDev. Communication between infoDev, the governments and other grantees, the assessment teams, and stakeholders broke down frequently, and at various levels. A lack of institutional memory was a problem both at the country level, where government officials left their jobs and took all knowledge of the assessment with them, as well as at infoDev, where staff turnover also resulted in shortcomings of institutional knowledge about the program and grantees. The following opportunities for improving project management and implementation were identified: Provide more detailed guidelines on processes. Strike a balance between providing sufficient support and affording independence in the process. Institutionalize knowledge about the e-readiness processes. No matter how enticing the opportunity, do not duplicate. Communicate, communicate, communicate with funders and clients. Target funding more directly to country project needs. Linking e-readiness strategies and the MDGs: opportunities and obstacles The infoDev-supported e-readiness assessments in and of themselves were insufficient to target the use of ICT toward broader development goals, much less the MDGs specifically. However, that was not a stated objective of the e-readiness initiative for either infoDev or the assessment teams. Nonetheless, this case study analysis has formed a useful basis for exploring whether -­ and if so, how -­ e-readiness can be harnessed for reaching the MDGs. It is obvious that ICT needs to be integrated into efforts working towards the MDGs. Are the MDGs the best goals for e-readiness? It depends on the country and the context. The following opportunities for expanding the relevance of e-readiness assessments and action plans to the MDGs were identified: Begin with the Goals. Link e-readiness indicators with development goals. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 11 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Be context specific and think local. Incorporate ICT approaches into sector-specific national policies (like health and education). Focus at the level of microeconomics, as well as the macro. Emphasize regional cooperation and integration needs. Address negative effects ICT integration may have. Be realistic. Conclusions The link between ICT and the MDGs translates meaningfully into the e-readiness arena. While being e-ready is certainly desirable, the question "e-ready for what?" hangs in the air. The MDGs provide much-needed compass points for e-readiness assessment efforts. Can assessments be used to help countries get e-ready to tackle the MDGs? Yes. But the focus needs to move on from "how much bandwidth?" to "how much bandwidth is needed for remote diagnosis to reduce child mortality?" InfoDev is in a good position to build upon the lessons learned through its e-readiness flagship initiative. But the work involving e-readiness assessments and e-strategies needs to incorporate elements that will help enable developing countries to use ICT as part of concrete steps to tackle the MDGs. There is a lot to be done, a lot of change and learning to be assimilated, and many opportunities to be explored and embraced. It is important that we build upon previous work and draw together current efforts in the field of e-readiness. And then we can begin to work towards becoming e-ready for reaching the MDGs. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 12 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Acknowledgements We would like to thank the e-readiness assessment teams in the countries that participated in the study, including the many academics, Ministers and other civil servants, and the staff of the various organizations and departments who took time out of their busy schedules to provide information for this report. We especially appreciate the input received from the organizations and departments visited, including: The Applied Research and Communications (ARC) Fund, Bulgaria; PRAXIS center for policy studies, Estonia; the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Romania; the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH); Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications, Uganda and the Ministry of Finance and Planning, Kenya. Finally, we would like to thank the infoDev staff members who assisted with the research process and provided input to this report. This report was funded by a grant from infoDev. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 13 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Acronyms used in this report Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) Automated teller machines (ATMs) Bulgarian E-readiness Assessment Model (BEAM) Business-to-business (B2B) Business-to-consumer (B2C) Computer System Policy Project (CSPP) Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) for Tanzania Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Electronic funds transfer (EFT) European Union (EU) Free and open source software (FOSS) Harvard University Center for International Development (CID) Information and communications technology (ICT) Information technology (IT) Intellectual property rights (IPR) International Development Association (IDA) International Monetary Fund (IMF) International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Internet service provider (ISP) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) National Communications Regulatory Authority (ANRC) of Romania National Electronic System (NES) of Romania National Institute of Statistics (NIS) of Romania National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) of Costa Rica Networked Readiness Index (NRI) Non-governmental organization (NGO) Non-profit organization (NPO) Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Personal computer (PC) Point of presence (POP) Research and development (R&D) Rural Connectivity Development Fund (RCDF) of Uganda Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) Ugandan Communications Commission (UCC) United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) World Economic Forum (WEF) Wireless fidelity (WiFi) World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 14 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 1 Introduction During the last decade, many leaders in government, business, and social organizations around the globe have considered how best to harness the power of information and communication technology (ICT) for development. Experts have pointed out that in order for developing countries to put ICT to effective use, they must first be "e-ready" in terms of ICT infrastructure, the accessibility of ICT to the population, and the legal and regulatory framework. Developing-country leaders have been urged to use e-readiness assessment to measure and plan for ICT integration, focus efforts from within, and identify areas where external aid is required. Several e-readiness initiatives have been launched to help developing countries in this area, and numerous e-readiness assessment tools have been created and used by different groups, each looking at various aspects of ICT, society, and the economy. However, the use and usefulness of e-readiness assessments is increasingly questioned, as many in the field consider whether these initiatives really help decision-makers or they are just a waste of time and money. Proponents maintain that the true value of assessment can only be achieved once baseline measurements are obtained and studies are repeated over time to map progress. However, others argue that the processes behind e-readiness assessments are flawed, results are rarely used in practice, and there is already too much duplication of effort. Some simply say that the field of e-readiness is "over", because the world's attention is moving away from the so-called "digital divide" to focus on other issues; but it is not clear where that leaves countries that are not near to being e-ready. Perhaps most important is the criticism from those working at ground level who find the focus on e- readiness to be a distraction from more critical development issues like health, education and environment: these detractors ask, "e-ready for what?" The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) may offer one answer. The MDGs, set out in 2000 as part of the Millennium Declaration, set clear targets for reducing poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation, and discrimination against women by 2015. During the lead-up to the 2003 World Summit on Information Society, the attention of the development community focused on ICT, and a range of papers considered the role of ICT in pursuit of the MDGs. The general consensus is that effective ICT use is an essential part of any strategy to tackle the MDGs. But evidence suggests that so far ICT has failed to deliver on its potential for social and economic development, and that the ambitious MDGs will remain out of reach until ICT makes a real impact toward these goals. Moreover, there are grave concerns among experts that time is slipping by and drastic measures are required immediately if the MDGs are to be achieved. Similar refrains are heard time and again: better strategies and effective implementation are needed urgently, but the lack of clear indicators and baseline data makes measurement and monitoring difficult. There is an abundance of organizations in the strategy-formulation game, with specialists in everything from broad "poverty reduction strategies", to those focused on sector-specific approaches. While a few have started to talk about the need for connecting ICT-based e- strategies with more concrete development goals, none have offered guidelines for how to do this. Little has been done to merge them in practice and too often ICT policies and projects are treated as a stand-alone silo, separate from development targets in areas like healthcare, education, and environment. But adapting the concept of "e-readiness" and using it to frame strategies to tackle specific social and economic targets may offer a mechanism to help developing countries put ICT to work toward the MDGs. To explore this idea further, the Information for Development Program (infoDev) put its e- readiness assessment initiative under examination. InfoDev has been involved in this field E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 15 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 since 2001, funding projects to develop e-readiness assessment guidelines and conduct country assessments. In 2003, infoDev awarded bridges.org a grant to carry out an independent study of existing e-readiness initiatives with a focus on infoDev's portfolio. The overall goal of the study was to take a wide-angle view of the field of e-readiness: reflect on previous work and consider whether it has been useful overall, and identify opportunities for targeting future efforts on the MDGs. In addition to significant background research on e- readiness generally and a review of country reports, information was collected from the infoDev-supported country assessment teams through a questionnaire, as well as workshops and interviews held in six grantee countries. This report is the result. The Background section looks generally at e-readiness assessments in developing countries, describes infoDev's e-readiness initiative, and provides an overview of current thinking on the MDGs. The objectives and methodology that frame the review of infoDev-supported efforts are described in the next section. The Findings section focuses on 13 infoDev-supported country assessments, summarizing what they measured and whether the assessment processes improved the countries' e-readiness and brought related socio- economic benefits. This section also looks as how effective the e-readiness assessment processes were in terms of project management, implementation, and support. The Discussion section highlights key findings and looks at how infoDev (and other e-readiness initiatives) could improve or adjust an approach to ICT-based development that aligns e- readiness strategies with the MDGs. The final section identifies opportunities and makes recommendations for infoDev's future efforts in the field. The Annexes to this report provide a more detailed case study of each of the 13 country assessments examined, as well as further background information on e-readiness assessment and related issues, and other information relevant to this study. The intended audience for this report includes infoDev, its investors and staff members, and participating organizations in the grantee countries. It is also intended as a reference to decision-makers working in the area of ICT and development more broadly. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 16 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 2 Background 2.1 E-readiness assessment as a tool for ICT-based development ICT is a key weapon in the war against world poverty. When used properly, it offers tremendous potential to empower people in developing countries to overcome development obstacles; to address the most important social problems they face; and to strengthen communities, democratic institutions, a free press, and local economies. But in order for a country to gain the benefits offered by ICT, technology must be implemented and used effectively across society and the economy. Moreover, countries face the threat of being left behind if they do not address the growing digital divides both between and within countries. Many developing country leaders have embraced ICT as an engine for growth and development to help their nations, and they are driving the necessary changes to make that happen. However, translating a grand vision into practical steps that fit the local context, and then executing it effectively, is often easier said than done. Decision-makers need to know where the country currently stands in terms of ICT availability and use, so they can plan toward their goals. Governments and development aid professionals often frame this discussion in terms of "e-readiness", or how ready a country is to gain the benefits offered by ICT in terms of policy, infrastructure and ground-level initiatives. An e-readiness process based on an objective assessment that leads to sound e-strategies can offer a path for converting good intentions into planned action that brings real changes to people's lives. 2.1.1 What do e-readiness assessments actually do? E-readiness assessments are meant to guide development efforts by providing benchmarks for comparison and gauging progress. They can also be a useful tool for judging the impact of ICT, to replace exaggerated claims and anecdotal evidence with concrete data. Decision- makers need to understand the implications of the information collected in an assessment and map out a detailed e-strategy with an action plan for improving e-readiness. And the action plan then needs to be implemented, the most difficult part by far. So assessments are only one part of an e-readiness process that generally comprises four steps: (1) clarifying national goals and choosing an appropriate assessment tool; (2) conducting the e-readiness assessment; (3) developing a detailed action plan; and (4) implementing the plan. Annex 2 gives a more comprehensive overview of the e-readiness assessment process. A range of assessment tools have been developed to measure a country or economy's e- readiness. Choosing the right assessment tool depends on the user's goals. The kinds of goals that are usually addressed by e-readiness assessment tools include: Gauging the readiness of a particular company or group of companies to participate in e- commerce; Assessing a country's preparedness for e-commerce; Assessing the current level of technology in a region as a basis to forecast future technology levels; Providing a quick, rough gauge of technology use in a particular area; Understanding the relative roles of political, economic and social factors affecting ICT growth and use; Understanding why particular countries progress differently; and Assessing the effects of ICT on the lives of real people, and considering how widely the technology is really being used. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 17 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The tools use widely varying definitions for e-readiness and different methods of measurement; and the assessment reports vary considerably in the topics covered, level of detail, and results. The earliest approaches to e-readiness assessment engendered a narrow view of the role of ICT, assuming a fixed, one-size-fits-all set of requirements regardless of the local context. First generation e-readiness tools essentially render ICT the goal, and exclusively measure ICT adoption, integration, and use. More recent thinking on e-readiness assessment has broadened the concepts to look further and wider at more meaningful goals within the local context, for which ICT is merely a means to the end. Annex 3 provides a comprehensive comparison of the e-readiness assessment tools currently used. Generally, the assessment tools cover one or more of the following topics: Physical infrastructure ­ the telecommunications infrastructure, including teledensity (usually the number of telephones per 100 people) and Internet access, bandwidth, pricing, and reliability; ICT use - levels of use throughout society, including homes, businesses, schools, and government; Human capacity ­ literacy, ICT skill levels, and vocational training; Policy environment ­ the legal and regulatory environment affecting ICT sector and ICT use, including telecommunications policy, trade policy, e-commerce taxation, universal service provisions, consumer protection, and privacy; and ICT economy ­ the size of ICT sector. The assessment tools most frequently used for national e-readiness studies can be roughly categorized into two groups: those that measure predominantly e-economy issues and those concerned with broader e-society issues. The e-economy assessments tend to focus on basic infrastructure (network and teledensity), and a nation's readiness for ICT-based business or economic growth; for example, some of the most prominent e-readiness tools target short- term e-commerce growth or foreign investment. The less common e-society assessments look at the overall ability of society to benefit from ICT; sometimes these are referred to as "digital divide" assessments, because they take a broad view on both the current and potential use of ICT by business, government, social programs and individuals. See Annex 4 for an overview of this approach to e-readiness assessment. E-readiness assessment tools are presented as ready-to-use questionnaires, case study formats, and third party surveys and reports that outline broad approaches. Assessments generally gather information and measure country indicators through one or more of the following methodologies: Questionnaires use a set of direct questions to collect information on ICT and policy; Statistical methods mathematically analyze ICT and policy data on the country; Best practices incorporate experiences from and comparisons with other countries; and Historical analyses use unique political, economic, and social events to explain or forecast ICT use in the country. Results of the assessments vary in presentation and whether they are descriptive, diagnostic, or proscriptive. Although some assessment reports provide only a ranking on the issues covered, many others make recommendations on how countries should improve their e- readiness to be able to benefit from ICT. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 18 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 2.1.2 E-readiness assessment: who's done what, where, and how? A plethora of e-readiness assessment projects have been completed, are underway, or are planned. Despite the fact that governments, international bodies, and the private sector have stated intentions to coordinate work on the digital divide and avoid duplication of effort, e- readiness work is still largely uncoordinated and frequently duplicative. Unfortunately, many of the assessment results are not publicly available or easily accessible, and there is no central listing for such assessments. In some cases, assessments are proprietary to the company or organization that conducts them, and the results are published for sale at prices that can be quite high. Sometimes only the government agency or organization that commissions the assessment gets the results and they are either not published, or not well- publicized. There is significant duplication of effort in some countries, while others are devoid of useful data: A total of 1506 e-readiness assessments have now been conducted. A total of 188 countries have been assessed by at least one tool. 68 countries have been assessed between five and ten times by different organizations, while a further 69 countries have been assessed over ten times. Only four countries have never been assessed: North Korea, Tuvalu, Monaco and Nauru. Annex 5 provides more information on where e-readiness assessments have been done and with which tool.2 However, there are four caveats. First, not all of the assessments that have been conducted are included here, since many are not publicly available or are not known about. Second, no two assessments are exactly alike; each has a different goal and measures different data. Third, global competitiveness reports, that rank numerous countries, have been included. These are not country-specific e-readiness assessments conducted as the basis for e-strategies, although they are useful for strategy in that countries can learn from those ranked both higher and alongside themselves in specific areas contributing to e- readiness. Finally, some of the assessments have been repeated intentionally, with a baseline study being replicated over time to map progress. 2.2 About the infoDev e-readiness initiative InfoDev's work with developing countries on the Year 2000 problem, or "Y2K", formed the foundation for its e-readiness work. InfoDev's overall Y2K strategy helped governments in developing countries and transition economies create and manage contingency plans for the Y2K problem. InfoDev provided grants, information and technical assistance, and a methodology for country-level Y2K risk assessments. As an outcome of the Y2K efforts, national information technology (IT) coordination agencies were established in many countries to deal with IT policies, regulations and infrastructure planning and procurement. They also raised awareness of the usefulness of a reliable IT infrastructure in improving the work of government, business and other organizations. The Y2K processes represented the first time that IT infrastructure, policy, and human resources were considered together in the development of national strategies, which led to more holistic thinking about ICT generally. Many important lessons were learned, and much 2In compiling the data on e-readiness assessments, the goal is not to judge one assessment over another, or to diminish the value of work that has already been done. Rather it is to provide a resource to policy-makers and others who want to use e-readiness assessment results to plan for the integration of technologies in society, and to organizations that are considering new assessments. It is hoped that this information will have the effect of eliminating duplication, making better use of scarce resources and helping decision-makers to move beyond assessment to planned action. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 19 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 of the structures and processes implemented for Y2K readiness have laid the groundwork for national efforts in e-readiness. Annex 6 provides more information on the Y2K problem, infoDev's activities in this area, and the outcomes and lessons learned. 2.2.1 E-readiness assessment grants Building on the Y2K initiative, infoDev became a major funder in the area of e-readiness assessment during 2001-2003. InfoDev awarded grants averaging US$50,000 to developing countries to support them in conducting ICT infrastructure and e-readiness assessments and developing action plans. The funding was directed toward: (i) putting together multi-sector country e-readiness teams, (ii) customizing methodologies tailored to address country's own needs, (iii) implementing the first assessments, and (iv) putting in place a firm foundation for long term e-development action plans. Generally the assessments were to: Be carried out by a government organization or its designee with the ability to facilitate communications among all relevant ministries with responsibility for ICT policy, planning, and implementation; Use a methodology based on established best practices, tailored to identify strategic opportunities for progress and key obstacles/bottlenecks that must be removed in the country, with special attention to the policy framework and the availability of qualified human resources; Involve a coordinating group within the government to promote consistent and coordinated policies across government; Involve key stakeholders, both public and private, with industry and civil society participants to advise the government on appropriate policies and programs to promote ICT development. Grantees were expected to produce the e-readiness assessment report, an ICT-based strategy, and an ICT national action plan. Since the inception of the program, infoDev has awarded a total of 21 grants, including 9 grants to some of the poorest countries of the world (as set out below).3 Grants awarded under the infoDev e-readiness initiative Region Total number of Number of Total number of Number of grants requests for requests from the grants approved approved to the grants poorest countries poorest countries (IDA countries)4 (IDA countries) Sub. Saharan Africa 15 15 3 3 Latin America 13 2 5 1 Middle East and North Africa 3 0 0 0 Eastern Europe and Central Asia 20 4 7 1 East and South Asia 17 9 5 4 Facilitation Center 13 1 Global IT Readiness Reports 2 2 Monitoring the Digital divide 1 1 Total 81 30 21 9 (Source: infoDev Flyer, October 2003) 3A proportion of the grants were specifically earmarked to help some of the poorest countries. This was determined according to International Development Association (IDA) ratings for countries that are considered low and middle- income based on per capita income and ability to borrow on market terms. 4As noted above, the poorest countries were determined according to IDA ratings based on financial status. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 20 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 7 provides more information on the study criteria and required deliverables for the infoDev-supported ICT infrastructure and e-readiness assessment grants. 2.2.2 E-readiness resources: Facilitation Center, toolkit, and guide To foster best practice in the e-readiness field, infoDev also supported the production and dissemination of key e-readiness assessment resources. A grant was awarded in 2002 to GeoSINC International to establish an e-readiness Facilitation Center that would provide organizational and technical assistance to country grantees.5 The aims of the Facilitation Center were to: Develop and disseminate a toolkit including a catalog of existing assessment methodologies, showing the strengths and weaknesses of each for addressing varying needs and situations, an indicative outline of the process to be followed, and templates of reports; Develop best practices on coordination and partnerships, based on experience conducting similar assessments (and ultimately amplifying the understanding of best practices from the experience of the infoDev assessment grantees), in a variety of countries; Share these "best practices" and successes, especially focusing on solutions to improve national ICT infrastructure related to e-government, e-commerce, and e-learning; Assist grantees in mastering assessment methodologies and in the development of ICT infrastructure and e-readiness action plans; and Develop an outline of what elements need to be addressed in a typical national ICT infrastructure and e-readiness action plan. The Facilitation Center website was intended to provide practical support to grantee countries (although the website is no longer functional). In addition, GeoSINC International created a guide on conducting an e-readiness assessment and developing and implementing a national ICT action plan in developing countries. The guide consists of four sections: (1) Taking steps to bridge the digital divide. This section provides background information, defines various concepts and presents a general approach to e-readiness and the development of a strategic framework. It outlines the three main documents that country grantees are to produce, and highlights the need for a coordinating committee and responsible agency to take ownership of the e-readiness process. (2) Conducting an e-readiness assessment. This section reviews various assessment methodologies and tools. It highlights the need for clearly defining the assessment goals before choosing one toolkit over another. (3) Defining an e-readiness action plan. This section outlines the elements that need to be addressed in a typical national ICT and e-readiness action plan, including: establishing an access and connectivity program; training, education and public awareness programs; government and public administration leadership; business and private sector involvement; and society development. (4) Implementing a national e-readiness action plan. Finally, the guide sets out approaches and tools for governments to use to achieve conditions favorable for the development and use of ICT to implement the plan. The guide explains the relationship between the assessment report, the strategy, and the action plan, as follows: 5Geomar International and SINC joined forces to establish the Facilitation Center. Geomar International (http://www.geomar.fr/) is a multidisciplinary development consultancy and SINC, now AVANCE Network Services (http://www.avance.info/), offers services including network services, architecture resources, infrastructure audits, knowledge transfer and operational support. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 21 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 GeoSINC's guide to e-readiness assessments, strategies and action plans 2.3 Overview of the Millennium Development Goals The Millennium Development Goals are concrete targets for tackling the developing world's most critical problems by the year 2015. The turn of the century provided an opportunity for reflection on the current status of social and economic development: but the benchmarking exercise turned out to be a wake-up call for global leaders who had to recognize the alarming lack of progress, especially with regard to poverty alleviation. It was agreed at the highest levels of the public and private sectors that a more strategic approach was needed in order to improve the situation over the next century. As a result, the MDGs were adopted by 189 nations and signed by 147 heads of state and governments at the United Nations Millennium Summit in September 2000. The MDGs, and the strong political will that backs them, have effectively placed development at the heart of the global agenda through the next decade. The eight goals (set out below) are accompanied by targets that set priorities, and indicators that measure progress towards them. Annex 11 provides the complete set of goals, targets and indicators. The first seven goals are directed at reducing poverty in all its forms, and progress in each area affects the others. The eighth -­ a global partnership for development -­ is intended as a means for achieving the other goals, and its targets include: developing transparent and non- discriminatory trade and financial systems; debt relief and cancellation; providing essential drugs in developing countries; creating decent and productive work for youth; and availing the benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications technology. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 22 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Millennium Development Goals 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger 2. Achieve universal primary education 3. Promote gender equality and empower women 4. Reduce child mortality 5. Improve maternal health 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases 7. Ensure environmental sustainability 8. Develop a global partnership for development Experts maintain that achieving the MDGs will require more focus on development outcomes and less on inputs, as well as effective measures of national progress towards the goals and targets. The MDGs establish yardsticks for monitoring results, not just for developing countries, but for the developed countries that fund development programs and the multilateral institutions that help countries implement them. In this way, the MDGs also address the tension between developing countries that want aid (but which have legitimate concerns about how it is delivered and the strings that often come attached), and developed countries that want to help (but which are frequently disappointed by the lack of concrete results and measurable impact.) Leaders in the public and private sectors have optimistically lined up to help developing countries achieve the MDGs, but experts warn that if significant steps are not taken immediately to implement vital reforms and get adequate external support in the places that need it most, it may already be too late. In the meantime, every major international organization is putting in its two-cents on the MDGs, from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Oxfam, and many, many others. Even the private sector has chimed in, via organizations like the World Economic Forum (WEF) and through public-private partnerships with governments. There are too many initiatives aimed at the MDGs to mention here; however Annex 12 provides a list of references to MDG-related activities that can serve as a starting point for more on current thinking and the work underway. 2.3.1 The role for ICT in MDG strategies The usefulness of ICT for framing development efforts toward the MDGs has also been highlighted by many organizations, especially prior to the 2003 World Summit on the Information Society. Even more on this topic can be expected in the run-up to the second part of the WSIS, to be held in December 2005 in Tunis. Annex 12 also lists a number of reports specifically looking at the need and potential for ICT as part of efforts toward the MDGs. MDG Number 8 calls for a focus on partnerships with the private sector to "ensure that the benefits of new technologies, especially ICT... are available to all". Critics argue that efforts simply promoting the spread of technology or bridging the digital divide are ineffective, and insufficient to make progress towards the key targets. However, there is general consensus on the importance of harnessing ICT for the MDGs more broadly, with agreement that ICT- based approaches need to be mainstreamed and applied to each MDG. Yet, while there is an E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 23 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 abundance of well-reasoned arguments explaining why ICT is an essential tool for reaching the MDGs, there are few efforts to identify what is actually being done or disseminate best practices learned from ground-level initiatives that are using ICT to tackle one or more of the MDGs. InfoDev's publication on ICT for Development: Contributing to the Millennium Development Goals (2003) is a start; it features infoDev-funded initiatives harnessing ICT toward one or more of the MDGs.6 However, it does not look at the actual impact that such initiatives have had on the lives of their beneficiaries. There are a few initiatives underway that look at measuring the impact of ICT on the MDGs. Although there appears to be some degree of collaboration among the various actors in this area, so far there is a lack of consensus on indicators and measurement. Notable efforts include: The UN ICT Task Force's Working Party on ICT indicators and MDG mapping is leading efforts to measure ICT deployment and uptake across the globe.7 It is developing a conceptual framework and matrix to define the role that ICT can play in the overall development agenda. The analysis uses the MDGs as a starting point and maps ICT against each goal. The matrix ­- which maps at three levels: macro, system and individual -­ is intended to serve as a key instrument for countries to monitor progress in achieving the MDGs by leveraging ICT applications in key areas of human development. This is still in development and indicators have not yet been agreed. The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development aims to build on the different initiatives looking at the availability and measurement of ICT indicators at the regional and international levels.8 The WSIS Secretariat's Plan of Action (to be achieved by 2015) draws from the MDGs in its list of targets for improving connectivity and ICT access.9 The Plan seeks to connect a number of entities using ICT, including community centers; universities, colleges, secondary and primary schools; scientific and research centers; health centers and hospitals; public libraries, cultural centers and museums; and local and central government departments. 6http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/ict/resources.nsf/0/4b6fa1c490ea367d85256e750061182e/$FILE/CaseStudies.pdf 7http://www.unicttaskforce.org/perl/showdoc.pl?area=mdgm 8http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/partnership/ 9http://www.itu.int/wsis/docs/geneva/official/poa.html E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 24 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 3 Study of the infoDev e-readiness initiative The overall objective for this study is to provide an overview of e-readiness assessments in developing and emerging countries by focusing on the activities and outcomes of the infoDev e-readiness initiative. Based on the findings, the study explores possible ways to move forward the e-readiness agenda in the developing world, looking into the potential linkages between e-readiness action plans and the MDGs. As part of the foundation for the study, 13 case studies were conducted on country e-readiness assessments funded by infoDev. To gauge the use and usefulness of e-readiness assessments and consider whether and how e- readiness strategies can be targeted toward the Millennium Development Goals, bridges.org looked at four key questions: What did the infoDev-supported e-readiness assessments measure? Have the e-readiness assessment processes improved these countries' e-readiness and brought related socio-economic benefits, and were the assessments sufficient to target the use of ICT toward broader development goals? If not, why not? How effective were the e-readiness assessment processes themselves in terms of project management, implementation, and support? How can infoDev (and other e-readiness initiatives) improve or adjust an approach to ICT- based development that aligns e-readiness strategies with the MDGs? Framing this study with the Real Access/Real Impact framework It is impossible to gauge the use and usefulness of e-readiness assessments by merely looking at the reports that are published; it is necessary to also consider how the entire assessment process was conducted and the resulting strategies and outputs. Bridges.org framed this study by using a concept it has coined as "Real Access/Real Impact (RA/RI)", which looks at whether and how the assessments led to concrete improvements in people's lives. The idea is that, computers and connections will mean nothing to people in developing countries if they do not use it effectively because it is not appropriate to their needs; they cannot afford to use it; technical support is unavailable; there are laws that limit its use; or other prohibitive factors. Therefore, in order for ICT to have a real impact on social and economic development, people in developing countries need to have real access to it. The RA/RI framework is useful for examining all levels of ICT-for-development efforts, and its holistic approach to the use of ICT easily translates to the e-readiness arena. The Real Access/Real Impact criteria used to shape this study looked at whether and how the assessments: measured physical access to ICT; considered the appropriateness of ICT to local conditions; gauged the affordability of ICT in the local context; determined the availability of ICT capacity and training; determined the extent to which ICT is integrated into peoples' lives and work; considered socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use; looked at how people's confidence in ICT affects their use; examined the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use; looked at the use of ICT in business; understood the macro-economic environment affecting ICT use; and gauged the government's political will to drive change. The study also took into consideration how the infoDev e-readiness initiatives and the assessments themselves were conducted, in particular where project management had an effect on the usefulness of the e-readiness processes. Information collection The study was intended to look in depth at 15 of the 21 country assessments supported by infoDev, however it was only possible to collect sufficient information for 13 of them to be covered adequately (more on this issue is included in the Findings section, below). InfoDev E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 25 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 supplied contact details and an introduction for bridges.org in the countries covered. The study involved three groups of stakeholders: Government agencies and country grantees: those government ministries or agencies, and other country grantees, that gave oversight to the e-readiness assessment process; Assessment teams: the group that actually conducted the e-readiness assessment, whether a business, consultant, nonprofit organization, government department, or consortium; infoDev e-readiness team; those involved in the e-readiness initiative and Facilitation Center. Information was collected from background documents and reports, questionnaires, field visits, workshops, and country interviews, as described below: Background documents: Background information was collected primarily from infoDev reports. Information on the infoDev e-readiness initiative, its history, objectives and structure were reviewed. Other e-readiness assessments, action plans, and papers on e- strategies, Y2K, and the MDGs also informed this report. Annex 12 includes a list of references for background materials on these topics. InfoDev-supported assessment reports and action plans: The e-readiness reports and action plans of 17 infoDev-supported assessments were reviewed, and 13 of them were looked at in-depth including the rationale behind them, methodologies used, key findings, and recommendations. Questionnaires: A questionnaire was drafted in consultation with infoDev to collect information from the grantee countries. The bridges.org Real Access / Real Impact and 8 Habits frameworks were used to frame the questionnaires, to gain insight into how each country experienced the assessment process, as well as to gather information on outputs, outcomes, lessons learned, and other results from country assessments. The questionnaire collected the following kinds of information: o Outputs from e-readiness assessment process, including whether the assessment report was published, has web presence, involved public meetings; o Outcomes from the e-readiness assessment, including action plans ,e-strategies, changes in policy, projects, capacity-building, etc.; o Relationship between the grantees and infoDev in terms of support; o Experience of grantees and their partners in conducing assessments; o Participation of stakeholders in data collection, analysis and report-writing processes; o Linkages between the assessments undertaken and socio and economic development. The objectives of the beneficiaries, their impact on institutional capacity, policy changes and follow-up activities that emerged as a result of the assessments; o Linkages (if any) between e-strategy to wider development strategies such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers and the Millennium Development Goals. The questionnaire is provided in Annex 9. Bridges.org distributed the questionnaire, liaised with grantees, gathered responses, and collated and analyzed the results; and questionnaires were completed by the assessment team leader in the grantee countries that participated in the study. Field visits, country interviews and workshops: During November-December 2004, six grantee countries were visited: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Bulgaria, Estonia, and Romania. Interviews and workshops were conducted with relevant government departments, the assessment teams, and other relevant stakeholders, including authors of the e-readiness E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 26 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 assessments, e-strategies, and development strategies. The workshops investigated various approaches in the use of ICT for alleviating poverty, and discussed the options for mainstreaming ICT into general development strategies. An unstructured approach was used in the interviews, where the interviewer used guiding questions and core concepts to start, but the questions were open and the conversation was allowed to move freely toward any direction of interest that came up. This method was used to explore broad topics and allow the respondents to focus on the issues that mattered the most to them. The interview questions and discussion points are provided in Annex 10. Study deliverables: the report and case studies This report and the attached Annexes constitute the deliverables for this study. Annex 1 comprises the full set of 13 case studies prepared, each structured within a common template to enable comparison. The case studies include a description of the country assessments reviewed, and summaries of key findings, impacts, issues, and lessons learned. Each case study also illustrates how each country has addressed the Real Access/Real Impact criteria, and whether progress has been made in the use of ICT to achieve the MDGs. Limitations of this study The depth of information gathered from different countries to inform this study varies widely. Of the 21 grantee countries with e-readiness assessments funded by infoDev, the study team only received assessment reports for 17, and were able to make contact with only 13 of the assessment teams. The answers given in the questionnaires varied considerably in terms of detail and breadth. Considerable information was collected from the six countries visited as part of the study, and as a result the study is sometimes weighted towards the experiences of these countries. It was not possible to interview anyone from the Facilitation Center. Information collection was negatively affected by an overall lack of institutional knowledge of the e-readiness assessment processes in many of the organizations involved, in large part due to changes in personnel during the life of the initiative, both in the assessment teams of grantee countries and at infoDev. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 27 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 4 Findings of the study 4.1 Overview of infoDev-supported assessment reports 4.1.1 Who assessed what: authors and objectives Grantees and The infoDev grants were awarded to non-profit organizations (NPOs) and government departments and authors agencies in the recipient countries. The governments of the grantee countries were involved in executing the assessments, albeit to varying degrees. Where government departments were the grant recipients, independent and external consultants were usually commissioned to conduct the research and author the reports. The Panama and Philippines assessments were compiled by teams based largely at universities. The Kenya, Romania and Uganda Governments commissioned commercial consulting firms, as did the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. In Belarus and Tanzania, the grantees were government agencies or science councils that conducted the assessments themselves. In Bulgaria, Estonia, Costa Rica and Russia, the grantees were NPOs that worked independently but engaged with the government. E-readiness The definitions of "e-readiness" used vary in scope, so the assessments measured e-readiness in different definitions used ways. Most took a general view of e-readiness as the extent to which the country is prepared to integrate into the global information society/networked world/digital economy. However, some were more specific. For example, the Philippines' definition is limited to the country's infrastructure and institutions, while the Trinidad and Tobago assessment focused purely on the nation's ability to conduct electronic payments. Although the Kenyan report defines e-readiness in the context of the economy, the report actually covers other areas as well. Objectives of The grantee countries' objectives for assessing e-readiness are almost as varied as the definitions used. Some the of the assessment reports (Tanzania, Kenya and Romania) do not specify any objectives for conducting the assessments assessment beyond evaluating the country's level of e-readiness, however defined. Among other country reports, there were four main objectives cited: Informing policy. Some expressed the need for the assessment to inform policy deliberations and analysis. Most of these sought to identify gaps and barriers to the uptake of ICT. For example, a goal for the Belarus assessment was pinpointing factors that hinder ICT development, and informing the development of the National Action Plan for introducing ICT for socio-economic development of the country. Estonia's intentions included "giving an explanation why some choices and decisions have led to certain developments". Uganda aimed to suggest cost-effective, affordable, sustainable means of enhancing the country's e- readiness. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 28 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Collecting baseline statistics for benchmarking. Most of the assessment teams in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Estonia and Romania) were interested in compiling comparative data for benchmarking their countries' e- readiness against others and measuring their progress toward requirements mandated for European Union (EU) accession countries. (Estonia joined the EU in 2004 and Romania and Bulgaria are working towards EU membership in 2007.) Romania, Estonia and Jamaica sought to lay the groundwork for future studies, and for monitoring and evaluating their countries' e-readiness progress over time. Promoting and publicizing the country's e-readiness. Bulgaria aimed to leverage the report as a promotional tool, to publicize the country's performance and leadership potential with respect to ICT as compared with other countries in the infoDev initiative. It was also hoped that the assessment would demonstrate the potential for private investment and donor-funded activities to increase ICT access. Improving e-readiness of a specific sector. Some reports had more specific goals beyond assessing the country's general e-readiness. The Philippines and Estonian efforts produced a general assessment as a starting point, followed by focused studies on specific sectors of the economy and society. Trinidad and Tobago's assessment was exclusively concerned with building infrastructure and capacity for implementing electronic payment services. 4.1.2 How assessments were conducted: tools and methodologies used Assessment tool The countries were given complete latitude to choose an assessment tool and methodology and use it and according to their needs. The GeoSINC Facilitation Center recommended the Harvard University Center for methodology International Development (CID) guide, Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, used and this was used by the majority of assessment teams.10 CID's Guide measures 19 different categories, covering the availability, speed, and quality of network access; use of ICT in schools, workplace, economy, government, and everyday life; ICT policy (telecommunications and trade); ICT training programs; and diversity of organizations and relevant content online. For more information on this and other assessment tools, see Annex 3. Advantages of the CID Guide that were noted by grantees include its focus on both society and economy, as well as its flexibility for allowing modification without compromising comparability. Further, the way it sets out the concept of e-readiness is in line with that of infoDev, the Facilitation Center, and the various assessment teams. Although the CID Guide framed the approach of various assessments, most countries adapted the model to suit their specific context, or incorporated elements from other assessment tools. For example, India used CID's Guide, but incorporated aspects of the Computer System Policy Project (CSPP) and the Networked 10Although only 13 case studies were completed as part of this study (on the countries from which a completed questionnaire could be obtained), 17 of the 21 assessment reports produced under the infoDev e-readiness initiative were reviewed as part of this study. A total of 13 out of the 17 reports used the CID guide. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 29 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Readiness Index (NRI) tools; Romania, Bulgaria, Belarus and Estonia incorporated the Guide's approach with at least some of the eEurope indicators11. Tanzania included aspects of McConnell International's e-readiness assessment criteria as well as the SAITIS Baseline Studies. Trinidad and Tobago used EpayCom's self-developed method for engaging clients and managing projects, the "Payment Highway" methodology. In some reports the assessment tool used is not sufficiently explained or described. For example: The Tanzania assessment is vague about its objectives and the assessment tool utilized. The Kyrgyz Republic explains that their methodology was generated under the headings identified in bridges.org's Comparison of E-Readiness Assessment Tools (2002). However, the report specifies that details for the methodology are not provided because of the "commercial value" of the information. Others mention CID's Guide as the primary tool framing the methodology yet neglect to calculate any scores or rankings. In some of these reports (e.g. Panama), the extent to which the Guide appears to have been applied is reflected only in the report's headings, which follow the tool's categories. On the other hand, others included detailed explanations of the methodologies used: The Uganda report is one of the clearest in terms of the use of the CID's Guide, and it illustrates explicitly how the scores were calculated for each measure. The Philippines' macro- and micro-assessment reports also include thorough descriptions of the methodology. The Bulgaria report explains in detail the process for qualitative assessment under each CID category, as well as the quantitative calculation of e-readiness indices for the NRI and the e-Readiness Bulgarian Assessment Model (BEAM). The Russian report explains that extra measures were needed for the assessment, because the commonly used methodologies for assessing e-readiness focus on measurements of ICT infrastructure as a basis for making assumptions about ICT use. In Russia this connection cannot be made: ICT is widely available in government, business and education, but a relatively small number of people are actually using it. So extra measurements and indicators for human capacity and the business climate were added. More up-to-date parameters (commonly used in international practice) were also included, to allow comparison with EU countries. 11The eEurope program has the intention to make the European Union a dynamic knowledge-based economy with improved employment and social cohesion by 2010. For more information see: http://www.e-europestandards.org/. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 30 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 None of the reports include examples of the questionnaires or interview schedules used in data collection. The Tanzanian team sent the study team samples of questionnaires and interview schedules used in the various focus groups. Some assessment teams pointed to the inapplicability of certain international measurements to developing countries, especially where the usual e-readiness indicators can only be fully understood within the context of the country's unique circumstances. For example, Bulgaria fares well in international comparisons of the number of telephone lines, but this does not translate into reality on the ground because the network switches are unable to handle the traffic, and as a result the telecommunications system frequently fails. The team found it difficult to strike a balance between using international indicators and ensuring local relevance of the findings. Literature Many assessments started with a review of relevant literature on e-readiness, including previous assessments. review, previous Where appropriate, the reports referenced or incorporated the results of previous and parallel efforts in the assessments, area. Notable examples include: and secondary data The Philippines' macro assessment consolidates and links previous assessments to create a comprehensive overview, within which it situates more detailed micro assessments. Estonia is similarly prolific in citing previous work on e-readiness relevant to its assessment. The Tanzanian assessment included a review of ICT-related newspaper articles, which resulted in an informative overview of the extent to which ICT features in the press. Panama linked the assessment findings with previous assessments, presenting the current status of the country in relation to earlier results. A number of assessment teams used centrally-available statistics as secondary data to inform their report, such as: In establishing its NRI, Belarus included data from the World Bank, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Business Software Alliance. Bulgaria collected statistics and other data from the National Statistics Institute, various government Ministries, Internet service providers (ISPs), the annual reports of major telecommunications companies, and other surveys. The Jamaican team analyzed companies' financial statements, and consulted public regulatory and planning institutions. It was one of the few to survey community-based organizations and institutions, which were selected as representative of various locations (urban/rural), age, gender, income, economic status, etc. The Romanian report garnered data from a variety of sources, including the National Institute of Statistics E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 31 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 (NIS), the National Communications Regulatory Authority (ANRC), ITU, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the EU. Primary data The assessment teams' approaches varied in the extent of and methodologies for primary data collection. The collection data collection tools mostly used included questionnaires, interviews and focus groups. For example: The Jamaica assessment surveyed over 500 citizens and 300 small businesses from five major town centers across the island. Interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in the public and private sectors as well as in non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Belarus used an online poll, and questionnaires were completed by various stakeholders. The National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) of Costa Rica included a module on ICT in its Year 2000 survey, and UNIMER Research International was contracted to carry out two surveys looking at the level of Internet access and use by youth and adults in 2001.12 In its survey of adults, UNIMER surveyed 1198 Costa Ricans using a pre-codified questionnaire. A telephone survey, with a structured, closed-response questionnaire was used to survey 504 young people. The Philippines assessment surveyed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) through questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. The team also held facilitated group discussions and interviews with key stakeholders from each sector. The discussions tackled issues affecting ICT deployment, penetration and use. In Estonia, surveys with up to 1000 citizens were conducted by a local research consultancy. Tanzania held focus groups discussions which were comprised of experts and interest groups in the respective sector, and utilized structured questionnaires and interviews. The Russian assessment team conducted three original surveys: a survey of 2510 working-age people from 17 regions; a survey of schoolmasters and the heads of higher education institutions in 380 schools and 200 universities using the eEurope questionnaire; and a survey of 1000 schoolteachers and 600 university lecturers to assess the use of ICT in teaching, using a questionnaire similar to that for the eEurope monitoring program. Stakeholder The assessments involved and consulted a wide range of stakeholders. A variety of NGOs, ISPs, higher consultation education and training institutions, government departments and ministries, national science councils, experts, businesses, and associations were consulted, and their views informed the various assessments. For example: The Tanzanian and Ugandan assessments were notably focused on the public sector, and as such, they 12The report does not provide the full name for UNIMER. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 32 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 involved stakeholders predominantly within government. An external panel of individuals from various stakeholder groups was involved in the Jamaican assessment process, in the interests of preventing bias and ensuring the validity of the results. The Ministry of Transport and Communication in Bulgaria reported that the country assessment involved a broad consultation process with all major stakeholders in ICT. For the Philippines assessment, 13 semiconductors and electronics firms, 34 garments companies, 58 furniture SMEs, and 87 processed fruit companies were surveyed and interviewed. Survey questionnaires were administered to those responsible for each company's management, ICT development, and business operations. Facilitated group discussions and interviews were conducted with key informants from each sector, selected with assistance from trade associations and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). Known biases Few assessment teams addressed the issue of bias in their methodology, data collection, or interpretation of results. Exceptions include: The Panama assessment team acknowledged that a bias in opinions from questionnaire respondents and interviewees may have skewed the data collected. To reduce the potential for skewed findings, the Jamaican team used two separate panels to conduct the assessment. The team of consultants who worked on the project formed an internal panel, and an external panel was comprised of individuals representing a diverse set of stakeholder groups. This external panel was selected from academia, business, the public sector, civil society and the ICT sector, and encouraged to set aside particular interests toward the greater goal. The Romanians highlighted the tendency for e-readiness assessments to present the country's situation in a positive light in order to attract foreign direct investment and international donors. They sought to alleviate this kind of bias by using an independent consultant to conduct and author the assessment report. 4.2 Key findings and recommendations of the infoDev-supported assessments 4.2.1 Measuring physical access to ICT Basic Many assessments identified the poor state of basic telecommunications infrastructure as a major barrier to communications Internet connectivity. Two point specifically to the need for upgraded telecommunications infrastructure, infrastructure services and maintenance: The Romanian National Action Plan calls for infrastructure interoperability and standardization of information infrastructure, enforcement of regulatory measures for universal service in electronic E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 33 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 communications, and a network of info-kiosks. The Jamaican report highlights problems caused by the poor quality of service from the fixed-line telecommunications operator, including service and maintenance delays, unavailability of parts, lengthy response time, and misleading advertisements for ICT. Teledensity Almost every assessment reported fixed-line teledensity (the number of telephones per 1000 people) and (fixed-line and mobile penetration statistics. However, some provided statistics that were not fully explained, such as mobile) percentages that do not say what the percentages actually refer to. Most assessments focused only on the availability of ICT (such as how many phone lines there are) without putting it in the context of the local situation (such as by explaining how many people those lines serve out of a total number of people), which makes the full picture difficult to see and compare. A few considered the number of people for whom ICT is entirely unavailable, such as those in rural areas, which is another way to look at physical access to ICT. The range of findings include: Jamaica has 16.6 fixed-line telephones and 19.2 mobile phones per 100 inhabitants. 58% of Romanian households have fixed-line telephones. There is a long waiting period for new line installation (an average of 2.71 years) and reports of faults in the lines are common. Teledensity in Tanzania has improved over the past few years, with rapid increases for cellular phones; fixed-line penetration has remained low (0.53 per 100 people in the countryside, and 5 per 100 in Dar es Salaam). The telephone network in Uganda is accessible to about 50% of the population. There are approximately 0.25 fixed-line telephones per 100 people and mobile penetration is approximately 2.74 per 100. Growth in mobiles continues at over 130%. (Uganda was the third country -- after Cambodia and Finland -- where mobile teledensity exceeded fixed-line teledensity.) However, combined teledensity (fixed-line and mobile) is still less than 3 per 100 people. The Russian report defines "teledensity" as the number of fixed-line subscribers per 200 citizens, and gives a teledensity figure of 25.6% for the country, describing a steady trend of yearly increases. Over 70% of the country has cellular network coverage, and the number of subscribers for 2004 is expected to be on a par with European averages. Following the deregulation of the Philippines' telecommunications market, teledensity rose from 4.66 per 100 people in 1996 to 9.05 per 100 in 2000. There are 248,489 active fixed-line telephones and 834,032 mobile connections in Panama. Mobile telephony has seen the greatest growth in the telecommunications market. Mobile network coverage has reached about 81% of the population and 32% of the nation's geography. Although dial-up Internet access E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 34 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 is available in Panama City and other urban areas, people in some rural areas are forced to pay for long- distance calls for Internet access. 18% of Bulgarians use mobile phones. 60% of Estonians have access to mobile telephony. Fixed-line teledensity in Kenya is currently at 1.01% while mobile lines are at 3.03%. Teledensity in Belarus amounts to 30.44 fixed-line telephones per 100 people, while mobile wireless penetration amounts only to 4.3%. 54% of Costa Ricans have fixed-line telephones, but only 11% have mobile phones. Mobile telephony is pervasive in Trinidad and Tobago, with 250,000 subscribers. Only the Tanzanian assessment looked at the availability of public phones, although the report points out that mobile telephony is reducing the importance of public telephones. Internet access Most reports detailed the extent of Internet access; however, the way the findings were reported varied widely across the countries. In various reports Internet use figures were given as a percentage of the population and/or households with Internet access, number of ISP subscribers, and/or number of people using public access points. For example: In Estonia, 40% of the population has Internet access, while 49% of the population has never used a computer before. The growth rate of Internet users in Jamaica is considered to be slow, with only 70,000 subscribers. The report claims that the rate is likely to accelerate with the increases in public awareness, infrastructure and competition among ISPs. The Philippines' growing use of telephony was not matched with increasing access to the Internet. Only 2.6% of the population has Internet access, and of this more than half are located in metropolitan Manila and are from the middle and upper-income classes. This was attributed to the monopoly in telecommunications rendering Internet access prohibitively expensive. In Trinidad and Tobago there are approximately 70,000 households with personal computers (PCs), of which 50,000 have Internet access. 12% of Costa Rican households have a PC, but only 3.4% have Internet access. A survey found that 77% of Costa Ricans over the age of 18 have never used the Internet. The number of PCs in Panama is estimated to be 200,000, with an additional 60,000 sold each year. About E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 35 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 80% of people with PCs and Internet access reside in the capital. Panama is very well-positioned in terms of the international Internet backbone, enjoying direct access to seven undersea cables, which enables the local development of high quality, low-cost services. Panama has also benefited from the first cooperative Internet exchange point in Latin America. A few assessments also described the availability and effectiveness of ISPs; for example: Costa Rica attributes the low incidence of Internet access to the fact that the country had only one ISP at the time of the study. In Russia over 2800 licenses for data communications and 3800 licenses for voice were issued as of February 2003. There are now over 850 ISPs in Russia, some holding both types of licenses. Most reports recognized and highlighted the need for increased public access to the Internet. The availability of public Internet access points was considered by Belarus, Bulgaria, Romania, Russia Uganda, Panama and Tanzania. Highlights include: In Uganda, the Rural Connectivity Development Fund (RCDF) was established to enable access to ICT in rural areas. The Fund is supported by 1% tax levied on all telecommunications companies. It is to be used to establish Internet points of presence (POPs), multi-purpose telecenters, and Internet cafes in the countryside. The Russian Ministry of Communications and Computerization estimated that there is one public access point per approximately 100,000 citizens. Cyber cafes and public access points are very popular in Panama due to the high cost of private Internet access. There are a variety of Internet services available in Panama City at reasonable prices. An Infoplaza project -- which is a nationwide initiative -- has 54 subsidized community access centers that are run by local partners on a non-profit basis. There is a plan to expand these to about hundred centers and they offer high quality public access and services for fees of US$0.25 to US$1 per hour. They are reported to reach about 82% of students and less affluent users. The number of users at 39 Infoplaza centers is estimated at over 8000, but financing this initiative is proving to be a challenge. Television, radio Few assessments covered access to other ICT beyond telephony, computers and the Internet. Those that did and other kinds include Bulgaria, Romania and Jamaica (which considered access to cable television), and Costa Rica (which of ICT reported that 84% of Costa Rican households have televisions). Only Romania reported access to radios, with 111.8 radio sets per 100 households. As the Trinidad and Tobago assessment was concerned primarily with electronic payments, its survey of banks found that most have telebanking, fax connections, automated teller machines (ATMs) and an electronic funds E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 36 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 transfer (EFT) switch. "Green fields", or areas without access to electronic payment services, are found nearly everywhere in the country. However, it was noted that this is not necessarily a negative situation, since it can be easier to implement new solutions where there are no legacy systems that have to be replaced. 4.2.2 Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions Appropriateness The speed and quality of telephone and Internet connections and services were considered by many of ICT assessments. Several concluded that outdated technology is hindering e-readiness. For example: infrastructure Bulgaria concluded that analogue phone lines are preventing progress. Belarus used an online poll to find out whether respondents were pleased with the speed of their Internet connection (74% of 489 surveyed said "no"). In Romania, increased digitization of fixed-line telephony, national extension of the fiber optic network, complete coverage of mobile telephony, and the availability of the latest technologies have led to a significant increase in the quality and speed of voice and data transmission. Other reports highlighted the appropriateness of mobile telephony in particular, as an ICT infrastructure upon which social and economic development could be built. For example: The Tanzania and Uganda reports identified the promise offered by the mobile industry for rural outreach. Given the far higher penetration of mobile phones than computers in homes in Trinidad and Tobago, mobile commerce (m-commerce) is considered a suitable vehicle for development. However, m-commerce initiatives are limited by the current unavailability of global system for mobile communications (GSM) and general packet radio service (GPRS) services. Internet access Some e-readiness processes looked into alternative access technologies that might help countries "leap-frog" alternatives development obstacles, and pointed to options that hold promise for overcoming infrastructure deficiencies, including notably wireless and satellite technologies. The availability of wireless and cable Internet access was assessed by a few. Most found scant evidence of the presence of wireless access, but some reports recommended wireless networks as a way to increase and improve access: The Jamaica assessment found no evidence of wireless Internet access on the island. The report recommends accelerated roll-out of broadband technologies to facilitate wireless connectivity to the Internet, especially in rural areas. The fact that several cable operators have recently been issued with licenses for providing Internet services is expected to be a boost for under-served rural areas without telephone lines where neither dial-up nor digital subscriber lines are available. The authors point out that E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 37 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 the extent of penetration for Internet access alternatives would be determined by the level of interest, ICT literacy, and price. The Tanzania assessment similarly notes that increasing wireless connectivity would help bypass problems of physical infrastructure. The Uganda report advocates for improving access to communication facilities using low-cost wireless fidelity (WiFi) and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) technologies. It recommends setting up a WiFi / VoIP Metropolitan Area Network in Kampala to provide all government offices with internal communications and data networking services. It points out that the same technology can also be used to improve access schools, small businesses, regional government and individuals. The Kenyan report recommends the use of digital wireless local loop to improve the quality of the local access network. As much of the Costa Rican population has access to electricity and color televisions, the Government there is investigating the use of Internet connectivity carried over power cables, as a means of providing universal access to ICT for citizens. Availability and A few reports looked at the availability and cost of electricity, but overall they recognized it as an obstacle for cost of ICT uptake, including: electricity The Ugandan assessment found that electricity reaches only 4.5% of the population. The report concludes that Internet connectivity in rural areas is almost inconceivable since only 2% of rural households have an electricity connection, and villagers have to walk an average of 2km to reach a phone. The Jamaican report also identified power shortage and the price per kWh as a main obstacle to connectivity. It recommends the prioritization of reliable electricity infrastructure to meet e-readiness objectives. The Tanzania report found that the costs of electricity are very high and not regionally competitive. On the other hand, the Costa Rican report pointed out the benefits that come with 94% of households having electricity. The Jamaican and Ugandan assessments also looked at appropriate power alternatives. The Ugandan Government is exploring the use of solar power as a cheap alternative, especially in areas where it is difficult to extend the conventional power grid. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 38 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Making ICT appropriate to local conditions. In a discussion with East African government officials about the key factors that limit ICT uptake in their region, the practical realities of local conditions were highlighted as obstacles time and again. Lack of electricity and problems with existing telecommunications infrastructure are some of the problems faced. But governments are ready to get creative to find appropriate solutions. A Ugandan Government commissioner said, "given that some areas have been unable to get connected to the national hydro-electricity grid, it is imperative to promote the use of solar energy because it is cheap and can be made available in any part of the country." Similarly, a director of the Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) said that "owing to the massive size of this country, there are so many infrastructural bottlenecks that the only way out is to fund wireless connection." 4.2.3 Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context Communications Overall, the assessments found communications costs to be expensive. A few assessments compared their costs country's telecommunications costs with other countries in the region. A few assessments (Uganda, Jamaica and Costa Rica) compared their country's telecommunications costs with others in the region. The Russia assessment concluded that telephone lines are affordable to the majority of citizens (costing on average only US$4-5 per month), however, the country still has low teledensity. To determine the affordability of access to and use of ICT, some assessments collected citizens' opinions regarding costs. For example, the majority of those surveyed in the Costa Rican study consider the telephone service to be expensive. A few reports provided information on the costs of mobile telephony: The Kenyan report concluded that the high costs of mobile phones limits widespread uptake. The Russian assessment described that mobile phone operators provide a wide range of payment schemes. Average prices are in line with those in most developed countries and have made mobile telephony available to a large number of people at least in the large cities, where incomes are higher. By 2004, it is expected that 70% of Russian city dwellers will use mobile phones, but only 1% of the rural population. However, all mobile phone equipment is imported, so prices are not expected to come down. Cost of Internet Almost every assessment pointed to high costs of infrastructure, bandwidth and telephone charges as access and use hindering access to and use of the Internet. Some reports (Bulgaria, Costa Rica and Tanzania) provided actual costs of Internet access, while others went further by outlining reasons for fluctuating costs, and comparing them with the region (Estonia and Jamaica): Bulgaria identified ISP and telephone use charges, along with the price of modems, as deterrents to E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 39 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 widespread Internet use. Affordable and rapid access to the Internet is the major objective of the access and connectivity program outlined in the Romanian action plan. The Tanzania report concludes that the high costs of infrastructure and access limit Internet use. A lack of affordable connectivity is the main problem with Internet uptake identified by the Ugandan assessment. The authors maintain that costs will continue to hamper the growth of communications in the country, especially in the rural areas, and limit the e-readiness ratings of the country. The Kenya report concludes that competition in provision of Internet and backbone services is needed to ensure that Internet access in Kenya is more affordable. 60% of people in Belarus consider the local telephone call rates to be prohibitively expensive (compared to the average salary) and this discourages extensive Internet use via local ISPs, including among those who can afford Internet access. Many Jamaicans cannot access ICT -- and the Internet in particular -- because costs are prohibitively high. The report concludes that this is exacerbating the local digital divide, especially with the recent acceleration in the number of new technologies entering the market, which only the well-off can afford. Although Internet connectivity is available at fairly reasonable prices in Panama City and most urban areas in the provinces, the combined prices of access, phone line and computer cost is too expensive for many families, leading to the popularity of cybercafés and other public access points. Costs of Hardware and software costs were considered by a few assessments, and overall they concluded that it is hardware and prohibitively expensive for most people and organizations: software The Tanzania report notes that all ICT hardware and software in the country is imported, and that only a small percentage of the population can afford it. The authors conclude that the government, private sector, and international development partners should facilitate conditions to make equipment and related services more affordable. The Ugandan report similarly highlights the fact that hardware and software is too expensive for most schools, government departments, individuals, and families. None of the reports looked at the use of Free and open source software (FOSS). Costs of e- Most reports did not provide an in-depth look at costs around providing and using various e-services. An services exception is the Trinidad and Tobago assessment, which looked at the related costs to banks and financial E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 40 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 institutions for providing electronic payment services. The authors conclude that e-commerce projects must make commercial sense, with costs recovered from customers. Fees and charges can be structured to drive customers from expensive cash and paper-based transactions toward cheaper electronic transactions. Electronic transactions are estimated to be one-tenth the cost of paper-based transactions, and Internet transactions are one-tenth the cost of electronic transactions. 4.2.4 Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available Basic literacy Few reports addressed the extent to which illiteracy acts as an obstacle to the widespread use of ICT, although it is highlighted as an issue requiring attention by Jamaica. By contrast, the Costa Rica assessment reports that the country has one of the highest literacy rates in the world. Uganda's high literacy rates (over 70%), almost 100% attendance in primary schools, and large English-speaking population are cited as factors contributing to the country's potential to exploit ICT for the good of the country. Education While ICT access and skills development opportunities at all levels of education are fundamental for improving system e-literacy, general competence in other areas are just as important. However, only Jamaica analyzed the quality of the country's education systems overall and its effect on ICT uptake. The report found that there is generally low enrolment in secondary and tertiary education institutions, and concluded that poverty and inequality are likely to persist if action is not taken to improve enrolment and graduation rates. Results for the year 1999-2000 show low pass rates for subjects related to ICT (information technology, electronics, mathematics, physics and English). The report concludes that this is likely to have adverse effects on the number of students matriculating in computer sciences and the projected supply of essential and higher occupational-level information technology skills. ICT access in Most assessments provided statistics on the number of schools with computers, and while figures varied, schools overall the reports concluded that the numbers are too low. Some also provided student-to-computer ratios, while others described the level of Internet access using a variety of measures; and again, overall conclusions indicated that ICT access in schools is sub-optimal: While 75.8% of Belarusian schools are equipped with computers, 57.3% of these are considered to be "outmoded". Citing insufficient state funding for upgrades, the Ministry of Education has appealed to the public to help. Bulgarian schools have an average of one PC per 66 students. The report found that the use of Internet in education and science is only just above the average statistics for the country as a whole, and it E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 41 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 recommends a fast-track approach to incorporating ICT in secondary education. The Jamaican assessment found that less than 1% of pupils have access to computers. In Romania, there are 7.5 Internet-connected computers per 100 high-school students, and 1 per 100 primary school students. The Ugandan assessment found that 61% of schools do not have electricity, let alone computers or Internet access. Most have inadequate funds for computer and network equipment, and cannot meet the costs of connectivity. The report notes that schools have inadequate staff to maintain computer equipment. The Ugandan report found that low-cost, high-quality content for schools is unavailable. Although 75% of Estonian schools have Internet connections, on average, schools have only three PCs per 100 pupils that are connected to the Internet. In Kenya, there are only 575 telephone lines for over 17,000 schools. Over 80% of primary schools had less than 5 computers, while the corresponding figure for secondary schools is 50%. The Russian report has a strong focus on ICT in education, not least because national educational standards have dropped in recent years, and the country has highlighted an urgent need to keep learners in school longer and improve teaching. The Ministry of Education aims to get computers into all schools, but this has been severely hampered by the lack of satisfactory infrastructure in the rural areas and a recent loss of foreign funding. In 2002 the Institutional Commission for the Internet For Everyone project in Panama was established by the President together with other state agencies, and given a legislated mandate to provide Internet to all public schools. Use of ICT by The use of ICT by teachers is an important factor affecting the integration of ICT into schools and universities, teachers and a few reports detailed ICT use or levels of e-literacy among teachers: The Jamaica assessment found that most teachers are untrained in the use of computers. The Ugandan report highlights the need for awareness among teachers and school administrators about the power of ICT for enhancing education. The report notes that getting computers to schools is relatively easy; it is putting them to effective use that is even more of a challenge. In Kenya, there is limited knowledge and skills among teachers and lecturers on the use of ICT in education, and low levels of use of desktop applications (such as word processors and spread sheets) by teachers and lecturers, except in universities. However, the report finds that most schools have teachers or lecturers with basic ICT literacy skills: 93.2% and in Nairobi and 67.2% outside of Nairobi. The report recommends the introduction of short, in-service ICT courses in teacher training colleges and universities. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 42 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 In Belarus, 60.3% of secondary schools have teachers' with only basic levels of e-literacy. The lack of motivation among teachers for using ICT in their classes was cited by the Russian report as an obstacle to the introduction of ICT to schools. Teachers have little incentive to do learn ICT skills, are poorly paid, and there is a lack of skilled ICT trainers to assist them. The Government has recognized the need to retrain teachers and has plans to provide skilled trainers to do so, but unless these new training programs are successful, it is likely that the existing computers will remain unused in many schools. ICT access in A few assessments also covered access to ICT in places of higher learning: universities Bulgaria considered the level of Internet connection in its universities and found only one that offers students free access to computer labs with Internet connections. There are 12 Internet-connected computers per 100 university students in Romania. 33% of universities in Kenya have less than five computers. Technical Technical training in schools and universities is an important indicator of the availability (or future availability) training in of electronics engineers and technical support professionals across the country as a whole: schools and universities The Bulgarian report gave statistics on the number of people holding university degrees related to ICT: 186,000. The Tanzania report identifies the need for the development of IT-related educational training. It suggests the development and implementation of a training program for IT technicians that would provide in- company support on hardware and software and application issues. In Uganda, tertiary education of an international standard is available only in Kampala and a few selected towns. While international ICT accreditation is available in Kampala, it is beyond the reach of the majority of Ugandans due to its expense. The report suggests the development of education loan schemes to make ICT training and other educational opportunities more affordable for students. The Kenyan report suggests that "Centers of Excellence" in ICT teaching and learning should be established in selected universities. The Panama report recommends that ICT initiatives be linked to higher education reform more broadly, so that enthusiasm for ICT and the benefits of the Internet help catalyze changes in teaching and research. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 43 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Integration of Some assessments looked beyond statistics on equipment in schools and explored the extent to which ICT is ICT into the integrated into general curricula: general curriculum In Estonia, computer use in the classroom is limited, and with the exception of informatics, only 8% of pupils use computers in non-computer-related classes, while 16% have never used computers in these kinds of general classes. The Bulgarian report indicates that education in that country is declining in quality. The authors insist that unless schools and universities are wired to the Internet as a matter of urgency, and new curricula developed that integrate ICT into the learning process, learners will be computer illiterate and perpetuate the current problem of low e-readiness. In Kenya, there is a lack of relevant, standardized professional curricula using ICT for education. There is a move toward a more individually-orientated, practical ethos of teaching in Russia, and the use of ICT is viewed as key to implementing this philosophy. Technology is gradually being incorporated into the teaching process, but access to ICT in schools remains low relative to other European countries, and especially in rural areas. However, teachers are generally unmotivated to include ICT in the curriculum (as noted above). ICT skills Some reports detail the availability of ICT and related skills development and training opportunities, including development a few that made recommendations for building human resources capacity to leverage ICT: training opportunities About 565,000 Bulgarians have attended computer training courses. The Philippines has the second highest number of training facilities for computer programming in Asia. The Jamaica report recommends increasing the competence, skills and literacy level of the marginalized majority, accelerating roll-out of ICT throughout formal and non-formal educational systems, encouraging technological innovation, and promoting life-long learning. Training centers exist only in two towns in Tanzania, but there is a proliferation of opportunities for technical, programming and systems training for ICT technicians and professionals at the university level and through private training institutions. The report recommends the provision of in-company first level support to company employees on the use of hardware and software. Availability of training opportunities for junior ICT personnel in Kenya is low, although some employers offer in-house training. There are currently only limited opportunities for training in ICT skills development in Belarus. The Trinidad and Tobago assessment suggests the implementation of a management awareness program E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 44 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 for ICT in financial institutions across the country. It states that strategic thinkers need to be exposed to current developments, and recommends that skills transfer becomes a component of all projects, whereby suppliers are required, contractually, to provide the requisite skills training as part of each project. The report also suggests that the International Computer Driver's License (ICDL) should be integrated into school and college curricula, as well as training programs, and that all government personnel in departments targeted for computerization should undergo training for the ICDL. In Romania, civil servants benefit from free IT training; it is compulsory that they obtain the ECDL (European Computer Driving License). Research In order to improve e-readiness, it is necessary for countries to conduct research and development (R&D) using ICT and focused on ICT. Collaborative research by multiple stakeholders in these efforts will promote wider relevance and applicability of the work. The use of ICT for research and development is not actively addressed by most reports, but a few called for more research in the area of ICT, with an emphasis on national data collection: The Estonia report identifies the need to strengthen the collaboration of academic research institutions and private companies. The Bulgarian assessment mentions that the Internet is rarely used for education or research. The Panama report urges businesses, organizations and R&D institutions to work together to promote ICT uptake. Panama needs to improve its support of individuals and organizations (in the public and private sectors and academia) that are capable of conducting high quality research relevant to ICT. The Comptroller is a Government agency responsible for collecting (among other things) different types of data relating to ICT. The report called for better methods for gathering information about ICT in Panama on an ongoing basis. A few reports considered the extent to which R&D capabilities and enabling environments foster or hinder innovation: The Jamaica report finds that there is a focus on applied rather than basic and exploratory research on ICT, and new innovations in ICT are non-existent. This is reflected in the relative absence of patent applications. The scarcity of innovation is partly owing to a lack of venture capital. The report suggests the development of ICT clusters to enable the assembly of a critical mass of ICT skills, and foster competition, innovation and creativity. The Belarus report recommends that the government should support innovative projects and prospective domestic research work in the area of ICT-related development. The Estonia report identifies the need for a "real innovation strategy" to achieve the following concrete E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 45 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 goals: spend 1.5 percent of GDP on R&D in 2006; strengthen the collaboration of academic research institutions and private companies; and give incentives to companies to increase their spending on R&D. Availability of A country's e-readiness is affected by the availability of a trained workforce that can effectively build, trained maintain, develop, apply and use ICT in the workplace. The availability of a workforce that is sufficiently workforce equipped with the necessary ICT skills is determined by a number of variables including training needs, funding for training, and brain drain: The Estonian report expressed a concern that vocational ICT training institutions are producing surplus amounts of "advanced users", but low numbers of IT specialists, engineers and programmers. The report explains that this feeds a vicious circle of limited R&D and lack of innovation. It also points out that almost all Estonian electronics companies have a shortage of ICT specialists with the appropriate tertiary education. Romania's tertiary education institutions produce a "sufficient" number of ICT specialists, although the fact that they are concentrated in urban areas is a problem. This appears to be in contradiction to an item in the national action plan that sets out the aim to create more institutions that produce ICT specialists. The action plan suggests compensating for the lack of ICT specialists at the local level by creating a specialist support group within the central administration to provide technical assistance. The Jamaican report cites the inability of small IT companies to retain a critical mass of skills as a factor that reduces their competitiveness. The report stresses that human resource development policies and programs should be prioritized to facilitate and support the growth of a domestic ICT skills base, grounded on an assessment of workplace skills and needs. The Kenyan assessment found that, although there is adequate local capacity to train graduates, there have been indications from the private sector that most ICT training does not match the industry needs and requirements. The ICT workforce forms a small fraction of the total employees in the country, and ICT is not widely used to support the core business of many organizations. In Belarus, there is a dearth of ICT personnel, particularly programmers and ICT managers. Approximately 186,000 people in Bulgaria hold college or university degrees related to ICT and about 565,000 have attended computer training courses. About 443,000 know how to use a computer through self-training, formal training at the workplace, or have learned such skills from friends. The study concludes that 16.2% of the adult population in Bulgaria is computer literate. In Russia, a large number of people (especially in urban areas) are well educated and aware of ICT, but not enough have the ICT skills to enable them to leverage their educational background and collectively move toward an information society. Despite Russia producing among the highest numbers of science and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 46 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 technology graduates in the world, there is a lack of skilled software programmers. Many reports highlighted brain drain as a problem (including Belarus, Russia, Bulgaria, Philippines, and Trinidad and Tobago). "Low salaries" is a common reason cited for this phenomenon. The Trinidad and Tobago report recommends new projects that will attract skilled personnel to counteract the migration of skilled individuals. ICT skills, training and migration. In a discussion on the availability of ICT skills and training, the assessment teams in Kenya and Uganda also pointed out the relationship this issue has with cross-border migration. A member of the Kenyan assessment team explained that the country has teachers with ICT skills, but many of them are unemployed. "It is a waste of human resources because the government has failed to utilize these teachers' skills for meaningful development. In fact, some of them have now resorted to seeking jobs in neighboring countries like Uganda and Tanzania." Further on the topic of the migration of ICT skilled individuals, the team said that the government's failure to use ICT to the expected levels has caused frustration among the experts in the sector, which has also contributed to brain drain. A member of the Ugandan assessment team described a different situation in that country, where "the fact that all the leading universities are offering high quality ICT skills training has attracted many students from neighboring countries". 4.2.5 Checking availability of locally relevant content and services National-level In considering the availability of locally relevant content and services that can be accessed through ICT, some Internet content studies assessed the availability of local web content and hosting: and website hosting Belarus found that there are fewer than two domain names per 1000 inhabitants (as registered by local businesses and institutions). In Romania, there is limited availability of local online services. The number of websites featuring local content has doubled between 2001 and 2003, although it is yet to meet the minimum level of developed countries (20 sites/ 100 inhabitants). Most newspapers and magazines have Internet presence, with shortened electronic versions of the current printed issues. Some local websites are available in Uganda, although most contain only static content and are updated infrequently. About 27% of Kenyan websites are hosted locally. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 47 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Very few countries analyzed flows and directions of Internet traffic. An exception is the Belarus assessment, which found that only 20% of Belarus content is accessed locally, while 80% comes from abroad. In Bulgaria, on the other hand, there is more surfing of Bulgarian websites than others, even though there is a lack of locally relevant content. Content in other Most reports focused only on web-based content, and very few looked at the availability and use of content national ICT- communicated via other, more ubiquitous, ICT-based media. Exceptions include: based media The Ugandan assessment found that the numerous FM radios have been leveraged by the government for reaching out to the population and providing information on agricultural products. In Russia, a government project was launched in 2003 to provide e-services focused on Russian culture, via satellite. Its goals include the spread of Russian cultural content both domestically and overseas; high speed Internet connections to cultural projects; and educational cultural materials provided by multi-media. Language Some assessments provided statistics on local language websites: There are a number of Tanzanian websites, but most are in English, with static content that is concerned primarily with advertising. The national website is bilingual (English and Kiswahili). The assessment team stressed the importance of addressing local issues by incorporating local languages in websites and moving away from English. In Uganda, many websites are available in local languages, as well as in English (the dominant web languages spoken locally). 95% of the websites registered with the Belarus network are in Russian, while 10% are in Belarusian and 15% are bilingual. E-government Most assessments describe the availability and (to a lesser degree) use of e-government services in the country: The Bulgarian Government has a few websites which provide some degree of interactivity, although this is mostly limited to downloading forms. The assessment found that public administration websites are visited by 4.3% of the population and about 6% of companies. The Estonian Government was one of the first to develop a functioning e-government system. The report identifies the need to establish convenient e-services for taxes, health issues, retirement benefits, education and applications for permits and certificates. The Jamaican assessment describes e-government to be in an early development stage. It recommends E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 48 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 implementing e-government projects in departments responsible for revenue generation, public policy implementation, and service delivery. In Romania, the National Electronic System (NES) was launched on September 2003 and is available at www.e-guvernare.ro. It has functionality for five e-services and 164 forms are available for downloading. It has been accessed 1.6 million times by approximately 50,000 visitors. The e-government unit of Trinidad and Tobago offers no e-products or services as of yet, although there is a goal to have an e-integrated public service and government intranet. Availability of ICT facilities within the Kenyan Government is very low and transactions are currently paper- based, although there are several websites that provide relevant data and some government publications. The Kenyan report suggests that critical government institutions and departments should create transactional websites, and that all departments should have intranets. The Communications Without Borders program in Costa Rica involves the creation of a portal (www.costarricense.cr) that has links to multiple e-government services, digital banking and training on how to use email. The first wave of interactive online e-government services is now available in Russia, but data needs to be standardized across government departments for the programs to be effective. The report points out that if e-government is to work, the lack of access to ICT in the regions must first be addressed. In Panama, some municipal authorities use ICT to provide services to the population. Activities are spread across a range of efforts aiming to modernize the administration of justice, combat corruption, and improve public services. The E-Panama project (comprised of diverse representation including each branch of government) is a mechanism for interaction between the government and citizens. It is also coordinating government's integration of ICT and is concerned with the broader vision for ICT and government in the 21st century. Social and A few reports looked at the extent to which relevant content is available for social or cultural development cultural goals, including: development goals The Romanian report covers e-health issues. The action plan recommends the computerization of the systems of the National Health Insurance Institution, the Ministry of Health, and related institutions. It also suggests that broadband access be provided to hospitals and university clinics, emergency hospitals in large towns, town hospitals and village health centers. The Russian assessment was unique in its assertion that ICT should be used for promoting and supporting Russian culture. It was felt to be important as "Russians identify strongly with their culture, and consider it the main source of Russia's wealth". The strong national identity has resulted in a large program for E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 49 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 introducing ICT into arts and culture in Russia. This is intended to preserve Russian heritage, for example, through the digitized archiving of museum and library information. The action plan penned by the Romanian assessment team also calls for the contents of libraries, archives and museums to be digitized, and theatres and other cultural institutions connected. One assessments looked specifically at the use of ICT by government and civil society for development and poverty alleviation: Although there are 5000 community-based organizations and 200-300 NGOs in Jamaica, they use ICT solely as support for routine office functions. The use of ICT for service delivery or as a mobilizing or development tool has not been incorporated in the NGO sector, except for some environmental groups and health services organizations. Driving ICT use A few reports focused on the importance of locally relevant content and services for driving the use of ICT: with relevant content and The Tanzanian assessment suggests various strategies (such as competitions and prizes) that could be services used to raise awareness of Swahili websites, and dynamic communications media such as eThinkTankTz. The Jamaican assessment reports that one of the aims of the government's ICT procurement policy is to award large contracts to local companies producing locally relevant content. The Estonia report suggests motivating more widespread use of ICT through the provision of interesting and essential content. A rural communications fund has been established in Uganda, which is subsidizing services and developing local content for Internet communications to rural areas. 4.2.6 Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives Use of ICT in A few assessments looked into instances of and reasons behind everyday ICT use: everyday life Bulgaria found that barely 3% of Internet users shop online, while 10% use the Internet to plan travel. In Costa Rica, email is mainly used between friends and family, as opposed to business-to-business or business-to-consumer communication. Estonians use the Internet for the following reasons: email (70%); online searching (66%); occasional surfing (62%); Internet banking (57%) and "reading about Estonian issues" (54%). Most use Internet at their workplace (53%), at home (40%) or at school (29%). Most Estonians do not use the Internet for shopping or working. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 50 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 There are an estimated 125,000 regular Internet users in Uganda. 96% of them use the Internet from their offices, schools or public browsing centers. Computers have not been accepted as part of everyday life in Kenya, and most people who access computers only do so at their workplace. The Internet is used primarily for communication via email or chat in Panama. Only 6% of adults in Russia use the Internet once a week and 10% use it monthly. Public Some of the assessments looked at public perceptions and attitudes towards the importance and/or relevance perception of of ICT: the importance and/or The Tanzania assessment identifies an urgent need for raising ICT awareness all over the country and at all relevance of ICT levels. This was seen as the only way to ensure support and commitment to developing ICT and its use in peoples' daily activities. It found that general awareness of ICT in the country is driven by Internet cafes, news media, tertiary institutions, business and organizations. The authors of the Ugandan assessment recommend an awareness campaign targeted to the public, which should include encouraging users and potential users to bring a positive attitude to ICT use. For example, to embrace smart cards, people will have to change from their traditional physical money transactions and adopt the card system. The report suggests that the population must be made aware that they can purchase online (cheaply, quickly and conveniently). The assessment found Ugandans' attitudes towards ICT are quite positive, and even older respondents had the impression that ICT use is both necessary and inevitable. The Bulgarian assessment rated its e-society index at a rather low 2.29, indicating that there is still limited understanding of the real benefits associated with ICT, and even less direct experience. The report notes that public perception of Internet use plays a major part in its adoption in schools, and that the use of Internet in education and science is just above the average statistics for the country as a whole. There are low levels of general public awareness of the benefits of ICT in Romania and specifically, e- government services. The action plan proposes a national campaign to promote services offered by, and benefits associated with, the NES, as well as the advantages for SMEs in using ICT. Levels of awareness of the Internet are very low in Kenya, particularly in the rural areas and among SMEs. The importance of ICT has been recognized by only a limited number of institutions in Kenya, including ISPs, banks, large supermarket chains and universities. The Jamaica report claims that limits in ICT access and use are constrained not so much by techno-fear as by the limitation in knowledge, infrastructure, cost, technological competence and illiteracy. The authors E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 51 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 assert that a culture of information retention, rather than information sharing, stymies ICT growth. 4.2.7 Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use Geography All of the assessments that compared urban and rural areas' e-readiness found evidence of a digital divide of varying proportions: The Panama report points out that the geographic and demographic challenges of the country are one of the greatest barriers to overcoming rural disparities. Panama has an extremely dispersed population with over 6000 villages of less than 50 villagers each, and over 4300 small communities of less than 2000 people. There are infrastructure limitations in the areas outside the capital due to lack of interest by the private sector in servicing underserved areas, limited involvement by academia, and a lack of coherent government strategy for integrating ICT into its development strategy. The Russian report claims that many problems facing the country stem from the disparity between access to ICT in the large cities and outlying regions where the infrastructure is poor and incomes are lower. Teledensity is significantly different between Russian federal districts and rural areas. Until there is affordable technology and the infrastructure to support it, computers and connections will remain largely out of the reach of most rural inhabitants. The Belarus assessment compared the number of fixed-line telephones in urban and rural areas, finding teledensity weighted toward urban centers. Bulgaria noted that fewer than 3% of its Internet users live in small towns (the rest are in larger cities in the Sofia and Bourgas regions). The Estonia report states that 88% of rural children have Internet access at school, but it does not detail the extent. Demographics Although not all assessments looked at gender equity in access to ICT, and those that did showed quite different findings: The Ugandan and Panama reports found overall gender equality in Internet use. In Estonia, women were found to be more active users of the Internet than men. The Tanzanian study found that women comprise only 33% of the country's Internet users. Most of the assessments that considered the age factor found that overall young people are more prolific users of the Internet than older generations (including Belarus, Kenya, Uganda, Panama, Bulgaria and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 52 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Estonia). For example, 81% of Internet users in Estonia are under the age of 20. Only the Romanian action plan looks at issues affecting disabled persons, mandating that accessibility standards for ICT should be adopted, especially aimed at improving the social integration of disabled persons. Economic status A few assessments looked at poverty levels, the extent to which economic status affects access to ICT, and/or and poverty the use of ICT as a tool in the fight against poverty: Although Internet access costs in Romania are low compared with the average within EU countries, there are relatively low numbers of Internet users, owing to limited electronic commerce services, low levels of average income and the relatively low number of computers in the majority of households. The Belarusian elite use the Internet six times more than the general public. 69.3% of the Jamaican population in poverty lives in rural areas. To reach the poor, the Jamaican report suggests an integrated community development and outreach program with ICT at its core. The aim would be to increase the ICT skills and e-literacy of the marginalized majority of the population, accelerate the roll-out of ICT throughout the education sector, and encourage technological innovation and life-long learning. Although completely focused on the e-readiness of specific sectors of SMEs, the Philippines assessment cites levels of poverty, unemployment, population growth and availability of social services as issues inevitably impacting upon e-readiness. Indeed, with SMEs providing over 60% of employment opportunities in the country, the e-readiness of these enterprises is an important factor in poverty alleviation. The Uganda report highlights government awareness of the need for appropriate information to be available at all levels of society in order for the national development programs on poverty eradication, decentralization, and involvement of the public in governance are to succeed. Large state subsidies on telephone bills are available to minority groups in Russia. 4.2.8 Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use Liberalization of Most assessments reported the extent to which the telecommunications sector is liberalized. In many of the telecoms sector countries where telecommunications is controlled by a state-owned monopoly, authors recommended privatization (e.g. Belarus and Bulgaria). Costa Rica is the only country in its region in which the government still has a monopoly in telephony and Internet connectivity. While the report acknowledges that this factor could constitute an important limitation for the country's competitiveness and technological advance, it also points to the benefits of E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 53 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Ministry of Science and Technology policies aiming to close the digital divide in "a timely and efficient manner". However, the report concludes that "such policies would work even better in a competitive regime". The Costa Rican report found that 75% of the population supports the revision of the telecommunications sector's regulatory and legal frameworks and the opening up of the state-owned telecom to private competition. Following the deregulation of the Philippine's telecommunications market, teledensity rose from 4.66 in 1996 to 9.05 in 2000. Romania has liberalized its telecommunications market. Tanzania's telecommunications sector is liberalized, with vigorous competition in the mobile sector. Although the number of private telecommunications providers and operators in Uganda has been increasing in recent years, as well as the number of subscribers, the exclusivity clause in the license of the two major operators has hindered entry of new participants in the sector, affecting international bandwidth infrastructure in particular. In Kenya, the incumbent operator (Telkom Kenya) continues to enjoy monopoly over fixed lines, leased lines, international gateway and services, commercial very small aperture terminal (VSAT) networks and Internet. However, several services have been liberalized, including mobile, value added services, paging, public telephone, and VSAT services. Although the Ministry of Communications in Bulgaria has declared intentions to implement a policy aimed at liberalization of the telecommunications sector, there has been no action in this regard, and Beltelecom remains a monopoly. The report maintains that, "the Ministry...is interested in restraining competitiveness." The Trinidad and Tobago report indicates that the legal and regulatory framework for telecommunications in that country, despite some negative perceptions, is moving in the right direction. According to the Telecommunication Service of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), deregulation is underway, new service providers will be in the market soon, and new, appropriate technologies are being implemented. However, the report found that there is a lack of awareness and understanding of these developments beyond TSTT itself. The Panama telecommunications market is still in transition since the privatization of the national carrier. This has introduced competition into some markets, the ultimate goal being a free market economy. VoIP is now offered. Regulatory Some reports noted the existence or lack of an independent telecommunications regulating body, and a few environment for provided critical analysis of its activities, effectiveness, and the level to which it exercises its independence telecoms sector from the government: E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 54 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The Estonia assessment describes the telecommunications market and regulatory environment "to all extents at the same level as Finland's". The Jamaica report highlights the importance of a coordinating, monitoring and standards generating authority, independent of any department or ministry, to review and integrate the respective ICT plans; provide guidance in negotiations in international fora; develop projects; and conduct the community outreach and public awareness conferences, seminars, and meetings. Tanzania has a regulator in place (the Tanzania Communications Commission). While all Kenyan operators contribute toward provision of universal access, there is no regulation of compliance, so universal service implementation is not effective and there are schools and hospitals without telephones. The report maintains that the telecommunications regulator is going through a learning curve towards effectively regulating the market. There is limited technical capacity within the regulatory body, facing challenges like spectrum management, service quality monitoring policy, and policy instruments for bringing under one regulatory regime the converging technologies of IT, telecommunications and broadcasting. The report also notes that tariffs of leased lines for the period before expiry of monopoly status of fixed network should be regulated. The Assistant Commissioner for Transport and Communications described the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) as one of the most respected regulatory bodies in Africa. He proposed the implementation of the national ICT policy and review of duopoly rules of telecommunications operations as ways of streamlining its performance. The establishment of an independent regulatory authority in Panama, together with the formulation a charter of Panamanian Law and New Technologies Association (a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the understanding of the law as it relates to ICT), have led to basic improvements and clarifications of the legal and business environments for ICT. Intellectual A few assessment reports looked into issues related to intellectual property rights (IPR), but only at a property rights superficial level: The Jamaica report states that the country is on course in terms of IPR protection, although it emphasizes the need to create regulatory frameworks to protect intellectual property. The Russian report notes that Russians are largely unaware of IPR law, including little awareness of copyright law and its affects on society. Software piracy is identified as a significant problem in Russia, where it was rife until recently. The government's commitment to observe international intellectual property law has had a limited impact so far, with street vendors selling legal products alongside pirated versions. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 55 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Privacy and A few reports raised issues related to privacy or information security: security The Philippines assessment reported that there are no policies to address issues related to information security, interconnection, or convergence. In Romania, data security issues have been regulated to protect personal data and prevent free circulation of such data. There are also laws on the processing of personal data and protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector, as well as a law on electronic signatures. The national action plan outlines various measures for preventing fraud and electronic crime, including implementing security measures against hacker attacks. There are also plans to develop anti-virus software and secure electronic payment systems, promote smart cards (for authentication and securing access to everything from pay phones to medical services), and introduce security and encryption technologies in the local and central public administration. The Russian report notes that laws on data protection and the use of digital signatures are out of date in Russia, and those specifically for e-commerce and the protection of personal data do not yet exist. It urges that e-commerce will not become widespread in Russia until there are laws that support it and protect people against cyber-crime. The Panama report urges the government to consider integrating issues related to privacy, security and intellectual property right into the ICT policy. E-commerce Those assessments that considered e-commerce legislation looked mainly at issues around the circulation of laws electronic documents and electronic signatures: The Kenyan assessment found that there is no commerce law, nor national or regional e-commerce platform in place. The Philippines assessment found that the country is one of the few countries in Asia to enact an e- commerce law. The Uganda assessment reports that physical signatures are required on any legal document in Uganda. As financial institutions in Trinidad and Tobago provide increasingly sophisticated Internet access to their systems, a trusted center for digital signatures will be required. National ICT Some reports outlined the country's progress in terms of developing or implementing a national ICT policy, policy and/or while others made suggestions and/or recommendations for establishing or improving them: e-strategy A national ICT policy framework for Uganda has been put in place, and strategies for its implementation are being formalized. The policy has been ratified by the government. Five institutions have been selected to E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 56 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 implement the strategy: the Ministry of Works (working on e-government), the Uganda Investment Authority (e-commerce), Office of the President (e-information), and the Ministries of Education and Health (e-education and e-health, respectively). The Romanian report outlines in detail its national action plan or e-strategy. The Tanzanian assessment found a growing consensus about the need for a national ICT policy. The National Information and Communications Technologies Policy was published in 2003. There is no published ICT policy in Russia, but there are two documents pending which aim to map out key concepts for a national ICT strategy and related budgetary allocation for the next few years. They are the Doctrine for Internet Security in the Russian Federation, 2000, which provides basic concepts on the development of an information society in Russia, and the Electronic Russia (e-Russia) program, 2001-2002, which promotes the uptake of ICT across society. One of the articulated goals is to help the Russian software industry, especially in the development of tools for the public sector. The Trinidad and Tobago report notes that the legal infrastructure required to support e-readiness is non- existent. The mechanisms to start tackling this issue were discussed during an assessment team workshop. The Panama report suggests the government refine and deepen existing national ICT strategies. Other policies In describing the policy environments of the country, some assessment teams detailed important policies and and laws that Acts already in existence that are related to ICT, while others identified areas where the lack of legislation is affect ICT use effectively hindering access to and uptake of ICT: The Estonian assessment describes the most important regulations influencing the developments of the Estonian information society. The Romanian assessment discusses many laws and Acts, from the law on universal service and rights of users regarding electronic communication services and networks, to those concerned with e-commerce, data security and privacy. The Tanzanian report explained that some policies -- such as those forbidding the use of VoIP -­ are inhibiting the impact that ICT can have on Tanzania's development. The Ugandan study found that the ICT trade liberalization policy has successfully doubled the number of computers in Uganda. The Kenyan report maintained that wireless local access to ISPs should be allowed. In addition, the report suggested that even though tariffs on computing equipment were reduced, the lack of policies and laws to enhance the electronic trade environment will continue to hinder the acquisition of end-user equipment. In Costa Rica, several Bills have been presented to the Legislative Assembly towards creating an enabling E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 57 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 environment for ICT. One key Bill is the Government Bill on the Right of Access to the Internet (File number 14.029), which aims to create the right legislative environment for development of the ISP sector, especially in support of Internet access via cable and digital subscriber line (DSL). The Russian report states that overall, legal and regulatory framework for dealing with the ICT sector is inappropriate. Existing laws are out-dated, referring back to the early 1990s, and steps to update them are extremely slow, hindered mostly by concerns over changes to tax law. New laws are considered in isolation, with no reference to existing law. Changes in regulations surrounding ICT are near impossible to keep up with, resulting in a chaotic system. By contrast, Russia's trade policy in the sphere of ICT is on a par with other countries, with one important exception. The report describes the process of applying export tariffs to software, in which these products are subjected to a lengthy inspection for compliance with government licensing rules, as complicated and corrupt. This has created an environment that is not conducive to the survival of ICT startups looking to export their products. The Panama assessment calls for a universal access strategy and funding mechanism to address the challenges of underserved markets. Stakeholder A few reports looked at the levels and kinds of stakeholder engagement in policy-making processes: engagement in policy-making Although there are many private firms using ICT for various purposes in Uganda, the private sector does processes not have a common platform for influencing ICT policy at a national or regional level. In addition to participating in government-sponsored ICT initiatives, company executives in Panama often dedicate significant amounts of their own time to a range of private efforts that broadly promote everything from the integration of ICT in education, to informing policy-makers on business conditions, developing joint marketing strategies, and preparing business for e-commerce. Stakeholder engagement in policy-making processes. When asked about the extent to which the private sector engages in ICT policy-making in Uganda, a member of the Ugandan assessment team said, "The private sector is not organized yet. The country has many private firms but they do not speak with one voice. They have not taken up the issues affecting their operations with either government or international organizations." 4.2.9 Looking at security and whether people trust ICT Public trust in A few studies considered public perceptions of and trust in ICT use: technology The Costa Rica assessment recommends that a technical department be established to address factors that E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 58 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 discourage citizen's use of the Internet, including viruses, hacker intrusion, author's rights on the network and electronic fraud. The Trinidad and Tobago reflected on the issue, but without substantiating its arguments in concrete findings. The report asserts that employees are generally resistant to change, particularly when they feel threatened by new technology. It similarly states that the public at large is often suspicious and skeptical about the actions and motives of banks and governments (particularly when banks act together). But it does not explain what evidence these views are based on. It concludes that there needs to be effective communication at every level, and recommends that an overall communications plan should be formulated, and controlled centrally. E-commerce A few assessments looked at the extent to which e-commerce transactions are secure and/or public security and perceptions of security associated with electronic services: consumers The financial and commercial communities in Trinidad and Tobago are relatively small in terms of market and geography, and the report concluded that trust is therefore not currently a major concern. But as these markets become increasingly e-enabled, and open up to cross-border transactions, trust becomes vital. The report identifies the need for stringent encryption and authentication capabilities. The Russian report explains that the large shadow economy leads to distrust in ICT for business, especially in the areas of e-commerce and business-to-business transactions. Bulgaria found that lack of trust in the technology was a factor contributing to the low use of Internet for banking and commerce. The Romanian action plan notes that security of information systems in institutions, at a national or regional level needs to be assessed. Political Political openness, transparency and democracy were considered by a few reports: openness, transparency The Tanzania report recognizes the need for a common country information "gatekeeper", and those and democracy interviewed further identified the need for accurate, adequate and accessible information in the country. The report maintains that access to standard tendering procedures for civil work contracts would pave the way for transparency and fairness; and making submissions to judicial cases online can cut down the time taken up to judge cases, and hence increase efficiency. The Jamaican Government procurement policy for ICT has improved transparency through the National Contracts Commission. The Russian report describes corruption as endemic to business and government administration, and highlights this as a factor hindering the growth of the ICT industry. Although a large number of software E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 59 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 "piraters" were arrested after the Ministry of Justice changed its position on IPR, the courts are not totally independent of "executive bodies", and the report mentions that illegitimate court rulings are common in Russia. Additionally, money laundering and illicit dealings in the stock of companies that are subject to a hostile takeover have had a serious impact on the business climate ­- all of which has affected the approach to IPR and growth of the ICT sector. 4.2.10 Examining the use of ICT in business Access to and While most countries looked at levels of infrastructure and access to ICT in businesses, each used a slightly use of ICT different measure or qualified the measures in varying levels of detail: among businesses 75% of Estonian companies have at least one computer (50% have 1-3), and 89% of these have Internet access. 35% of those companies with Internet access have their own homepage. Belarus found that few offices have computers that are networked for file sharing. In Bulgaria, only 7.3% of workplaces are computerized, less than 20% have intranets and only 12% are connected to the Internet. In Jamaica, 64% of small businesses do not have computers, while 88% of those that do have computers are not connected to the Internet. 45% of medium-sized businesses have computers, 9% of which are connected to the Internet. Only 16% of employees have access to a networked PC in Kenya. There were no statistics available for corporate use of computers and the Internet in Trinidad and Tobago. About 71% of the organizations surveyed in Nairobi reported that they have a fax and telephone. However, there are a small number of people within these organizations using these facilities. About 37% of organizations reported that they have installed public pay phones for use by their employees on the premises, and only 16% of employees have access to a networked PC. Only 1% of Filipino businesses are online, and of these, application is limited to advertising and basic email communication. Business-to-consumer and business-to-business (B2B) transactions are very limited. Only negligible e-business is conducted in Tanzania. In Panama, professional managers and business owners were most likely to use the Internet, followed by government employees and office workers. While about 22% of the Kenyan workforce, particularly in Nairobi, is expected to use computers, only about 15% are current users. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 60 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Local businesses A number of assessments gauged business use of ICT by looking at whether local businesses have websites: with websites Most large Romanian companies have web presence through their own sites, while most small businesses have presentation pages hosted by the chambers of commerce, business portals or free hosting sites. 9% of medium businesses in Jamaica have websites. 64% of firms surveyed in the Philippines assessment have a website (besides garments SMEs which did not provide the relevant information). The majority of Bulgarian company websites contain mostly static, basic information (limited to a company profile, contact information and listing of products), which is rarely updated. 35% of Estonian companies with Internet access have their own homepage. About 40% of the organizations surveyed in Nairobi, and 19% in other areas, have active websites. Most have largely static content. There are generally fewer than two domain names per 1000 inhabitants registered by local businesses and institutions in Belarus. Use of ICT by The reports covered the use of ICT by SMEs with varying degrees of detail: small and medium-sized The Philippines report was largely concerned with the use of ICT by SMEs in four sectors. The rationale enterprise behind the Philippines assessment is that with SMEs representing the majority of firms in the Philippines (SME) (99.61%) and providing 67% of the country's total employment, the levels of e-readiness of these engines of growth is critical to inform efforts to enhance and increase their productivity. The report found the electronics sector to be the most e-ready, with the highest penetration of ICT (the adoption of new technologies results from pressures of competitiveness from large contracting firms), while the processed fruit sector is the furthest behind due to the nature of an industry which has mostly small-scale producers and simple production processes. Most SMEs in the Philippines are still unaware of the benefits of ICT. The Philippines report suggests that SMEs, their trade associations, and the Philippines Government should collaborate to promote awareness of the benefits of ICT. The authors describe how this can be achieved by sharing knowledge and replicating best practice, and working together within sectors to develop business models emphasizing the efficiency and economy of business operations enabled by ICT. The report found that about two of three SMEs surveyed use ICT for manufacturing, sales, procurement, process control, finance and accounting R&D. Approximately one out of three uses ICT for business and strategic planning, customer service and personnel training. The Jamaican assessment finds that most SMEs suffer from undeveloped IT-based business skills. It suggests that support mechanisms are established to facilitate the transition and maturity of SMEs and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 61 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 ensure that government procurement policies are consistent with their needs. The Panama report established that there is active support for ICT uptake within the SME sector, and that there are businesses in Panama that promote the use of e-commerce for business by SMEs. E-commerce Most reports looked at the prevalence of e-commerce, and found it to be either non-existent, or at the most, limited: E-commerce via the Internet is rudimentary in Jamaica, where its growth is constrained. However, rapid expansion in non-Internet e-commerce has taken place in recent years. 47% of Philippines firms sell products online, and for 89%, email is the most common form of communicating with suppliers and customers. However, only 16% and 14% give and receive payment online, respectively. In Romania, electronic point-of-sale systems have been introduced not only at retailers but also in government administration offices delivering services to the public. However, while electronic communication infrastructure is the main factor influencing the development of e-commerce in Romania, its uptake is affected by the business environment, skill levels of the users, the legal framework, quality of services offered by local ISPs, and degree of acceptance of new technologies by the business community. The limited presence of real e-commerce solutions limits the use of ICT in everyday life. The Trinidad and Tobago report noted that there is a widely held view that the e-commerce market in that country, especially for private individuals, is limited. No transactions are carried out online in Uganda, and credit cards are not available. (Credit card facilities were established in Uganda in July 2004, after the assessment was conducted). In Kenya, there is a large network of point-of-sale terminals and merchants who accept credit cards for the services rendered. Although there are more than 200 "electronic shops" in Belarus (200 in Minsk and 19 in other regions), the report explains that it is impossible to use credit cards or debit cards for payments. A few reports also provided statistics on the prevalence of Internet banking amongst the population: 55% of banks in Belarus do not have a website; while 33% have websites that provide information only. Only 4% of Belarusian banks offer transactional Internet banking. The banks in Trinidad and Tobago offer websites for general information, limited e-banking facilities, and telephone banking. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 62 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 A few assessments looked at business-to-business e-commerce, but overall they found low integration of ICT in this area (Bulgaria, Costa Rica and Kenya): In Kenya, about 5% of the organizations interviewed had installed Internet-based business-to-business applications (including e-banking). 56% of organizations reported that they accept orders via telephone and fax. The Kenya report identified a need for raising awareness among business leaders on the strategic benefits of using ICT in core operations, and the benefits of business-to-business commerce (such as reduced cost of transactions). The report found evidence that high costs of digital leased lines are discouraging business-to-business commerce activities. The Ugandan report identified online fish and flower auctions as a feature that would enable Ugandan producers to interact directly with the procurement sections of supermarkets in other countries, cutting out middlemen and agencies and creating more wealth for Ugandan companies, including the small and medium-sized ones. Similarly, a few reports investigated business-to-consumer e-commerce, but again they found that it is used in only limited ways: 83% of Estonians are not interested in shopping online. Romanian virtual traders offer online product catalogs and functionality for placing orders online, but payment still takes place by traditional methods. Only 30% of the organizations surveyed in the Kenyan study reported using email for sales and marketing. Hardware and A few country reports mentioned local hardware and software development, although none mentioned the use software and/or development of open source software: development The Jamaica study found that there is no production of hardware in the country, while software production is low and concerned mainly with adapting and localizing imported software. Over 4800 companies in Romania develop software as their primary activity. The sector is represented predominantly by small companies, mainly due to the tax advantages (where a profit-based tax of 25% is replaced with an income tax of 1.5%). Less than 50% of software in Kenya is locally developed. The report recommends that locally developed software applications should be increased to comprise over 90% of the market. The Kenyan report suggests that local business software and content development activities should be encouraged by creating science parks (or ICT centers of excellence) and IT business incubator centers in Kenya. It also suggests that the government should give tax incentives to entice foreign software development companies to work with local programmers, and the local assembly of computers should be encouraged. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 63 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 In Russia, obtaining a license for software export is so difficult that a number of software houses have moved abroad where the restrictions do not impact so heavily on their business. Among those that remain, there is a lack of innovation and motivation at top-level management, which was identified as a factor holding back ICT business in that country. Nevertheless, the Russian software industry is slowly starting to grow; and its main export destination is the USA. The total volume of personal computer PC sales is also increasing and a number of manufacturers are now assembling PCs in Russia. In Panama, some companies have converted their experience in working with national industries, such as banking, to produce software and services for export. ICT sector Businesses -- from small enterprises to multinational companies -- that sell equipment, applications and services play an important role in increasing a country's e-readiness, and the benefits that come with it. Some reports looked at the ICT sector in the country, including a few that did so in depth (notably Uganda): There are an estimated 451 companies in the Estonian ICT sector. Most are very small, and the eight largest companies make up 85% of turnover for the whole sector. The Tanzanian report looked at the phenomenon of Internet cafes, and concluded that they are unlikely to survive under current economic models. The report identifies a need for effective economic research and guidance to operators. In Kenya, there are about 1000 cyber cafes in Nairobi and other cities and major towns that are being used by business people and young people. There are currently six call centers operating in Panama, representing an estimated 5000 jobs and creating significant entry-level employment. The key providers of Internet access in Uganda are 16 ISPs and the two leading telecom operators. MTN Uganda is synonymous with Uganda's telecommunications revolution. Five years after it began operations, MTN has 416,000 subscribers and Ugandan call rates are among the lowest on the continent. The Ugandan report recommends that the country tap into the lucrative call-center market by attracting multinational companies to set up and invest in facilities in Uganda. It suggests that technology parks be established to encourage private sector startups. It also suggests that infrastructure companies be invited to set up masts, fiber optic trunks, and other infrastructure that could be leased by the major ICT players for a fee. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 64 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 4.2.11 Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use Macroeconomic None of the assessments gave comprehensive coverage to the broad macroeconomic issues that affect e- context readiness, although the Jamaican and Bulgarian assessments considered most aspects. Overall, the reports looked at the following issues: Competitiveness rankings with other countries. Some countries (particularly those calculating or quoting the NRI) provided competitiveness rankings. Estonia quoted its leading position among 49 countries in terms of investment into telecommunications, as reported in the Global Competitiveness Report (WEF, 2002-2003). Contribution of ICT sector to GDP. In Jamaica, the ICT sector's contribution to GDP and impact on the economy are marginal. This comes despite marked improvements in bandwidth capacity, an increase in teledensity (both fixed-line and mobile telephones), extensive computerization within the financial sector, and moves toward liberalization in the ICT sector. An identified goal of the Tanzanian assessment is to inform the development of a strong ICT industry which contributes to sustainable economic growth, and social and economic empowerment. Expenditure on ICT. The Estonian report found that Estonians spend 5% of their income on telecommunications, and 3% on IT. It points out that this is remarkable considering GDP per capita, which at the time of writing (2001) was 4524.6 EUR. Expenditure on research and development. Few assessments reported human and financial inputs into R&D. The Estonian report identifies the need to give incentives to the companies to increase their spending on research and development. Jamaica, similarly, finds that real research and innovation is minimal as venture capital is not readily available, while funding for research and development is very limited and not considered a priority by either the public or private sectors. ICT creating/replacing jobs. The assertion that ICT is beneficial to economic progress and a generator of employment comes along with the counter argument that technology which replaces people leads to job loss. Few reports looked into this issue in depth, however, the Jamaica assessment underlines the importance of supporting and facilitating the use of ICT in business, with a focus on creating employment opportunities in the services, content and hardware sub-sectors. Technology transfer and assimilation. A few assessments looked deeply into issues around technology transfer. For example, Estonian companies, whether owned by local or international capital, are primarily subcontractors to foreign corporations, and only a few of them are able to sell high-value added products and services on their own. The Estonian report finds that technology is assimilated through imports, foreign direct investment and imitation. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 65 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Progression towards a knowledge-based economy. Some of the reports promoted the aim to move their country's economy toward a knowledge-base. The Jamaica report identified the need to implement measures and mechanisms for facilitating the country's transformation from a traditional manufacturing and agricultural economy to one that is information and knowledge-based. The report acknowledges that this will require consideration of the appropriate organizational processes, structures, management systems and practices, work processes, and partnerships. Export of ICT-related products and services. The Jamaican assessment recommends that the country develop a conscious export thrust based on e-commerce, to counter the brain drain and develop the local economy. "High technology" is identified as the most important export sector in Costa Rica, reportedly due to the focus on developing quality human resources and a zero import-tax policy on ICT, components of a strategy to support the production of technology and knowledge-intensive goods and services. State, civil society and private sector partnerships. Some reports underlined the importance of partnerships for realizing common and linked socio-economic goals. The Jamaica assessment recommends broad-based participation through capacity-building, and by prioritizing partnerships between the state, civil society and private sectors, in order to make such a commitment worthwhile. Foreign Most assessments looked at the levels of and need for foreign direct investment, including: investment Belarus identified the need for foreign direct investment for improving infrastructure and producing ICT for export. The Costa Rica assessment states that foreign direct investment represents up to 5% of GDP per year. In Romania, the highest improvement of foreign direct investment was in the ICT sector, following the granting of licenses for mobile telephony and the privatization of the fixed-line national operator. Foreign companies have approximately 50% of the market share in the hardware industry. Foreign direct investment flows in Jamaica have declined in recent years. Taxation A few reports mentioned issues around taxation (besides those that reported whether import tax is charged on ICT): Some of the countries assessed have instituted a zero import-tax policy on ICT (Costa Rica and Romania). There are no tax breaks available for companies in the ICT sector in Tanzania. But while business regulations are generally cumbersome, ICT is not singled out except in a positive sense (including a zero- rating for value-added tax). There are no particular restrictions on trade in ICT products in the sector. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 66 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Duties have been removed from computer and related accessories in Jamaica. Tax on PC and other associated devices is close to 24% in Kenya. The Kenyan report suggests a reduction in tax on ICT equipment and services to less than 10% (including duty and value-added tax). The Tanzanian assessment found the taxation system cumbersome, costly to administer and "unfriendly" towards small companies. In Russia, taxes are high and they discourage innovation in ICT and development of the SME sector. 4.2.12 Gauging the government's role in driving e-readiness Political will to Reports varied in their assessment of the government's political will. Some were more critical than others of drive ICT-based the government's role in fostering or hindering the use of technology and development of infrastructure: development The Belarus report states that "the Ministry of Communication maintains archaic regulations that hamper the development of the Internet", and that it should be re-structured and re-organized. The Romanian Government is reportedly committed to increasing the use of ICT in Romania, within government, for government service delivery, and by business and civil society. The Government has created an inter-Ministerial working group to coordinate and implement activities intended to increase ICT access and use. The Romanian report uses the term "digital culture gap" to describe the fundamentally different environments of the central administration (the Ministries located in Bucharest) and their regional and rural counter-parts. Romanian administration has been completely decentralized and processes are being streamlined to reduce the number of middlemen. This creates situations where civil servants in small rural offices, who often lack ICT skills (and sometimes even computers), are increasingly required to interact electronically with well-resourced civil servants in the national capital. The Ugandan assessment found both the government and the regulator keen to ensure equitable and widespread growth of connectivity; in particular, the government intends to expand the ICT network into hitherto unconnected areas considered unviable by the telecommunications carriers. Political support for ICT has been sporadic across Russian government departments. The e-Russia program has had a halting start, with competing, regional programs taking away some of the momentum. The report states that a lack of coordination between government departments and general mismanagement means the program is unlikely to succeed. The Panama report describes that although there are complaints about the Panama Government's ineffectiveness and lack of vision, there is significant activity and commitment on the part of numerous government entities. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 67 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Acquisition and Many assessments provided information on the acquisition of, access to, and use of ICT in government: use of ICT in government 18% of Bulgarian government administration is computerized. The Jamaican report recommends mandating the use of ICT in the public sector and extending the modernization program to all levels of government. Budgetary constraints for government spending on ICT for health, education and local administration are limiting the uptake of Internet in the Romanian Government. The Tanzania Government implemented an Integrated Financial Management System in 2001. About 28 districts are already connected, and plans are in place to connect all sub-treasuries. The report found a generally low level of automation within the government departments owing to shortages of skills, money and equipment. Use of ICT in the Ugandan Government is limited to certain departments and staff. There has been no effort towards ensuring standards or compatibility across systems, even within the same Ministries. Most computers are not networked, most Ministries do not use email, and some key Ministries are without at internal telephone system. To make ICT more affordable for government departments, the report calls for improved procurement processes (including equipment recommendations, an approved list of dealers, and bulk purchasing to reduce costs and improve bargaining capability); centralization of information management systems, databases and servers; and co-ordination of training and capacity-building efforts. The report identifies the need for a body to coordinate all ICT related activities of the government, such as procurement, maintenance of hardware and software, and creation of standards. The Estonia report compared the government's expenditure on ICT with other countries. It found that despite resources allocated to ICT financing having grown almost 4 times between 1997 and 2003 (28.44 million EUR), its expenditures on ICT have been rather modest, compared with other countries that spend 2.5-4 % of the state budget on similar costs. The Romanian report identified the high costs of mobile Internet access and budgetary constraints for Government spending on ICT for health, education and local administration as factors limiting the uptake of Internet in the government. The timeframes outlined in the e-strategy have proven difficult to comply with, mainly owing to a lack of financial resources allocated for this purpose. This is especially the case for local public administrations faced with the challenge of correlating and interconnecting local and central databases. The Government of Panama is using the Integrated System for Financial Management of Panama as part of a long-term attempt to modernize the state finances. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 68 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Government ICT Some assessment reports provided summaries of major public-initiated and/or funded initiatives, including a initiatives few that critically analyzed existing government initiatives. Others made suggestions for establishing them. Most of the major projects in Estonia have been initiated by the public sector, including computerizing schools and public administration, generating ID-card infrastructure, and developing e-services. The Ugandan Government spearheaded the Rural Connectivity Development Fund (RCDF) to establish Internet points of presence in all districts up to the lower units at the sub-counties. The Kenyan report suggests that an advisory center should be established to help communities setup and operate non-profit public computer labs in schools, libraries, and shopping centers. The Panama report asserted that clear leadership in the country is lacking, demonstrated by the high failure rate of ICT projects. The report described a situation where different government entities have conflicting interests in the outcomes of these projects, and undercut one another. Public-private All the assessments that mentioned public-private partnerships agree on their benefits: partnerships The Estonia assessment reports that since 2001, the private sector had been a moderate supporter of information society developments, but public-private partnerships are starting to develop and have an impact. The report recommends stronger co-operation of state institutions with one another and their private sector counterparts to expedite national ICT projects such as an e-citizen portal and other electronic services. The Tanzania assessment found that there is political will for supporting the use of ICT and for cooperating with the private sector to develop it. The report suggests aid to communities to help them build partnerships, as licensing procedures hinder the entrepreneurial spirit of most prospective cafe owners. The report offers examples of local industries and authorities engaging to build Internet cafes, and urges that this be encouraged. It underlines that partnerships can foster more effective use of scarce resources. For example, schools can form partnerships with local entrepreneurs who can install computers, Internet connections and other ICT in schools. Romania's action plan calls for the establishment of a system for periodical consultations government Ministries, the Agency for Small and Medium Size Enterprises and Cooperation (ANIMMC), the Romanian Association of Banks, and the National Bank of Romania to identify and monitor measures for stimulating e- commerce. The Ugandan report similarly favors the formation of more private-public partnerships. Collaboration across organizations and sectors in Panama is lacking, despite stated interest, potential mutual benefit, and overwhelming need. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 69 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 4.3 Outcomes from the infoDev-supported assessment processes Action plans Of the 13 infoDev-supported assessments reviewed as part of this study, seven included or were followed by action plans. The format and level of detail in each varies widely. Some reports refer to broad recommendations as "action plans", but in general these give only high-level guidance on policy. While some outlined practical next steps, few provided specifics like timelines (some provided years, but few gave months), assigned responsibilities, or estimated budget requirements. A few made suggestions for ground- level initiatives. The action plan set out in the Romanian report summarizes and builds upon the national action plan, which was formally adopted by the government in December 2002. It then lists specific short-term action items intended to enhance the impact of national plan. For example, it recommends assessing the costs associated with measures in the national action plan, and mandating that each public institution adopt an information society implementation action plan. Because of the limited scope of the Trinidad and Tobago assessment, its recommendations and action plan are far more specific than many others generated under the infoDev e-readiness initiative. It provides a high-level overview of the various projects, responsible stakeholders (steering committee/ Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago/ Bankers Association) and a timeframe. For example, it proposes a detailed structure for the e-commerce community of Trinidad and Tobago, recommending the formalization of existing groups, and outlining a clearer set of responsibilities for each. The Kenya action plan identifies critical issues, outlines objectives and succinctly describes a strategy for reaching each. But although the action plan table includes columns for timeframes and assigning action items, they are very broad. Timeframes are given in year estimates, and responsibilities are assigned to "the Government of Kenya", or "the private sector". The Belarus assessment report and action plan outlined ICT priorities for country, including improving access and accessibility; encouraging ICT innovation; stimulating public interest; formulating a vision for Belarus' information society; and understanding the place and role of the country in the global information society. A few months following the publication of the report, UNDP Belarus and the House of Representatives held a series of round-table discussions with the objective of identifying priorities and critical points of ICT impact on the economy and society, and defining major barriers impeding ICT development in Belarus. The round-table meetings reconfirmed the earlier findings by reaching very similar conclusions. The Costa Rica assessment states as an objective the identification of policies for the short- and medium- term; however it fails to realize this objective, and provides only broad policy recommendations that could apply to both the medium- and long-term. The Ugandan report includes an action plan for taking the country's e-readiness to the next level. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 70 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The Jamaican report includes the foundation for an action plan. The Russian action plan is available from http://www.riocenter.ru (in Russian only). The assessment processes in Estonia, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Panama and the Philippines did not reach the action plan stage of the e-readiness process. The recommendations in the Panama assessment are described as "navigational considerations" rather than an action plan for government. The Philippines micro- assessments each identify strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and provide practical information for furthering competitiveness. Informed policy- Although it is difficult to gauge the extent to which decisions and changes in ICT regulation followed directly making from the findings and recommendations of the assessment reports, some of the assessments seem to have led to positive change in the country: Although the Bulgaria assessment was intended as a source of information for others and was not expected to make recommendations or suggest policy actions, it nevertheless informed the government's understanding of the issues and highlighted areas for intervention. The assessment informed Bulgaria's e- government strategy, as well as a policy paper that outlines options for the development of ICT in Bulgaria, both as a competitive industry and as a tool for socio-economic development. It also served to attract international attention and increase pressure on the government to act, especially with regard to fulfilling the e-Europe guidelines (for example, on telecommunications sector deregulation). The Ugandan report has been utilized extensively to feed into policy and decision-making processes, including the development of an e-government initiative, and the formation of the National Planning Authority and the Information and Telecommunications Authority of Uganda. The Trinidad and Tobago report has had a significant impact on government policy, and led to the prioritization of e-commerce in the country. Two key policy papers to be published in Estonia (Principles of the Estonian Information Policy for 2004 - 2006, and the Information Policy Action Plan for 2005, both still in draft form at the time of writing), were informed by the assessment study. As was the Joint Memorandum on Social Inclusion of Estonia, published in December 2003 by the European Commission in Brussels.13 The organization that led the assessment was also twice invited to present the results and report on the situation in Estonia to inform the development of the e-Europe action plan, and they provided input and comment based on the findings to the Information Society section of the National Development Plan 2004-2006. All of the outcomes following the Romanian report are linked to the eEurope action plan and eEurope 2005, 13http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-prot/soc-incl/est_jim_en.pdf E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 71 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 and are effectively promoting the country's integration into the EU. The report and action plan have been useful to policy-makers, mainly in the development of the Interoperability Framework draft law, which focuses on definitions for a common standard of communication for government institutions. The Tanzanian report fed into the national ICT policy-making process. The draft report is available on the COSTECH website, and has been visited by many government, private sector and civil society groups for various purposes. Although the e-Belarus State program was adopted by the government before the assessment report was published (December 2002), its design was informed by the draft assessment report data. The Philippines report achieved its objective of informing the Department of Trade and Industry on decisions for strategic interventions by government in the areas of ICT use by business and engagement in e-commerce. The Secretary of Trade and Industry gave instructions based on the report's findings, and current efforts seek to increase financial support and technical assistance to SMEs. Research and Many reports filled gaps in available knowledge and data, and for some countries, the assessments were the analysis impetus for further research and advocacy in the field of e-readiness: The Romanian Ministry of Transport and Communications praised the assessment for having provided knowledge and empirical data that proved to be particularly useful to the Ministry and other government agencies in evaluating the country's performance in the information society and identifying problem areas where action is needed. As part of the Belarus assessment, new software was developed to facilitate the use of three different assessment tools. The result is a unique data source which provides rich insights into a range of Belarus' ICT-related issues. Authors of the Estonia report call for further research addressing the link between ICT and growth, quality of work and social cohesion. The assessment was the basis for numerous subsequent reports concerned with telecommunications and the Internet, human resources development, the regulatory framework and public institutions. In Bulgaria, a follow-up assessment was conducted to measure progress, it also adjusts the methodology to include additional data sources and reflect recent changes. The Costa Rica assessment team conducted a further study into specific issues raised in the report, such as the high technology sector and an e-readiness assessment of Costa Rican public institutions. The findings of the Tanzania assessment informed a number of surveys and studies conducted by the German and Swedish development agencies, as well as a number of postgraduate theses. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 72 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The Belarus assessment laid the ground for subsequent work in the area, including a comprehensive map of Belarus showing a detailed description of its ICT potential. There are plans for publishing a book (Digital Divide in Belarus and How to Bridge it) based on the e-readiness report and action plan. Information As the assessment teams carried out the work, they identified areas where information or knowledge gaps identified regarding ICT is lacking: The Jamaican report recommends the convergence of policy, coordination of institutions, and development of appropriate methodologies and indicators for calculating and reporting economic performance, e- commerce and the contribution of ICT to GDP. It also includes suggestions for qualitative and quantitative indicators and targets to be included in the action plan for appraising progress. Romania's action plan calls for the creation of a system to collect the indicators of information society development, managed by National Institute of Statistics. The Kenyan report suggests that a sociological survey of the use of ICT is needed, as well as research into the contribution of ICT to trade. The Trinidad and Tobago assessment team found that there was no clear vision of a desired state of e- readiness for the country. Capacity- The consolidation of a group of experts and institutions for further work in the area was an important outcome building and of many of the assessments: networking In Bulgaria, the working group formed is still collaborating on the issues, and has developed lasting cross- sector relationships with relevant stakeholders, including the government. They are thus quite influential in determining the strategies and implementation of ICT policy. Members of the working group that advised the Romanian assessment process represent institutions and organizations that will continue to be sources of e-readiness information in that country. Discussions within the working group revealed that representatives were not fully aware of the obligations incumbent upon them in the implementation process, and the identification of this anomaly was important for consolidating, agreeing upon, and framing expectations for moving forward. Ensuring comprehensive knowledge transfer from the consultants to the key stakeholders in the steering committee proved challenging for the Trinidad and Tobago assessment team, but they overcame this by setting tight schedules for activities and frequent communication. A number of workshops were held to build local capacity in the banking sector. These included a workshop dealing with legal issues to promote awareness of the legal and regulatory framework as pertains to e-commerce; to map out the scope of work in this area and the roles of actors; and to develop a set of tools for measuring the legal indicators E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 73 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 appropriate to the local environment. A risk management workshop was held to train the team on the existing electronic payment facilities available, and to explore how improvements would impact on the development of e-commerce. A "change and communication management" workshop was also held at the request of the local team members. Stakeholder By involving stakeholders in the assessment process, some assessments provided the basis for discussion and involvement collaboration on the issues: and awareness- raising The Bulgarian assessment served to consolidate the national dialogue among government institutions, private sector organizations and NGOs in promoting a common vision of ICT as a key driver for developing Bulgaria into an information or knowledge-based society. Most assessment processes involved stakeholders and other citizens following publication of the report, by holding workshops or seminars, including the Philippines, Costa Rica, Uganda, Trinidad and Tobago and Tanzania. Estonia publicized the report alongside an international awareness campaign. The Belarus assessment report was presented to government officials and other stakeholders at a special meeting in the National Academy of Sciences in Belarus. Other participants included representatives from the World Bank, members of the grant team, journalists and invited specialists. The coordinator of the assessment team also presented the study at the Information Society Development in Belarus seminar at the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies. In the Philippines, the Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation of the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries have used the study's findings and recommendations in its ongoing advocacy efforts. Implementation A few of the e-readiness assessment processes instigated or informed ground-level implementation efforts: of ICT-based initiatives Following the Costa Rica report, e-literacy training conducted in primary schools received an additional allocation of public resources, while the Minister of Economy implemented a program promoting the adoption of ICT by SMEs, with the authors of the assessment report as the technical unit. The Estonian Look@World Foundation was established in autumn 2000 by several Estonian banks, telecommunications and IT companies as a major Internet training project, with the objective of radically increasing the number of Internet users in Estonia. It provides, free of charge, basic computer and Internet training for about 10% of Estonian adult population. The foundation's activities were in line with the assessment report's recommendations. The assessment's results confirmed Look@World's initial strategy on capacity-building as a relevant intervention to increase ICT use in Estonia. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 74 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 In Romania, the World Bank collaborated with the authors of the report (Ministry of Communication and Information Technology) to develop a comprehensive "knowledge economy" project that aims to bridge the divide between rural and urban Romania, and provide e-government services, training, and infrastructure. The project was recently funded and is moving ahead with an initial 300 communities. In Tanzania, the World Bank and other agencies have supported the Public Sector Reform Exercise (PSRE) to streamline public service operations. 4.4 Key external challenges faced in the assessments Time and Many assessments reported that they were limited in their data collection due to resource constraints and resource short timeframes: constraints Given the dearth of valid and reliable data required for a comprehensive assessment, the Romanian assessment team reported that the available funding limited the level of detail that could be provided. The assessment teams for Panama and Trinidad and Tobago felt that funding was inadequate for the assessment and they were challenged to stay within the project budget. The Jamaican assessment team felt that with more time there could have been greater stakeholder engagement and the benefits of the study could have been promoted better, which may have led to a more positive response. In conducting the micro-assessments, the Philippines team faced challenges of time and resource constraints. As a result, only four sectors were assessed. The Kenyan assessment team mentioned that the government's cumbersome procurement systems led to the project beginning later than anticipated. Availability of Most assessment teams reported that they struggled to access sufficient reliable and valid data. In a few data countries, the accuracy and reliability of some of the existing and official data was questioned. A variety of different sources were compared in the interests of data reliability, but this often led to contradicting information and findings, which were not explored or unpacked by any of the reports (probably due to constraints in time and budget). Information about the use of ICT in Bulgaria's educational system is fragmented, and often simply unavailable. Available data for the Philippines macro-assessment was not optimally reliable or relevant, as most of the existing e-readiness assessments provided only broad performance rankings and wide-ranging estimates. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 75 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Most benchmarks were based on American or European standards that may not be as relevant in the developing country context. There were no statistics available for corporate use of computers and the Internet in Trinidad and Tobago. The Romanian assessment team reported that many of the indicators recommended by the European Union were unquantifiable owing to the lack of credible data sources, and the identification of alternative and additional data sources was time consuming. It became increasingly evident throughout the course of the study that there were no mechanisms in place in public institutions and professional associations for the collection and processing of data and information necessary to assess the country's information society development stage, although there are some initiatives in the field. The assessment team recommends that a system, managed by the National Institute of Statistics, be designed and created to collect the indicators of information society development. There are few information sites in Uganda, and even the Ugandan Communications Commission faces difficulties trying to access data, most of which is outdated. Gathering information from SMEs and retail ICT outlets proved to be particularly problematic. The Russian report describes the various sources of data collected as somewhat unreliable and out-of-date, yet goes on to use them. Further, many statistics are provided by surveys carried out by large, international organizations (such as the IMF) back in 2000. The result is that certain aspects of the Russian economy (and in particular several segments of the ICT sector such as the mobile telephony market) that have changed radically since then were not captured in the report. Responsiveness In some assessments, the lack of e-readiness and awareness of ICT was a hindrance in itself. Many survey and capacity of respondents and interviewees did not understand the objectives or importance of the study, and as a result those surveyed were unenthusiastic in their participation. Some were unable to provide information or opinions as they lacked capacity to engage with some of the issues put to them. Others (notably in the private sector) were resistant to diverging information they considered sensitive or confidential for competitiveness reasons. Bureaucratic systems were a hindrance to the assessment process. Although there were some exceptions in the public and private sectors, the Jamaicans experienced a general reticence towards the assessment, and a reluctance to share information was prevalent especially in the government bureaucracy. The business survey responses were also far lower than expected, even taking into consideration the mail survey methodology of the business survey, and also in contrast to the community surveys. The assessment team had to collect information with follow-up calls and in some cases personal visits, which increased expenses. The Philippines team also found a general lack of interest on the part of respondents. The team overcame this by working with the trade associations, which were very helpful in coordinating some of the interviews. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 76 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 A major challenge experienced by the Tanzania assessment team was successfully setting up appointments with top government officials, especially the Permanent Secretaries. Data collection was a challenge for the Kenya assessment, as institutions -­ both public and private ­- were unwilling to provide detailed information. The low use of ICT in government institutions was also a major challenge faced by the Kenyan assessment team. Many civil servants were unable to respond to the technical issues put to them. The assessors found that many key respondents did not understand concepts such as "bandwidth" and other technical aspects related to computer use. Some private sector interviewees for the Panama assessment were resistant to offering information they considered sensitive, which were nonetheless necessary to understand ICT markets and services. Finding the right group of experts to carry out the research for the Costa Rican assessment proved difficult. Sampling Representative sampling was a challenge for many assessments, which could indicate a lack of reliability in complications some findings: There are instances in some reports where the information provided contradicts that cited from secondary sources; however the inconsistencies are not noted or addressed in the assessment reports. There were no stated criteria for selecting regions for the Tanzanian study, but the assessment team went directly to places where they expected to find useful information. As a result, far more data collection and stakeholder input was collected from urban than rural areas. Bulgaria's methodology required a significant data collection effort that proved to be rather costly. Because of the relatively small sample size of most surveys and original data collection in the Estonian assessment, the results can differ from alternative studies. The assessment team felt that more comprehensive surveys might be necessary to collect reliable data that can span the significant socio- economic divides in a country like Estonia. The Kenyans collected data exclusively in the country's major towns. Political territory In some countries, the political environment was not optimal at the time assessments were conducted: issues The Philippines Government has unresolved issues relating to the organizational structure to lead the promotion of ICT use. Focusing on SMEs enabled the project team to "steer clear of the conflict between [government departments] as to who is the main proponent of ICT within the government structure." The changing political environment in Bulgaria following the general elections in June 2001 and the appointment of the new Government in August 2001 affected the whole institutional environment for ICT development. The project team overcame problems of uncertainty and lack of clarity on the part of E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 77 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 government counterparts by more closely involving business community representatives and international donor agencies. Balancing E-readiness assessments play an important role politically, both internally (for politicians) and externally (to interests attract investment from donors and the private sector). The authors of the e-readiness reports found themselves in a challenging position to fully describe the existing problems in order to inform policy that addresses them, while at the same time ensuring that private sector investment in their countries is not discouraged. Many assessment teams mentioned the tension between the need to present a candid portrayal of the country's e-readiness while at the same time presenting the country in a favorable light in order to attract foreign investment. Some of the assessments that calculated e-readiness scores according to the CID Index appear a little optimistic, and often the scores do not correlate with the situation as conveyed by the narrative text. The Romanian assessment team sought to address these concerns by hiring an independent outside consultant (rather than conducting the work wholly in-house) and combining a variety of independent data sources (rather than relying on one source only). 4.5 Overall project management and implementation of assessments Preventing The World Bank has funded e-readiness assessments during recent years through two programs: the infoDev duplication: flagship e-readiness initiative (studied here) and the country Development Gateway program. InfoDev and the InfoDev role Development Gateway are two different, separate entities. Although some of the assessments conducted under the Development Gateway program were designed to specifically assess the feasibility of reaching sustainability for the gateways themselves, others used methodologies very similar to the broader e-readiness initiative of infoDev. In some cases, different organizations in the same countries were funded to conduct e- readiness assessments under each of the World Bank-funded programs at around the same time; and sometimes the two assessments were so closely aligned that even the country contacts and infoDev personnel were unclear about the differences in the assessments and reports that were funded, respectively, by infoDev and the Development Gateway. These include: Pakistan, India, Romania, Uganda, and Tanzania. In the Kyrgyzstan Republic, the same author received to separate grants (under the Development Gateway and infoDev e-readiness program, respectively) to compile two similar assessments on e-readiness. So, in effect, there are cases where the World Bank funded duplicative e-readiness assessments through two separate and distinct funding mechanisms: the infoDev e-readiness initiative and the Development Gateway. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 78 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Building on In the area of e-readiness, where duplication of effort is widespread, it is important that initiatives cite and what has gone build on previous work. Some assessment teams seem to have done more homework than others to before: understand and use the e-readiness assessments conducted previously in their country. homework done by country Among the assessment teams that cited and built upon previous assessments are Estonia, Panama, assessment teams Philippines and Tanzania. The assessment teams in Jamaica, Kenya, Costa Rica and Belarus were largely unaware of previous assessment work conducted. Some reports cited establishing baseline data as an objective of the study, but then compared their results with other studies, which would indicate that baseline data was already in existence. Stakeholders in the Tanzania assessment expressed the need for a concrete mechanism that will ensure continuity and sustainability of the existing efforts in the development of ICT in the country. There was a call to have continuous needs assessments of ICT in the country because they are dynamic and can change overnight. The countries tracking progress towards the eEurope indicators noted that updated reports are required. The Trinidad and Tobago report's narrow focus added value to the area, even though a government-funded assessment using the CID Guide was conducted around the same time. The Bulgarian assessment team collected significant amounts of data, which proved costly and time consuming. However, the comprehensive data collection was considered by the assessment team to be a strength of the report, as they felt it reduced the study's dependence on other peoples' work and allowed a more detailed look at specific areas considered important. However, it is worth noting that there was overlap between this report and an assessment conducted by Harvard University; both studies used the same methodology and reports were published around the same time. That the findings are similar is an indication of the validity of the respective reports, which were conducted independently of one another. Yet this underlines the fact that while these efforts are all well intentioned, duplication in e-readiness assessments continues. Bulgaria has been assessed a total of 14 times. The Bulgarian assessment team reports that it attempted to make contact with the Harvard team that was conducting assessments in the country around the same time; however, their attempts were unsuccessful. The team felt that infoDev could play a role in bringing assessment teams together to pool resources and prevent duplication. Ensuring Implementing the action plan requires that that the drivers and stakeholders in a country's e-readiness ownership and process have a sense of ownership from the beginning. If actors do not know about or are uninterested in the getting buy-in assessment, it is unlikely that they will take forward its recommendations and suggestions once the report is done. For optimal impact, ownership needs to be ensured at three levels: E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 79 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 (i) Country ownership of the assessment reports and processes. One respondent pointed out that the assessment team had the impression that the report "belongs" to infoDev. They felt it should rather be "owned" by the country, and that the countries should be empowered to take control of the work. "It feels like you are writing a report for a boss, and this influences the process in terms of meeting the deadlines. InfoDev should empower people and countries to own the reports." Many assessment teams highlighted the fact that the assessment tools provided by infoDev and the GeoSINC Facilitation Center were not localized, and they were uncertain how to effectively accomplish this process themselves. Respondents said that infoDev focused on the way the grant money was spent and did not emphasize the outputs. (ii) Ownership of e-readiness process by decision-makers: coordinating and defining roles for driving the e- readiness agenda. Overall, taking the e-readiness agenda forward relies on government involvement, and the action plans will remain at a broad, conceptual level until this happens. The Kenyan consultants experienced difficulties trying to share the findings of the study with the government officials who commissioned them. They felt that many of the officials viewed the study as "just another donor-initiated project in which they had no special interest." The report was produced without government input, and there was no coordinated involvement within government for participation the assessment. There was an apparent lack of coordination between the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Transport and Communications regarding the roles of each in the assessment. Some of the officials originally responsible for the project had moved on, and responsibility for the project was not handed over. The assessment team recommended that the report be published and a workshop held to discuss its findings and chart the way forward. But there appears to be some miscommunication between the consultants and the government, as one government official reported that a stakeholders' workshop has already taken place. (iii) Stakeholder engagement and ownership of report results and processes. The Romanian working group members were largely passive participants in the research effort, and although they were consulted from time to time, they were not proactive in offering suggestions or solutions. As the group did not provide the level of input initially anticipated, more responsibility for designing the methodology and conducting original research fell to the consultant that was commissioned for the assessment. However, engaging stakeholders did have other benefits, primarily in taking the results forward. Few assessments included civil society stakeholders in the process, notably to the exclusion of youth and women's organizations. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 80 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The Facilitation The Facilitation Center and toolkit proved useful for some of the assessments, although others had already Center and completed their work before the Center was established and the toolkit available. However, it did serve to link toolkit many teams with CID's assessment methodology. The assessment teams in Belarus, Costa Rica and the Philippines found the Facilitation Center and GeoSINC's toolkit useful for generating the assessment report and action plan. The Philippines team found the resources made available by the Center particularly useful when beginning its research. The Bulgarian team noted that "the Facilitation Center took a rather long time to be established and was practically of no help to this project." The Estonian team indicated that it had "no contact [with the Facilitation Center] during the study. It was not available during the study or the planning phase." The Tanzania team referred to the toolkit often, and frequently sought technical advice from the Center. Project support Country grantees were reticent to comment on the role of infoDev, and five of the 13 country assessments from infoDev that were case studied did not answer the questions pertaining to the level of funder support beyond grant- personnel making. One assessment team made critical comments in the responses to the questionnaire but was more positive during the visits. Given the sensitivities around this issue, the information gleaned from the grantees is provided here without identification of the source. Regarding InfoDev's overall support: Five teams found infoDev's overall support was "just right", balanced between offering support and affording the teams the independence they needed to conduct the process. One team found infoDev useful at times, but not always available. Two teams reported insufficient support from infoDev. Some teams noted in particular the usefulness of infoDev guidelines for submitting financial reports on the grants. Some found communication with infoDev difficult, and said that although they reported back and tried to engage infoDev, they did not always get a response. In preparing the report: One team was given a great deal of support from infoDev. Four found infoDev's support adequate. Three received very little support from infoDev. In preparing the action plan: Six teams did not answer questions pertaining to infoDev's support in producing the action plan. Four found infoDev's support adequate. One country got very little support from infoDev in preparing the action plan. Two teams reported that they received no support whatsoever. It appears not all of the country teams were aware of infoDev's outlines for generating reports or action plans. Most respondents did not answer the question about the usefulness of these resources, and others thought that it referred to outlines for reporting back to infoDev on the grant. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 81 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Positive feedback from the country grantees included: The assessment was the basis for developing other Development Gateway initiatives. InfoDev provided guidelines for preparing financial reports. "They did not object to the timeline being extended." "Before June 2004 there was good communication and responsiveness. Feedback was received within two or three days, usually. There was a good partnership with [infoDev staff members]" "We received valuable information and references for the project, and could always get hold of the people in charge of helping us when needed, especially [infoDev staff members]." "InfoDev provided continual feedback by conference calls and email, and made useful suggestions." Negative feedback from the country grantees included: "Feedback was difficult to receive. They didn't comment on the reports at all." "After June 2004 we experienced a huge problem with responsiveness, which had a very negative impact on dissemination. The great potential for this report is wasted because there was no response from infoDev. [We] did everything by the contract and infoDev dropped the ball." Other issues of interest to infoDev: One of the grantees was not sure about the activities that infoDev engages in and supports. Their impression was that infoDev's only activity is to benchmark countries. Another questioned why infoDev has not used the results of the report in any of their publications. The study team experienced significant difficulties in obtaining the information and assistance from infoDev necessary to complete this report. Disseminating Of the 13 assessments case studied for this study, five (Kenya, Panama, Tanzania, Uganda, Romania) have results not yet published or disseminated the reports. While the reasons for this vary, the lack of resources is a common theme. The Romanian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology had to wait before receiving the official "no objection" from infoDev -- a prerequisite for publication of the report. The assessment was completed in December 2003, yet the final go-ahead was received only in December 2004. The report results are now dated, and the assessment team feels that it is too late to disseminate the report as widely as initially intended. Although the Kenyan study was conducted in 2001 and the final draft of the report was completed in 2002, the report is still yet to be published. According to one member of the assessment team, there are no indications that the report has been used in any way by the government because those involved in the assessment have moved on, and taken their interest and knowledge about the report with them. During the study team's country visit, no government officials could be found who knew about the report, and it was only available in hard copy (it seems that it no longer exists in an electronic version). The Tanzanian assessment team reported that they are still waiting for the final tranche of funding from infoDev to support dissemination of the report. As a result, the document has remained largely internal. Some reports were widely disseminated both in print and via the web, including those of Costa Rica, E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 82 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Estonia, and the Philippines. Some are available only in print or electronic versions. While all of the assessment reports case studied are available in English, some are also available in local languages: the Costa Rica and Panama reports are available in Spanish, while the Estonia report was translated into Russian. Critically None of the country assessments projects were evaluated independently, and none carried out internal evaluating evaluations or impact assessments. However, through this study, infoDev has submitted itself to an efforts and independent review that critically examines its efforts and those of its grantees. This document serves as a reporting back report back to infoDev's clients (the grantees) and funders. to clients and funders Stakeholder involvement and ownership. When asked about the key factors needed to make an e-readiness assessment successful, the Kenyan assessment team highlighted the importance of stakeholder involvement and ownership of the process. One member of the assessment team said, "Involving more stakeholders in the processes around conducting and compiling the assessments would mean more extensive ownership of the reports, findings and recommendations. It also lessens the likelihood of reports disappearing from institutional memories as individuals move on to other posts and jobs." E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 83 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 5 Analysis and discussion As noted in the description of this study provided in Section 3, bridges.org shaped its analysis of the infoDev e-readiness program using its Real Access/Real Impact framework. This provided a structure for comparison of the various assessment reports, and helped launch the thinking about how to align e-readiness approaches with socio-economic development goals. The broad, holistic framework served as a mechanism to study what has and has not been measured by the assessments, specifically with development goals in mind. However, it should be noted that when the assessment teams embarked on their work, there was no stated objective for them to consider development goals specifically. Nor did the infoDev initiative itself set up any criteria for (or against) a specific methodology. It is only in retrospect that the need to link e-readiness with development has been identified. Nonetheless, this study endeavors to gauge whether these assessments can be used to help countries integrate ICT into social and economic development activities. This discussion and analysis is not intended to criticize grantees for failing to achieve something that they never planned to do. However, looking at the assessments through the lens of the Real Access criteria is a means of critiquing what has been done in the infoDev program, with an aim to identify opportunities for using ICT to make a Real Impact on people's lives and help developing countries put ICT to use to achieve the Millennium Development Goals. 5.1 Use of e-readiness assessments: content and measurements Although GeoSINC International established a Facilitation Centre and produced documents to guide the grantees in their e-readiness assessments, grantees were given complete discretion in choosing and using assessment methodologies, and presenting the results. As a result, the infoDev-supported assessment reports range widely in terms of content, focus and presentation. Each defined e-readiness differently, making country comparisons difficult. Although most assessments were based on the same underlying methodology (the Harvard CID Guide) the tool is highly open to interpretation and was therefore applied in different ways by each assessment team. In addition, most altered and added to the tool in different ways, to better fit local contexts and priorities, so the kinds of measurements obtained vary significantly. Furthermore, the sources of data differ considerably in terms of quality, relevance, and how current they were, and many teams noted that data for certain indicators could not be obtained. Each report was presented in a unique way. Some were written as a narrative, focusing on the political climate and history behind developments in ICT. Others presented statistics on ICT indicators, but did not give insight into the implications for society. Some reports provided commentary throughout, while others only gave analysis at the end; a few failed to draw any conclusions from the findings presented. Reports generally described what ICT is available -- sometimes within a limited context, such as e-commerce -- but they generally failed to illustrate the extent to which ICT is not available in local settings. No assessments measured the impact (or gauge the potential impact) of ICT. Some reports were more critical than others of the government's role in fostering (or hindering) the use of technology and development of ICT infrastructure. This seems to be connected to the degree to which governments were involved in producing the assessments. In general, the countries conducted e-readiness assessments to inform policy, collect baseline statistics, promote the country, and improve e-readiness in certain sectors. A few mentioned the specific goal of collecting data to compare themselves to other countries (for example, to measure their position against EU Guidelines and in comparison to other countries that seek E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 84 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 to join the EU). This may explain why a few reports seem somewhat optimistic in the way they score and describe the country's e-readiness. In terms of whether and how countries have achieved Real Access to ICT, the reports measured the following: Physical access to ICT: Most assessments gauged fixed-line and mobile teledensity, and Internet access, but other ICT infrastructure was looked at less intensely. However, sometimes even the most basic indicators do not give a full view on the real local situation affecting the availability of ICT. For example, Africa's "cell phone revolution" is widely celebrated because penetration is high, yet the majority of people cannot afford to make a call.14 And again, each assessment measured even basic indicators in different ways, so country comparison is difficult if not impossible. Appropriateness of ICT: Only a few assessments considered whether the ICT that is available is appropriate to local conditions, or which ICT might be most appropriate for future rollout. Most e-readiness approaches were too broad to assess appropriate technologies in specific contexts. Exceptions include those assessments that conducted case studies on certain industries or areas (such as banking or mobile services), where they looked in-depth at specific contexts, and recommended appropriate technologies (such as wireless or cable Internet access) for reaching particular goals. Affordability of ICT in the local context: Despite significant variations in local economic conditions and prices, all assessments found that most ICT access and use is prohibitively expensive for the majority of people and organizations. Many country reports cited cost as the greatest obstacle to widespread access and use of ICT. ICT capacity and training: Overall the assessments treated the use of ICT in education as a critical issue; however, few reports covered the sector thoroughly. Most looked at how many schools have computers and Internet access, and the general conclusion is that numbers are too low. Only a few assessments considered the computer skills of teachers, the use of ICT in higher education, or university degree programs offering ICT training, and again the general conclusion is that numbers are too low. While some reports included information on available training opportunities, almost none provided critical analysis of their effectiveness, or detailed how ICT is integrated into learning programs. Few assessments considered the country's literacy levels or the education system as a whole, or the impact these have on ICT uptake. Availability of locally relevant content and services: Some assessments looked at the numbers of locally produced and/or hosted websites and a few looked at language. Although most were biased in their focus on web-based content, exceptions looked at the availability and use of content communicated via other, more ubiquitous, ICT-based media. Most of the assessments covered e-commerce and e-government services. Fewer considered other content and services critical for social development goals, such as e-health or e-learning. Although many assessments identified the need for more locally relevant content and services, only a minority suggested the means for improving the situation. Integration of ICT into peoples' lives: Very few reports looked at how ICT was integrated into people's lives, whether the use of ICT was an additional burden (such as the need to travel long distances to access telecentre services), or whether it reduced a burden (for example by improving work efficiencies). A few assessments explored how and why people used ICT in their daily lives (such as email for corresponding with family) or work. 14 Many people maintain only the minimal service so they can receive calls on their cell phones (which costs nothing). Calls are generally made at public pay phones. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 85 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use: Inequalities in ICT access and use throughout society were considered by most assessments, albeit in varying degrees of detail. A few assessments considered socio-cultural factors that affect ICT access and use, specifically looking at geography, age, gender and economic status. One action plan included promoting the use of ICT by disabled persons. Those that compared the e-readiness of rural and urban areas found evidence of internal digital divides. Similarly, every assessment that looked at age found that young people are far more prolific users of ICT (although most looked at Internet access only). The findings on access to ICT by gender varied between countries. Legal and regulatory environment for ICT use: All assessments considered the liberalization of telecommunications an important issue, and concluded that liberalizing this sector helped (or would help) to reduce telecommunications costs. Some also considered whether a national e-strategy or ICT policy was in place, and looked at the role of an independent regulator. Others commented on areas where ICT policies are generally lacking, notably related to e-commerce, privacy, security and intellectual property. Only a few reports gave a comprehensive overview of the legal frameworks affecting the use of ICT. Security and peoples' trust in ICT: People will not embrace the use of ICT if they do not trust it in terms of privacy, data protection, information security, or cybercrime. Few assessments considered whether people trust ICT or how user confidence affects ICT use in the country. Those that did looked predominantly at e-commerce transactions, including notably consumer protection issues. Some countries indicated that they intend to investigate e-justice and cybercrime issues, which could be considered an outcome of the assessment, but it was not actually considered as part of the assessment. Issues around political corruption, transparency, and democracy were considered by a few reports. Use of ICT in business: All of the assessments looked at the access to and use of ICT in business to some extent. One country focused solely on SMEs. Another looked exclusively at electronic payments in the financial sector, with a strong focus on banks. Others indicated that they intend to look in more detail at SMEs, and some have already started. They looked at how many businesses are using computers and the Internet; the number of local businesses with websites; e-commerce; hardware and software development and the local ICT sector, but none measured whether or how ICT affects businesses' efficiency or productivity. Macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use: Some reports considered macroeconomic factors, covering issues such as competitiveness rankings with other countries, the contribution of the ICT sector to GDP, expenditure on ICT and R&D, ICT creating and/or replacing jobs, export of ICT-related products and services, and state, civil society and private sector partnerships. The ICT industry, investment environment, and taxation issues were examined in some reports. A few reports offered ideas for promoting the acquisition of ICT by government. Government's role in driving e-readiness: Governments were usually involved in the assessments, and most of the reports described the governments' active involvement and political will in this area. Very few reports provided statistics for actual government expenditure on ICT. Some assessments mentioned or provided summaries of major public- initiated and/or funded initiatives, while others made suggestions for establishing them. Very few critically analyzed the impact of already existing government initiatives. All of the assessments that mentioned public-private partnerships appeared to be in agreement about their benefits. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 86 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Opportunities for improving content and measurements in e-readiness assessments Provide more information on assessment tools and how to use them comprehensively within the local context. Many assessment teams noted a need for more in-depth discussion of the available assessment tools and explanations of how they can be adjusted to fit local environments. The e-readiness section of infoDev's website only provides a starting point, and many mentioned that more references with links to previous assessments done in grantee countries would help them to maximize the value of the e-readiness process. Focus on ICT as a development tool. Orienting e-readiness approaches with more focus on ICT as a development tool would help shape the content of assessments, to take them beyond mere data collection and deliver results targeted to concrete development goals. Some assessment teams highlighted the need for more direction to help move the conversation beyond talk of acquiring computers to a discussion of how ICT can be used for development. Filling in gaps in the e-readiness measures most commonly used could help. Many important measures are frequently ignored, such as appropriateness of ICT in local contexts or public support for ICT use. For example, given the constraints to widespread Internet access, collecting data on more ubiquitous communications technologies (such as television and radio) would provide a base to illustrate how ICT can be used for development. Measure ICT use and impact. Countries seek to increase the use of ICT by people and organizations in order to gain concrete benefits for the country. It follows that e-readiness assessments must look beyond the availability of ICT and measure its use and impact at a more granular level. Treat economic and social goals as interdependent. Too often economic and social goals are treated as separate issues. But economic-oriented goals are affected by and must take into account more traditional social goals like health or literacy. Similarly, social goals must incorporate business growth and the use of ICT as part of a larger vision, towards broader benefits for people. Education is an excellent example of an issue that affects all areas. Education is central to the development of e-ready human capital, which is in turn an integral part of the growth of the local business sector and the implementation of programs at ground-level. It is also a critical factor at the macro- economic level, for instance where it influences investment decisions in developing countries. Use standard measurements and ICT indicators to make comparison possible. Country comparisons are cited as a key value-add of e-readiness assessments, but the comparability of assessments requires the use of consistent and more stringent measurements. For comparison, the same methodology needs to be used by each country, and indicators need to be standardized. But it is also important to find a balance between the harmonization of indicators and respect for local differences, so that country- specific context and nuance can come through in the results. For example, to get a real view of cost comparisons in the local context, prices must be evaluated against GDP or average income. The UN and ITU processes underway to develop standard ICT indicators could provide valuable leadership in this area, especially if they do not duplicate or contradict each other. Refine and standardize data collection processes for benchmarking. Tracking countries' progress over time is also often cited as a value-add of e-readiness assessment. However, it requires reliable assessment replication and most studies are not conducted with sufficient precision to allow them to be replicated to obtain comparable results. If the aim is to benchmark, then this should drive the assessment at all levels -- from methodology and indicator design, to data collection and presentation of findings. However, any such effort should also be sure to take into account the large number of E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 87 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 benchmarking activities already underway in the e-readiness arena to ensure there is no duplication. Leave benchmarking to the benchmarkers and focus on deeper analysis. The competitiveness rankings of progress on broad e-readiness indicators are useful, but need not be duplicated by various assessment efforts. Especially since looking at broad statistics is only useful for benchmarking, and analysis of the underlying issues is needed to fully understand the results of e-readiness assessments. For example, it would have been beneficial to explore the reasons behind why people do not use the Internet; the causes are likely to be different in each country, and each requires targeted strategies. Create national clearinghouse databases of all available data. Data should be freely and easily available to access and use. The data collected for these assessments, as well as related efforts, needs to be made publicly available for future endeavors that require such information. This would go far toward preventing expensive duplicative data collection, as well as enable baseline comparisons. 5.2 Usefulness of e-readiness assessments: outputs and benefits The significant effort and resources expended in conducting e-readiness assessments is only worth it if the e-readiness process leads directly to concrete positive change in the country. But little information about the real impact of e-readiness assessments is available. InfoDev's e-readiness initiative has generated a number of assessment reports (a few are still draft versions, yet to be published), some of which led to action plans. But overall, the reports have not been used enough. There is a risk that these e-readiness assessments will have little or no impact in the countries, and that much of the work will not translate into much beyond bound reports gathering dust in bookshelves. Although most assessments provided some level of action plan, however loosely defined, only a few were comprehensive. Most provided high-level recommendations without specific next steps for action. Thus, while assessments promoted an understanding of ICT-related issues in the country, in many cases there was no clear path outlined for taking it to the next stage. Reasons given for this shortcoming include limited time and resources, and a lack of government participation. The action plans that proved to be most useful tended to have strong government engagement, and frequently they focused on one specific aspect of e- readiness. Nevertheless, in many cases the e-readiness assessments provided networking opportunities for experts and institutions that led to beneficial connections between stakeholders. Some assessments formed a foundation for further research. Some assessment processes served to raise public awareness of the status of ICT in the country and the opportunities it can afford. Some of the assessment reports were used to inform policy-making processes, meetings, and conferences. However, it is difficult to judge whether the assessments led directly to changes in ICT policy, as it is impossible to know whether some of the recommendations would have been realized even without the assessment. The fact that most assessments were conducted about two years ago means that some findings seem outdated; for example, many reports highlight the problems of fixed-line telephony and benefits of wireless as new issues, but these points are largely taken for granted now. But because policy-making is a slow and complex process, the impact of many of the assessment processes analyzed in this study may yet come to bear fruit. Opportunities for improving outputs and benefits from e-readiness assessments Provide guidance on how to influence change. Some of the infoDev-supported grantees felt that information on ICT-related development in other countries would have E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 88 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 helped them make better use of the assessment outputs. Best practice examples outlining how assessments were used to influence policy change in other country contexts, and describing how action plans were implemented, would be useful learning tools for governments with less experience in the field. Treat the assessment and action plans as a starting point. Assessment efforts are useful only when they lead to action plans and then implementation. It is this follow-on stage which has real impact on the ground, and it is in implementation that developing countries need most support from donors. The way the infoDev e-readiness program was set up and grantee funding managed put the focus on the assessment and its output as the end point, as opposed to a focus on broader outcomes that benefit society where the assessment and action plan is seen as a starting point. The implementation of e-strategies and action plans should also be monitored over time. Do not proceed without government involvement and commitment. The most comprehensive set of detailed recommendations, with realistic timelines and specific task allocations, will go nowhere if there is not sufficient political will in government to commit to implementing the strategy. The action plan must be developed with government involvement and buy-in, to ensure the commitment of resources (financial and other) to take it forward. Ensure ownership of the process by key decision-makers and champions. The involvement of a local champion with the power to make decisions and drive change is key to moving an e-readiness process beyond talk to concrete action. If governments feel disenfranchised by top-down projects that are viewed as just another donor-funded initiative, assessments are doomed to failure. The person who takes ownership of the process and responsibility for implementing the recommendations should be in a position to assign tasks and timeframes. Focus action plans on a particular sector. Focusing on a particular sector (such as government, health, education, banking, SMEs) facilitates a heightened level of detail, and the development of practical and context-specific action plans. Broad recommendations do not work. The more focused on a particular sector that an assessment is, the more likely it is to provide insight and direction that will be followed up with concrete steps. Set out action plans with specific tasks and timeframes. It is important that the key impediments to desired change are identified, along with the key groups, institutions and tools that can best enable this change. Timetables, allocated responsibilities and accountabilities need to be built into any action plan that is hoping to have an impact on the MDGs. 5.3 The assessment process: management and implementation The wide range in quality of the infoDev-supported assessments could be put down to the experience of the assessment teams; but it also seems to be related in large part to the varying levels of effectiveness of project management and implementation across the program as a whole. While best practice principles for e-readiness assessments are widely available, they could have been put to better use to inform the roll-out of this initiative. This is evident at all levels of the e-readiness assessment process and the overall program itself -- from the organizations conducting the assessments, to the grantees and infoDev. Notably, there was more duplication of effort than there should have been. Some assessments cited and built on previous work, but in most cases the assessment teams were largely unaware of other e-readiness assessments that had been (or were being) conducted in their country. Some assessment teams put considerable time, energy and resources into adapting and applying the assessment tools effectively. Although infoDev provided support and resources E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 89 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 through the Facilitation Centre, some of the assessment teams and participating governments found it hard work to adapt the (somewhat intimidating) assessment tools to meet the needs of their specific local context. Finding the balance between affording grantees independence in the assessment process and providing sufficient support proved to be a challenge for infoDev. Some had an impression that infoDev's approach was somewhat "top-heavy" and rather paternalistic. On the other hand, country assessment teams were given carte blanche regarding their choice of methodology and direction for the assessments, as well as the processes around report compilation. Yet some of the teams would have welcomed more support from infoDev. Communication between infoDev, the governments and other grantees, the assessment teams, and stakeholders broke down frequently, and at various levels. Some assessment teams reported miscommunication between government and the grantee, which translated into a lack of clarity about objectives and tasks. The teams reported difficulties in engaging government officials and navigating government bureaucracy, which could indicate a lack of understanding on the part of government itself as to the relevance of e-readiness and what could be gained from the assessment. There were some complaints about difficulties in communicating with infoDev personnel, who were unresponsive at various points during the program. A lack of institutional memory was a problem both at the country level, where government officials left their jobs and took all knowledge of the assessment with them, as well as at infoDev, where staff turnover also resulted in shortcomings of institutional knowledge about the program and grantees. InfoDev has not closely followed the outcomes of the assessments, and some countries claim they are still waiting for comments and input from infoDev, including a few grantees which reported that they are still waiting for funding from infoDev in order to publish their reports. The grantees and assessment teams gave mixed feedback on the support provided by infoDev. Some assessment teams found that the grant funding was insufficient to conduct the study as thoroughly as was needed. Opportunities for improving project management and implementation Provide more detailed guidelines on processes. More "how-to" resources would be useful, with further detail about available assessment tools and the best way to use them, as well as information about what has worked best for other countries. The infoDev- supported assessment teams indicated that guidelines on practical steps were needed, such as how to develop stakeholder networks to gain wider participation in the e- readiness process. Strike a balance between providing sufficient support and affording independence in the process. If assessments and action plans are not designed, created and carried out by countries themselves, the likelihood for effective follow-up is questionable. However, if countries lack sufficient expertise and experience to draft effective strategies, it is important that they have the opportunity to work with and learn from those who can help. Some of the infoDev-supported assessments teams would have clearly benefited from more assistance; a lack of clear goals and methodologies, and poor report presentation limited the effect of the assessment. Institutionalize knowledge about the e-readiness processes. The knowledge about e-readiness grants, obligations, and deliverables should be institutionalized within the responsible government departments or organizations. Institutionalizing the knowledge will help to avoid cases where a single person has responsibility for the entire process, and if they leave the job the project stalls. For example, new staff members need to be informed about institutional responsibilities with respect to grants, and there should be E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 90 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 formal processes for storing reports and other outputs so they do not get lost in the bureaucracy. No matter how enticing the opportunity, do not duplicate. A commitment to aligning efforts, building on previous work and collaborating where work is duplicative is essential for e-readiness efforts to be worthwhile. Doing homework and linking up with organizations and teams conducting similar work is key for preventing duplication, sharing resources, and promoting more comprehensive assessments. Regional organizations should provide leadership and coordination, and promote standardization. Communicate, communicate, communicate with funders and clients. Better communication among the grantees, their stakeholder groups, the assessment teams, infoDev personnel, and the Facilitation Center would have gone a long way toward addressing almost all of the project management and implementation problems encountered as part of the infoDev e-readiness assessment initiative. Target funding more directly to country project needs. Considering the wide range in quality, use, and usefulness of the various assessments, it appears that some grantees had more money than they really needed, while others indicated that they were limited in what they could deliver because the grant was insufficient for their project needs. Funding should be weighted according to the local context and the detailed plans set out in the project proposal, both covering the assessment and the intended follow-up. 5.4 Linking e-readiness strategies and the MDGs: opportunities and obstacles The infoDev-supported e-readiness assessments in and of themselves were insufficient to target the use of ICT toward broader development goals, much less the MDGs specifically. However, that was not a stated objective of the e-readiness initiative for either infoDev or the assessment teams. Nonetheless, this case study analysis has formed a useful basis for exploring whether -­ and if so, how -­ e-readiness can be harnessed for reaching the MDGs. It is obvious that ICT needs to be integrated into efforts working towards the MDGs. And recently that has been said again and again by a lot of smart people: every major development aid organization, many civil society organizations, and some governments have chimed in, especially leading up to the second phase of WSIS. The bottom line is that the digital divide is not the point, progress towards socio-economic development is. ICT has real impact only when it is addressing direct need. Countries need to assess and plan to become e-ready to integrate ICT into solutions for healthcare, and to integrate ICT into plans for education. The MDGs provide targets and indicators for some of the most important socio- economic issues, and are thus a useful focus for efforts harnessing ICT. Are the MDGs the best goals for e-readiness? It depends on the country and the context. The MDGs were not seen as relevant to all of the countries that conducted assessments under this initiative. For some countries, reaching the MDGs seems a distant and, in some cases, impossible aspiration. For others, such as those with developed or emerging economies, they are no longer priorities. The point is that e-readiness efforts should be informed by a country's national development goals, and should have a strong focus on poverty alleviation and socio-economic development. Moreover, e-strategies that directly address the MDGs with realistic steps are more likely to garner widespread support. While not everyone understands and agrees on the importance of spending public money on ICT; a plan that clearly illustrates the use of ICT in addressing poverty, hunger, HIV/AIDS, education and environmental sustainability would be more likely to be welcomed. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 91 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Opportunities for expanding the relevance of e-readiness assessments and action plans to the MDGs Begin with the Goals. There should be no more assessment for assessment's sake. A broader philosophy needs to be adopted, with a plan for what is to be achieved in the long term. The first step should be to look at obstacles to MDGs, and then to determine how information and communications, and effective ICT use, could help overcome them. Assessing where the country is in terms of ICT-enabled development should be followed with a strategy for integrating ICT into broader development programs, in a sustainable way. Time and money should only be spent on ICT assessments and strategies when integrated with these concrete development targets. Link e-readiness indicators with development goals. There is evidently a need for an assessment tool that goes beyond measuring e-readiness, to gauge the impact that being e-ready is having on development goals. Work in this area should build on and leverage the lessons learned from e-readiness. Some countries asked for more research on demonstrated impact of ICT, but assessment teams need guidelines for harnessing ICT for supporting "real" objectives, such as economic growth or better education. The focus needs to be on the goals as opposed to the technologies so that implementation is use- driven, as opposed to technology-driven. Be context specific and think local. Every developing and emerging country is unique, with its own distinctive set of challenges, needs, resources, and priorities. While the MDGs are certainly useful targets for many countries, their relevance is not absolute. The usefulness of assessing and improving e-readiness depends heavily on the economic, social and institutional structures in which ICT use and development goals are embedded. In order to ensure relevance, tapping ICT to tackle the MDGs must leverage local actors, local content, and locally-identified initiatives and priorities. Incorporate ICT approaches into sector-specific national policies (like health and education). ICT-based approaches should be incorporated into the full range of sector- specific national policies, from health, education and agriculture, to innovation and research and development. Focus at the level of microeconomics, as well as the macro. The focus and support of science, technology and innovation policies in advanced industrialized countries has been through micro-level approaches. By contrast, macroeconomic policy predominates in the developing world, but this should change. A reorientation to appropriate technology that can be used effectively in developing country contexts requires a paradigm shift. A micro-level approach to ICT rollout -- with a focus on small, local, cheap and simple ICT used at ground level -- is needed to make technology really work for concrete development goals. Emphasize regional cooperation and integration needs. Used effectively, ICT could have substantial impact on regional cooperation and integration. By improving intra- institutional communication, ICT can promote trade, financial cooperation and efficiency in key sectors such as agriculture and education, by increasing a region's collective bargaining positions, introducing compatible standards, and attracting investment. Address negative effects ICT integration may have. While ICT offers phenomenal advantages, its integration cannot be assumed to be universally positive for development. Despite the hopeful signs that ICT will help with job creation, ICT can also cause job loss through obsolescence, automation and disintermediation. It is important that e-strategies balance these kinds of negative effects, for example by making provision for skills training for those facing unemployment. None of the MDGs can be achieved if people cannot work for a living. This highlights the role of companies in creating jobs. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 92 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Be realistic. Although the MDGs set ambitious targets, every national strategy should clearly define targets that are within the country's reach, and understand where international support is required. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 93 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 6 Concluding remarks The last decade has seen growing awareness and hope about the potential that ICT can have for development. Looking back at the plethora of activities in the field ­- numerous policies, ground-level initiatives, a World Summit and 1,506 e-readiness assessments later ­- there is insufficient hard evidence indicating the extent to which these efforts have had significant impact on development. Anecdotal evidence abounds, the theory makes sense, and some peoples' lives and countries' economies certainly have been changed by ICT. But have the massive inputs actually been worthwhile in transforming the lives of those who need it most? Most countries' e-readiness has been assessed more than enough times; many have more than one action plan or e-strategy, and these disparate and disconnected efforts are duplicating each other and diluting impact. For e-readiness assessments to have an effect on countries' socio-economic development, they need to be useful, and they need to be used. But if ICT-driven efforts are actually going to improve a country's e-readiness, they need to move to specifics. Strategic recommendations need to be broken down into specific achievable task lists, with timeframes and deliverables. It is time to stop identifying gaps and setting priorities at a high level. Anyone working in ICT and development in the country will already know these things, and it is a waste of time and money to keep writing papers and holding conferences that do these same things over and over again. If e-readiness assessment is going to remain useful as a tool, it needs to become far more focused and action-oriented. Action plans that say "capacity in ICT needs to be built in year X by the Government and the Private sector" are essentially useless. Especially when the plans have been drawn up by consultants without any input or buy-in from representatives of the government or private sector in the country concerned. The link between ICT and the MDGs translates meaningfully into the e-readiness arena. While being e-ready is certainly desirable, the question "e-ready for what?" hangs in the air. The MDGs provide much-needed compass points for e-readiness assessment efforts. Can assessments be used to help countries get e-ready to tackle the MDGs? Yes. Concerns need to move on from "how much bandwidth?" to "how much bandwidth is needed for remote diagnosis to reduce child mortality?" Socio-economic development goals such as the MDGs, rather than ICT infrastructure metrics, should be adopted as targets to drive real change. And ICT development initiatives should broaden the perspective of their efforts. Let us move on from the assumption that the digital divide is the problem and that the best way to promote widespread access to ICT is to begin with an e-readiness assessment. Looking through the lens of the MDGs and the Real Access / Real Impact framework, practitioners seeking to harness ICT for development need to ask the following questions: (i) What are the problems? (ii) What are the best ways to address them? (iii) Can ICT play a part? The ultimate measure of the value and impact of ICT is the difference it makes to the great majority of people in developing countries who are living in poverty. The responsiveness of government institutions, reduced disease and illiteracy, and gender equity are important achievements to which the creative application of ICT can contribute. An approach based on the Real Access criteria ensures that research, policy and ground-level initiatives harness ICT in the best ways. It provides answers to the question of how to leverage ICT in working towards the MDGs. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 94 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Moving on from traditional understandings of "e-readiness", assessment tools similarly need to reflect a broader understanding of the complex, inter-related processes that result in poverty, hunger, inequity and the digital divide. While e-readiness assessments and action plans or e-strategies can provide a useful framework for informing and guiding efforts focusing on ICT, the focus needs to be on expanding and mainstreaming ICT concerns and opportunities across development. There should be no more assessment for assessment's sake, and practitioners need to adopt a broader philosophy, and have a plan for what they want to achieve in long-term. InfoDev is in a good position to build upon the lessons learned through their e-readiness flagship initiative. Their work involving e-readiness assessments and e-strategies needs to incorporate elements that enabling developing countries to reach the MDGs. There is a lot to be done, a lot of change and learning to be assimilated, and many opportunities to be explored and embraced. It is important that we build upon previous work and draw together current efforts in the field of e-readiness. And then we can begin to work towards becoming e-ready for reaching the MDGs. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 95 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 1. Case studies on grantee countries' e-readiness assessment processes Thirteen case studies were drafted on the e-readiness assessment processes of the following infoDev grantees: Belarus, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Estonia, Jamaica, Kenya, Panama, Philippines, Romania, Russia, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda. Each of these case studies is presented below. Case study: Belarus ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessments in the Republic of Belarus I Overview Date The report was published in May 2003. Authors The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus authored this report with support from infoDev, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and the Belarusian Information Fund. Abstract The report was drawn up to provide background information for the Government's national action plan for information and communications technology (ICT). It shows that the cost of Internet access in Belarus is prohibitive to the point of limiting the role that ICT plays in the economy and society, and recommends that the state owned telecommunications company be privatized. It argues this will bring down the cost of access and ensure that the poor state of telecommunications infrastructure is upgraded (the second major barrier to connectivity). The report is concise, thorough and based on a clear interpretation of e-readiness. It has had significant impact on the State program on ICT. However, while it provides an excellent overview of the problems faced by Belarus during its move towards e-readiness, it neglects to examine the use of ICT in society in depth, and lacks a clear link with broader development goals. II Report summary Rationale The assessment aims to evaluate Belarus' "information infrastructure development and readiness to integrate to the networked world." The study seeks to comprehensively assess the Belarusian community's advancement in critical fields of ICT use, and to identify relevant applications, as well as "weak points". The assessment team aims to consider e-readiness within the context of strategic planning. The assessment also serves as a basis for developing the National Action Plan for introducing modern ICT solutions aimed at fostering socio-economic development of Belarus, and as a guide for national and international organizations in the area of e-development. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 96 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Methodology The assessment methodology is based mainly on Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A guide for developing countries. Additional data was collected and analyzed according to the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) from the Global Information Technology (IT) Report, 2001-2002. A survey collected data for indicators approved by the eEurope15 program. Additional data was gathered from various sources, including an on-line poll, and questionnaires from representatives of non- governmental organizations (NGOs) working on issues of the information society, higher education and training institutions, education departments, Internet service providers (ISPs), and state administration bodies. To calculate the local NRI, data from a variety of sources was combined, including the World Bank, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and the Business Software Alliance; completed questionnaires from the participants of the Belarus Internet Forum, and Belarusian experts. Key findings and recommendations The defined NRI is 3.19, which ranks Belarus at 61 out of 76 countries according to the Global IT Report. CID Rankings Network access: 2.4 Networked learning: 2.76 Networked society: 2.44 Networked economy: 1.97 Networked policy: 1.91 Measuring physical access to ICT · The capital of the country (20% of the population) has reached the third stage, whereas the regions and other areas are to be found in the second stage. · Teledensity amounts to 30.44 main lines per 100 people (30.44%), while mobile wireless penetration amounts only to 4.3%. · Subscriptions of leased cable television services are not widespread at all. · There is an urban/rural digital divide. For instance, in 2002, the number of main telephone lines per 100 residents in urban Belarus was 35.8, while the corresponding figure for rural areas was a mere 19.9. · Minsk, the capital of Belarus where 20% of the population resides, has reached the third stage of network access (based on the NRI), while other regions are at the second stage. · The State needs to provide public access to the Internet. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · 74.2% of 489 respondents to an online opinion poll asking, "Are you pleased with the speed of your Internet connection?" answered "no". · A range of alternative access technologies, including wireless, satellite and cable modem (including integrated services digital network (ISDN) and asymmetric digital subscriber line ADSL) hold promise for leapfrogging infrastructure deficiencies and should be promoted. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · 60% of the Belarusian community say the high rates for local telephone calls is high enough (in respect to the average salary) to discourage extensive Internet use via local ISPs, even among those who can afford Internet access. 15The eEurope program has the intention to make the European Union a dynamic knowledge-based economy with improved employment and social cohesion by 2010. For more information see: http://www.e-europestandards.org/ E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 97 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · The average Network Learning Component Index (according to the NRI methodology) is 2.76, although higher education institutions have reached the third level of e-readiness development, while most schools are at the second level. · 75.8% of schools are equipped with computers, but 57.3% of these are outdated and -- in light of insufficient state budgets -- the Ministry of Education has appealed to the public to provide funding for upgrades. · Higher Education institutions are equipped enough to provide for "shift-by-shift training/ work"16. · At 60.3% of secondary schools, teachers' e-literacy is confined to basic computer use. · Opportunities for training in ICT skills development are limited. · There is a dearth of ICT personnel, particularly programmers and ICT managers, and "brain drain" is a problem due to low salaries. · The Government should support innovative projects, and prospective domestic research work and ICT developments. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · Internet traffic ratio: 20% of Belarus Internet content is locally produced, while 80% comes from abroad. · 95% of the sites registered with the Belarusian network are in Russian, while 10% are in Belarusian and 15 % are bilingual17. · Although there are 219 "electronic shops" (200 in Minsk and 19 in other regions), it is impossible to use credit cards or debit cards for payments. · Belarus' e-government index (based on the NRI framework) is rated at 1.61, while that for Minsk is 2.115. · Although an e-Belarus Government website holds a great deal of information, the study found no evidence of online interaction or mediation between citizens and government. · Local networked information resources need to be developed. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · 15% of the Belarusian adult population uses the Internet. · The Belarusian elite use the Internet 6 times more than the general public. · In terms of the Networked Society Index (part of the NRI framework), Minsk has reached the third stage, while other regions are at the second. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · Belarus is rated only at the first level of Networked Policy in the NRI. · Beltelecom, part of the Ministry of Communications, is the only provider of Internet communications beside academic ISP BASNET. · Although the Ministry of Communications declared intentions to implement policy aimed at liberalization of the telecommunications sector, there has been no action in this regard, and Beltelecom remains a monopoly. The report maintains that "the Ministry...is interested in restraining competitiveness", and recommends that Beltelecom should be privatized. · While the legal basis for electronic business is being developed, with the law of electronic documents and digital signatures adopted in 2000, the limited circulation of electronic documents is precluding Belarus' e-commerce opportunities. Looking at the use of ICT in business · There are generally fewer than two domain names per 1000 inhabitants registered by local businesses and institutions. · Few offices have computers that are networked for internal file sharing and basic 16This phrase is not explained in the report. 17Although this adds up to 120%, the anomaly is not addressed in the report. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 98 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 enterprise applications. · 55% of Belarusian banks do not have a website, while 33% have websites that provide information only. Only 4% of Belarusian banks are at the transactional level of Internet banking. · Business to business (B2B) e-commerce is largely rated as being at the second level of the B2B e-commerce Index (part of the NRI). Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · Conditions need to be created for promoting the domestic high tech sector to enter world markets. · Foreign direct investment needs to be attracted for improving infrastructure and producing ICT for export. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · The report claims that the Belarusian Government has an ambivalent attitude towards the Internet, and that the Ministry of Communication maintains archaic regulations that hamper the development of the Internet. · The report recommends that the Ministry of Communications should be re-structured and re-organized. Outcomes The assessment team produced an action plan following the assessment. The plan includes a summary of sub-programs, including creating a sectoral business portal, ICT-competence center, technology software development center and specialized IT-business incubator. Although the e-Belarus State program -- The Republic of Belarus-headed Electronic Belarus (e-Belarus) -- was adopted by the Government before the assessment report was published (December 2002), it was informed by the draft assessment report data. The assessment laid the ground for subsequent work in the area, including a comprehensive map of Belarus showing a detailed description of its ICT potential. There are plans for publishing a book: Digital Divide in Belarus and How to Bridge it, based on the e-readiness report and the action plan. The assessment report was presented to Belarusian Government officials and other stakeholders at a special meeting in the National Academy of Sciences in Belarus. Other participants were representatives from the World Bank, members of the grant team, journalists and invited specialists. Dr U. V. Anishchanka, coordinator of the assessment team, also presented the study at the Information Society Development in Belarus seminar at the Independent Institute of Socio-Economic and Political Studies. Obstacles faced and lessons learned The approach to assessing e-readiness with three tools proved demanding in terms of time, labor and expenses, and required the development of new software. However, the result is a unique data source which provides rich insights into a range of Belarus' ICT-related issues. The questionnaire respondents indicated that extending the assessment to further include all of the variables defined by the eEurope program would have yielded even more interesting data and analyses. Besides these, the assessment team experienced no further internal or external challenges. III bridges.org feedback This Belarus assessment uses a hybrid of methodologies to identify the country's e-readiness status and those areas requiring prioritization for further work. The result is a textured E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 99 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 understanding of Belarus' e-readiness, and engenders numerous and insightful findings. The report adequately highlights areas of need, and makes clear recommendations for addressing these. Taking into account that the assessment provided to the study team is a translation of the original, it is nevertheless difficult to read in terms of its format and flow. The text sometimes appears contradictory to information expressed graphically, as data from various sources is presented without any exploration or interpretation of the sometimes quite significantly different results. While the experts' estimation breakdown presented as a share of the total amount of answers received provides insight and background to the findings, when these are in apparent contradiction with the findings of other methods, the reader is more likely to be confused that enlightened. For example, 60.9% of experts felt that "some local websites are available although most carry static content and are updated infrequently"; while a separate survey states 54% of respondents find that "many websites provide dynamic information on local topics and are updated at least several times per week." The report made no attempt to understand the possible reasons for these quite different findings, nor did it endeavor to provide the reader with the authors' opinions regarding which statistic best represents the state of Belarusian local web content. Although the assessment managed to cover all of the other areas in the networked society topic of the NRI framework, it failed to adequately consider the use (or lack thereof) of ICT by society, most notably basic literacy, strategies on poverty reduction using ICT, and historical issues affecting Belarus' e-readiness. While there is a great deal of emphasis on broader access to ICT and its uses for e-government, e-commerce and education, the report fails to even mention use of ICT for poverty alleviation or to support broader development goals; neither does it mention any projects or programs that use ICT for addressing social problems. The e-Readiness National Action Plan action plan is organized according to the main areas defined by the strategic framework: access and connectivity; training and education; government and public administration leadership; business sector and society development. It identifies responsible bodies for each sub-program, provides timeframes and estimated budgets. For example, sub-programs fall under five categories in the business sector section: ICT and Internet related business restructuring -- creating an internationally competitive ICT sector; development of e­commerce; information security of ICT infrastructure; modernization of banking system ICT; and logistics improvement. It is recommended that the entire action plan is uploaded onto the http://www.e-belarus.org website. On 21 January 2004, the first series of round-table discussions organized by the UNDP Belarus and the House of Representatives (lower chamber of the Belarusian parliament) took place. Entitled, Informatization and Information Society in Belarus, and with the objective of discussing Belarus' e-strategy, the participants identified priorities (improving access and accessibility; encouraging ICT innovation; stimulating public interest; formulating a vision for Belarus' information society; and understanding the place and role of the country in the global information society), critical points of ICT impact on the economy and social life, and defined major barriers impeding ICT development in Belarus. It is unclear why these activities were repeated when the assessment report and action plan had already done these things. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 100 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Bulgaria Bulgaria: ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Assessment I Overview Date Following the research period from July 2001 until January 2002, the report was published in May 2002. Authors The report was published by the Applied Research and Communications (ARC) Fund. The authors were Dinka Dinkova (ARC Fund), Dr Andrey Nonchev (Vitosha Research), Nikolay Badinski (Arc Fund), Assen Totin (Bulgaria Online), Todor Yalamov (ARC Fund), Tihomir Bezlov (Vitosha Research) and Dimitar Markov (Center for the Study of Democracy). Abstract A comprehensive analysis of the state of e-readiness in the country is presented within the categories recommended in Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries: e-access, e- society, e-learning and e-economy. The assessment is broad in its interpretation of the categories, and expands the concept of e-economy to include e-business. The report is framed within an inclusive definition of "e-readiness", stated below, and the project goal is to provide "snap shots of Bulgaria's readiness". Bulgaria has undergone a dramatic transition in the last fifteen years, and the information and communications technology (ICT) sector appears to epitomize the complexity of that change. The report describes a country with a rapidly changing ICT landscape. Bulgaria has a population interested in ICT since the period when Bulgaria was a central player in communications development and technology export. Yet Bulgarians lack the modern-day skills for today's information society. The assessment finds that Bulgaria's progress is hindered by archaic technology, such as analogue phone lines; outdated policy; and a Government-run telecommunications company. It recommends a fast-track approach to integrating ICT education in schools, transforming legislation, and the privatization of the incumbent telecommunications operator. It suggests that without a change in legislation and ownership, the provision of affordable and accessible telecommunications infrastructure to the country's schools, universities, communities and workplaces will be greatly hindered. After the original report was published, the incumbent telecommunications operator has been privatized and an updated version of the report was published in 2004. II Report summary Rationale The stated aims of the study are to assess the current state of ICT infrastructure and the availability of Internet and ICT-related services in Bulgarian society, to identify key barriers constraining faster uptake of ICT, and describe the opportunities afforded by ICT. The study provides snap shots of Bulgaria's readiness for the new economy and a bench-marking tool for monitoring progress over time, especially with regard to the recommendations defined in the eEurope18 action plan. 18The eEurope plan has the intention to make the European Union a dynamic knowledge-based economy with improved employment and social cohesion by 2010. For more information see: http://www.e-europestandards.org/ E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 101 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The ultimate goal of the assessment is to assist the e-development stakeholders in Bulgaria (e.g. policy-makers, international donor agencies, private sector organizations and others) in formulating adequate policies that take advantage of ICT as a powerful enabler of economic growth and competitiveness. The report also serves as an advocacy tool, sensitizing local politicians and policy-makers on the importance of ICT for economic and social development; and a promotional tool, publicizing Bulgaria's performance and leadership potential with respect to ICT. Methodology The study's methodology draws on several internationally acknowledged e-readiness methodologies. The Computer System Policy Project's (CSPP)'s Readiness Guide for Living in the Networked World, Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation's (APEC)'s E-Commerce Readiness Assessment, Electronic Commerce Steering Group's E-commerce Readiness Assessment, and Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries published by the Center for International Development at Harvard University. The methodology adapts certain aspects of these models (CID's Guide was the main tool used to frame the assessment's approach), and takes into account the local environment. The assessment focuses on four categories of e-readiness: access, society, education and economy. A detailed qualitative assessment, which provides a narrative review in each category, is followed by quantitative measures (e-readiness indicators), which look at things such as infrastructure availability and cost. Data was collected from: · The National Statistical Institute; · The Ministries of Transport and Communication, Economy and Education; · Internet service providers (ISPs); · The Annual Report of Bulgarian Telecommunications Company (BTC); · The Annual Report of Mobikom and Mobiltel (mobile phone operators); · Quantitative and qualitative surveys from research organizations Vitosha Research, BBSS, Alfa Research and GFK; · IDG Bulgaria; · The Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies (BAIT); · The European Survey of Information Society and; · Expert assessments from the project task force group itself. Key findings and recommendations CID Rankings e-Access: 4.00 e-Education: 4.27 e-Economy: 2.89 e-Society: 2.29 Measuring physical access to ICT · The number of public switched telephone network (PSTN) lines has increased by about 25% in the last decade, now reaching teledensity of 37 lines per 100 people. All new lines are digital. · 18% of the population uses mobile phones, and one quarter of households possess at least one mobile device. · 15% of all Internet use is provided by public access points, such as Internet cafes and community information centers. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 102 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · Most web users live in larger cities in the Sofia and Bourgas regions, fewer than 3% of Internet users live in small towns. · About 18% of public administration workplaces are computerized. 80-100% of these are in regional authorities; 70-80% in ministries. On average, about 20% of computers in public administration offices have Internet access, and less than 20% of the municipalities are currently connected to the Internet. · Only 7.3% of Bulgarian workplaces19 are computerized, less than 20% have Intranets, and only 12% are connected to the Internet. · Only 3.85% of employees have access to the Internet and it is used primarily for e-mail communication. · About 48% of households are reported to have access to cable television, with 3.3% of these accessing the Internet via cable TV. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Internet and telephone costs are prohibitively high for most Bulgarian Internet users. The high price of modems is also a deterrent. · In the past year and a half leading up to the survey, the average price for dial-up access had dropped to 0.25 USD from 0.45 USD20 in mid-2000. · 70% of the total expenses for Internet access are telecommunication costs. These are expected to have changed with privatization, but this had not yet happened at the time of writing the report. · The authors urge the Government to address the prohibitively high cost of Internet access by completing the liberalization of the telecommunications market, as the monopolistic position enjoyed by the incumbent telecommunications operator slows technological progress and keeps the prices of telecommunication services high21. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Overall, the level of integration of ICT in education outscores other categories of e- readiness (4.27). However, the situation remains unsatisfactory owing to a sharp decline in public spending on education since 1990. Bulgarian education is also declining in quality and unless schools and universities are wired to the Internet as a matter of urgency, and new curricula developed that integrates ICT into the learning process, learners will grow to be computer illiterate and perpetuate the current problem of low e-readiness. · The report states the majority of Bulgarians has the technical capabilities and skills to access and use the Internet (but only 10.4% of the population use the Internet). · Information about the use of ICT in Bulgaria's educational system is fragmented and often simply unavailable. · The overall penetration of ICT in Bulgarian schools is relatively low. On average, Bulgarian schools have one personal computer (PC) per 66 students. · Penetration in Bulgarian universities and colleges is highly uneven. For example, the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) reports around 550 PCs for every 700 students, while other universities have one computer for over 100 students. Only AUBG currently offers its students free access to computer labs with Internet connections. · Most Bulgarian universities are connected to the Internet but use is limited, and the Internet is not used in teaching. With the exception of a few technical and engineering schools, the Internet is rarely used for education or research, although almost all universities have registered Internet sites. · Approximately 186,000 people in the country hold college or university degrees related to ICT and about 565,000 have attended computer training courses. About 443,000 know 19It is unclear whether this refers exclusively to the private sector, or whether government, civil society and other workplaces are also included. 20The report does not explain whether this is the cost per minute or not. 21Liberalization has since happened in early 2004. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 103 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 how to use a computer through self-training, formal training at the workplace, or have learned computer skills from friends. On this basis, computer literacy is estimated at 16.2% of the adult population. · About 15% of jobs in Bulgaria require ICT skills. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · There is a lack of locally relevant content, but there are indications that a market for it exists: Bulgarian language websites are more often the target of Internet users than English ones. · As of 11 March 2002, there are 1860 hosts in the ".bg" domain. In addition there are about 2,500 Bulgarian sites under ".com", ".net", and ".org" domains and hundreds of others which use free hosting services offered by Bulgarian portals. · The majority of company websites contain mostly static, basic information (limited to a company profile, contact information and listing of products), which is rarely updated. · While in 1997 there were only two government websites, this number grew to 120 in 2001. · A few websites (e.g. www.taxadmin.government.bg) provide some degree of interactivity, mostly the possibility to download forms. Public administration websites are visited by a small number of people ­ about 4.3% of the population and about 6% of companies. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · Computers and Internet are typically used in the workplace22 and public locations such as Internet cafes and computer games clubs. Home Internet users and those accessing the Web at educational institutions represent a smaller share. · High cost, a perceived low level of security, and the lack of access, currently limit the use of Internet for electronic banking and commerce. · Barely 3% of Internet users in Bulgaria shop online, and 10% plan their travel using the Internet. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · The majority of web users are young; half are between the age of 18 and 30, one quarter is 31 to 40. Looking at whether people trust ICT · Main obstacles to e-commerce include a low level of trust and perceived security problems and, until recently (at the time of writing the report), the lack of a clear legal environment for electronic business. This situation changed with the enactment in May 2001 of an electronic signatures law which recognizes digitally signed documents and contracts concluded online as having the same validity as conventional instruments. Looking at the use of ICT in business · Local efforts to produce hardware and software have mostly proven inefficient since the move to a market economy after 1990. As a result few of the original software producers continue to exist. This contributes to the high level of software piracy in Bulgaria23. · So far, Bulgarian companies have been slow to integrate e-commerce into their corporate strategies. Most e-ecommerce activities fall in the B2C area and there are very few B2B transactions. However, these transactions are not purely electronic, as the Internet is primarily used for processing orders while payment is done in a conventional manner -- upon delivery. 22This seems to contradict an earlier finding that only 3.85% of employees have access to the Internet and it is used primarily for e-mail communication. 23The link between high levels of software piracy and low numbers of software producers is not further explained in the report. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 104 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · The e-economy index is 2.89 and is below the aggregate e-readiness score for the country. · Increasing access to and use of ICT also boosts development in other areas of the society or economy. The three main indicators of network access -- technology penetration, access affordability and connectivity -- seem to be aiding the growth of the technology industry. · Sectors to have taken up ICT the most are the financial services sector and telecommunications. Gauging the government's political will to drive change · Bulgaria is still at a relatively early stage of e-readiness, but the Government acknowledges the importance of ICT for development and has demonstrated a strong political will for supporting the active development of information technologies and high- tech end products. · Although Bulgaria is still at an early stage of conceptualizing the benefits and uses of e- government, the country is already making efforts to implement pilot projects in the field24. · As a whole, the e-society index is low at 2.29. This means that there is still limited understanding of the real benefits associated with ICT, and even less direct experience. Outcomes This assessment was the impetus for further related efforts. A key outcome is the consolidation of a core group of experts and institutions involved in ICT policy analysis. This has provided a solid groundwork for an extension of the e-readiness study, beyond that covered by the infoDev grant. The assessment findings were used to form an e-government strategy, as well as an issues and policy paper entitled Information Technologies for Development (2001). This paper outlines options for the development of ICT in Bulgaria, both as a competitive industry and as a tool for socio-economic development. Local stakeholders were engaged effectively. The report is an important resource for monitoring and benchmarking the success of policy decisions aiming to support the development of ICT in Bulgaria. The e-readiness document received very positive feedback from the Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Coordination Center on Information, Communication and Management Technologies (ICMT) at the Council of Ministers, the Bulgarian Association of Information Technologies and others, including local and international experts. The assessment's methodology has been accepted by the Ministry of Transport and Communication. In a letter sent to Mr. Vivek Chaudhry of the infoDev program, the Ministry praised the project for having "filled a definite gap in the available knowledge and empirical data on the degree to which ICT has penetrated various sectors of Bulgarian society, economy, government, the education system and others... This information has proved to be particularly useful to the Ministry, and other Government agencies ... The e-readiness project has also involved a broad consultation process with all major stakeholders in ICT in the country. As such it has served to consolidate the national dialogue among government 24 Following the assessment, the Government has developed an e-government strategy, an issue and policy paper on the role of ICT for development, and created administrative mechanisms to oversee the implementation of its e- Government strategy. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 105 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 institutions, private sector organizations and NGOs in promoting a common vision of ICT as a key driver for developing Bulgaria into an information or knowledge-based society." Although the assessment did not make specific recommendations, it outlined broad suggestions for going forward in the areas of telecommunication costs and education. It indirectly contributed to developments in both areas. First, as part of Bulgaria's efforts to comply with eEurope targets, the assessment raised international attention of the regulated telecommunications sector, and increased pressure to deregulate. This has helped to bring down prices. Second, Government has made significant commitment to address the shortcomings in education, as described in the report. Although the assessment cannot be considered the major factor for these developments, it informed the Government's understanding of the issues and helped identify focus areas for intervention. Obstacles faced and lessons learned The collection of data required by the comprehensive methodology turned out to be significant and costly. Some of the indicator scales used were too broad, and unable to capture incremental changes, or leaps, in the ICT environment. More dynamic indicators were needed to capture more subtle signals, such as smaller shifts and/or early warnings. This would allow progress to be registered more precisely on a year-to-year basis. Spending more time to understand e-developments in other countries would also aid the interpretation of Bulgaria's position in competitiveness rankings. The price of computers and mobile telephony should have been included, in order to emphasize the impact of prohibitively high costs. However, the fact that the research team collected significant amounts of data was also considered a strength of the report. It was felt that this reduced the study's dependence on other people's work and allowed a more detailed look at specific areas the team considered important. With regard to the study's objective to be comparable to assessments in other countries, different ways of defining indicators between different methodologies were discovered. For example, the indicator "age of Internet users" is measured differently, which makes comparison difficult. Finding a balance between international harmonization of indicators and ensuring local relevance can be difficult. A main challenge had to do with the changing political environment in the country following the general elections in June 2001 and the appointment of the new Government in August 2001. These political changes affected the whole institutional environment for ICT development in Bulgaria. The project team overcame problems of uncertainty and lack of clarity on the part of Government counterparts by more closely involving business community representatives and international donor agencies. The research team felt that the focus of infoDev's e-readiness program was too broad to focus on specific social aspects of ICT use. They suggest that a good way to provide this in- depth look at specific aspects is in the form of additional small reports, using this report as a foundation. III bridges.org feedback Bulgaria has undergone a dramatic transition in the last fifteen years, and the ICT sector appears to epitomize the complexity of that change. The aggregate indicators in this assessment show that overall, Bulgaria is still relatively under-prepared to harness ICT for achieving growth and competitiveness, enhancing the quality of its education system, or improving the efficiency and transparency of Government. The report informed a policy paper E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 106 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 and the e-government strategy, and has played a role in bringing about changes in the Bulgarian ICT landscape. The Bulgarian e-readiness assessment model is a well thought out and appropriate reworking of the Harvard guide for the specific environment. It could benefit from further work and refinement, but is nonetheless a useful starting point for analyzing the infiltration of ICT into all sectors of society. This report offers an excellent overview of the country's e-readiness in terms of Internet access. However, it focuses largely on the Internet, and its use of the term "ICT" is usually confined to the technologies related to Internet use. Given the low penetration of computers and the many obstacles to widespread Internet access, focus on more easily accessible and ubiquitous ICT (such as mobile phones, television and radio) would benefit socio-economic development in the country. The report explains that it does not intend to describe in detail the various technical aspects of Internet use. Rather, it is concerned with attitudes of end users to problems related with the speed and reliability of Internet connections. Public perception of Internet use plays a major part in its adoption in schools, and the report notes that the use of Internet in education and science is just above the average statistics for the country as a whole. The country faces unique challenges in terms of having advanced infrastructure that is now outdated. For example, a decade ago it had comparatively high density of phone lines in the region, but they are analogue. Although a digital divide between regions is mentioned, the report fails to detail where the infrastructure is concentrated. Where it mentions that technology use in rural areas is minimal, it does not offer any details. Literacy levels are an important factor affecting ICT use, although they are not sufficiently covered in this assessment. However, the report features an interesting discussion on the practicalities of education, describing a situation in which qualified teachers leave and bureaucratic structures of the education system prevent the hiring of ICT experts25. The report makes good suggestions for fostering innovation and change, and gives recommendations targeted at preventing "brain drain". The assessment clearly intends to be a source of information for others, rather than suggest policy actions or develop analytical instruments itself. While it is laden with information and facts -- and illustrated with a significant amount of graphs and pie charts -- not all of this is summarized to indicate explicit findings and the report ends without concluding remarks. The project result is an extensive report covering important areas of ICT use and drawing from a range of sources, but more guidance to decision-makers about the implications of the findings would be useful. Although there were no specific recommendations given in the paper, its broad observations mention two key issues for attention (affordability of services and the integration of ICT into education) and informed the Government's understanding of the issues and focus areas for intervention. NB: It is worth noting that there was overlap between this report and an assessment conducted by Harvard University26. Both reports were published around the same time, and used the same methodology. That the findings are similar is an indication of the validity of the respective reports, which were conducted independently of one another. However, more importantly, this underlines the fact that while these efforts are all well intentioned, 25A policy of permanent employment in schools does not allow the involvement of instructors from outside the school system. 26Braliev, A. and Markovski, V. (2002) ".bg" in The Global Information Technology Report: Readiness for the networked world. Center for International Deveopment, Harvard University. http://www.cid.harvard.edu/cr/profiles/Bulgaria.pdfhttp://www.cid.harvard.edu/cr/profiles/Bulgaria.pdf E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 107 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 duplication in e-readiness assessments continues. The updated Who What Where (bridges.org, Feb 2004) report finds that Bulgaria has been assessed a total of 14 times. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 108 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Costa Rica Bridging the Digital Divide in Costa Rica: Access to and use of information and communications technologies I Overview Dates The grant period was between June 2001 and March 2003. The report was published in 2002. Authors The assessment was conducted by the Comisión Asesora en Alta Tecnología de Costa Rica (CAATEC) together with the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnología (MCT). Ricardo Monge, Executive Director CAATEC, and Federico Chacón, Coordinator of the Program "Communication Without Borders" (CWB), authored the report. Abstract This assessment goes beyond the scope of many others in infoDev's e-readiness program in that it takes a good look at "soft" issues, such as socio-economic factors and locally relevant content, in addition to "hard" issues such as infrastructure and cost. It provides a valuable overview of Costa Rica's digital divide and raised awareness of the importance of efforts to bridge it. The study aims to evaluate the magnitude of the digital divide in Costa Rica through analyses of various demographic, economic and social variables. It seeks to identify policies for adoption in the short and medium term, but was unsuccessful in reaching the "action plan" stage. Despite this, additional resources were allocated to digital divide efforts in Costa Rica as a result of the assessment, which was widely disseminated. It was the basis for numerous subsequent reports on the digital divide in Costa Rica concerned with telecommunications and the Internet, human resources development, innovation, the regulatory framework and public institutions. The assessment methodology is that recommended by GeoSINC International, and three extensive surveys provided detailed, up-to-date and representative data on the use of information and communications technology (ICT) by Costa Ricans. The assessment finds that only 3.4 % of Costa Ricans have Internet access in their homes, although 84% of youths and 23% of adults have used the Internet at least once. The study recommends improvements in local content production, development of the high technology sector, encouragement of business to business (B2B) electronic transactions and communication, and liberalization of the telecommunications market to reduce access costs. II Report Summary Rationale The study aims to evaluate the magnitude of the digital divide in Costa Rica and comprises analyses of various demographic, economic and social variables. The report seeks to identify policies for adoption in the short and medium term, with the goal of "a single Costa Rica with all its citizens connected to the Internet, living in a successful information society". E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 109 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Methodology The GeoSINC International (2002) e-Readiness Guide: How to Develop and Implement a National e-Readiness Action Plan in Developing Countries frames the assessment's methodological approach, and also informs the report's structure. GeoSINC International recommends the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries. The Costa Rican assessment follows this, as do most of the other assessments funded under the infoDev e- readiness initiative. The National Statistics and Census Institute (INEC) included a module on ICT in its year 2000 household survey, and UNIMER27 Research International was contracted to carry out two surveys looking at the level of Internet access and use by youth and adults in 2001. In its survey of Adults, UNIMER surveyed 1198 Costa Ricans using a pre-codified questionnaire. A telephonic survey, with a structured, closed-response questionnaire was used to survey 504 youth. Both surveys were representative in their sampling with respect to gender, level of education, socio-economic status and geographical location. Key findings and recommendations Measuring physical access to ICT · 54% of Costa Ricans have fixed-line telephones; only 11% have mobile phones. 12% of households have a computer but only 3.4% have Internet access. · Most Internet access is via dial-up, but 12% of Internet users at home access it via cable television. · At 94%, almost all households have electricity and 84% have televisions. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · As much of the population has access to electricity and color televisions, the Government is investigating the use of Internet connectivity carried over power cables, as a means of providing universal access to ICT for its citizens. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · The telephone service is expensive, according to the opinions of those surveyed, and the comparison with other countries in the region. · Internet access cost was found to be competitive compared with other countries. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Costa Rica has one of the highest literacy rates in the world, and there is a high rate of digital literacy28. Despite this, a survey found that 77% of Costa Ricans over the age of 18 have never used the Internet. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · There are not enough Internet content providers (ICP) in Costa Rica, and the report highlights this as a possible barrier to "intelligent use" of the Internet by Costa Ricans. · The Communications Without Borders program involves the creation of a portal (www.costarricense.cr) which has links to multiple e-government services29, digital banking and training on how to use e-mail. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · Internet access is very low (only 3.4%) in Costa Rican households. However, Internet use is much higher than would be expected; it is estimated that 84% of youths and 23% of adults have used the Internet at least once in their lives. 27The report does not provide the full name for UNIMER. 28The report does not offer a definition of digital literacy. 29The report does not provide more detail on these services. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 110 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · There is no evidence of intensive Internet use in the workplace by heads of households. · Email is mainly used between friends and family, as opposed to B2B or business to consumer (B2C) communication. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · The report defines the digital divide as "the differences associated with access to and use of applications of ICT among individuals of a given country, or between different countries or regions." It concludes that a digital divide in Costa Rica is evident between geographic zones, as well as between adults and youths, and between groups of individuals with different income and educational levels. · The highest Internet usage is found in a younger group of adults with higher socio- economic status and education, living in a metropolitan area30. Looking at security and whether people trust ICT · A technical department needs to be established to address elements discouraging citizen's use of the Internet, including viruses, hacker intrusion, author's rights on the network and electronic fraud. Examining the legal and regulatory environment affecting ICT use · The Central Government has a "Digital Agenda", which is aimed at tackling the digital divide in Costa Rica from three different angles. The main goals of its three programs are to increase the availability of Internet bandwidth, to businesses and households, while reducing cost. · Several bills have been presented to the Legislative Assembly towards creating a more enabling ICT environment. One key bill is the "Government Bill on the Right of Access to the Internet (File number 14.029)", which aims to create the right legislative environment for development of the Internet service provider (ISP) sector, especially in support of Internet access via cable -- primarily digital subscriber line (DSL). Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · High technology31 is the most important export sector in Costa Rica. The reports finds that this is due to the focus on developing quality human resources and a zero import tax policy on ICT, components of a strategy to support the production of technology and knowledge-intensive goods and services. · Foreign direct investment, especially in the high technology sector, has been significant, and represents up to 5% of gross domestic product (GDP) per year. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · Costa Rica is the only country in the region in which the Government still has a monopoly in telephony and Internet connectivity. While the authors acknowledge that this factor could constitute an important limitation for the country's competitiveness and technological advance, they also point to the usefulness of the Ministry of Science and Technology in creating policies for closing the digital divide "a timely and efficient manner". However, the report concludes that "such policies would work even better in a competitive regime". Outcomes Bridging The Digital Divide in Costa Rica: Access to and Use of ICT has been widely disseminated by CAATEC, in print and on the Web, in English and Spanish. The report, along with other papers based on the research, is available on http://www.caatec.org/ereadiness. The report was well received by the new administration in the Costa Rican Government in 30The report is not more specific about this group. 31The report does not define "high technology". E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 111 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 2002, and has played a role in raising awareness of the digital divide and the importance of efforts to bridge it. Various workshops were held with policymakers, including one carried out with the support of the Government of Korea. E-literacy training being conducted in primary schools received an additional allocation of public resources because of the report, while the Minister of Economy implemented a program promoting the adoption of ICT by SMEs, with CAATEC as the technical unit. One of the most important outcomes of the e-readiness assessment is that it has identified and brought together people interested in helping the country and its transition towards a knowledge-based economy. This network of people and institutions currently heads efforts to bridge the Costa Rican digital divide. Obstacles faced and lessons learned This study was conducted with a wide range of role players, brought together by a common interest in e-readiness, a concept new to most. As the project developed, conflicts arose regarding the state monopoly telecom, Instituto Costarricense de Electricidad (ICE). While CAATEC and the MCT promoted liberalization of the market, the state owned company opted to retain its monopoly. The partners had to ensure that their conflicting interests did not affect the credibility of the project, and worked together to create a balanced report. Finding the right group of experts to carry out the research proved difficult, while it proved similarly challenging to access sufficient information and data. The team addressed these external challenges and sourced additional funding from international organizations and local companies to conduct specialized surveys. The assessment team suggests that INEC should include in their annual household survey the module of questions that enabled the study, in order to measure the efficacy of policies trying to mitigate the digital divide. The team felt that securing sufficient resources to continue designing a strategy and action plan following the assessment would have helped to ensure that the policy recommendations were at least discussed by the Government authorities. III bridges.org feedback Overall, this assessment provides a valuable overview of Costa Rica's digital divide, and takes a good look at "soft" issues, such as socio-economic factors and locally relevant content, as well as "hard" ones such as infrastructure and cost of access. In this, it goes beyond the scope of many other e-readiness assessments in the infoDev program. The two surveys conducted by UNIMER contribute significant value. Together, they survey the opinions of 1702 respondents across Costa Rica, sampling representatively across geographical areas, gender, age and socio-economic status. The report deals with issues of infrastructure and affordability. It also looks at socio-economic factors affecting access to ICT such as income level and age. The section on content seeks to unpack the reasons behind Costa Rican's use of ICT, or lack thereof, but although the main purposes of Internet use are investigated, further investigation into the appropriateness and level of integration of different technologies would better determine the extent to which ICT fits into Costa Rican's daily lives. Education and capacity issues are addressed, and the capacity of public and private institutions to deliver private sector training courses, as well as the e-literacy program in E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 112 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Costa Rican primary schools, are explored. Lifelong e-learning is identified as an important application and reason for ensuring widespread Internet access. While political will for addressing the digital divide is discussed in the context of programs and efforts by the Ministries of Education and Science and Technology, the Presidency of the Republic and others, there is lacking critical analysis of the impact of these initiatives. This could be owing to these programs' early status at the time of writing. The report deals only superficially with those policies that contribute towards an enabling environment for ICT, and provides balanced, as opposed to critical, commentary on policies that could be hindering widespread ICT adoption. Public support is discussed in the questionnaire completed by CAATEC. The authors make the case that "several recent opinion polls by national newspapers found that about 75% of Costa Ricans support the revision of the telecommunications sector's regulatory and legal frameworks and the opening up of the state-owned telecom to private competition. Such results would have been unthinkable only three years ago." While the involvement of important role-players in conducting this assessment would certainly have contributed to changing opinions regarding telecommunications regulation, the results of these opinion polls cannot be attributed to the report alone. Most findings are based on the INEC household survey, and the assessment lacks detailed investigation of the role of ICT in Costa Rica's economy. Although it is found that "few heads of households use Internet at work", these findings may be skewed owing to the data's specificity to households, and the question posed exclusively to household heads. There is mention of the importance of Costa Rica's "high technology" sector, but this is not substantiated with any accompanying data. These shortfalls have evidently been identified by CAATEC, as further studies have been conducted in these areas. The digital divide assessment is part of a larger, wider-reaching program called Costa Rica e- Readiness, which seeks to enable the country's successful transition to a knowledge-based economy (or information society), which has a broad view of e-readiness and its relevance for broader development goals. Two notable outputs following the original assessment are Analysis of the Labor Market for the Costa Rican High Technology Sector and e-Readiness of Costa Rican Public Institutions. The Costa Rican study did not aim to look at ICT use amongst businesses of different sizes, so there is no information on ICT usage within the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. However, a project to collect this data was started by CAATEC, with support from the Central American Secretariat for Economic Integration (SIECA) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Although the report states as an objective the identification of policies for the short- and medium- term, it fails to realize this, and provides only broad policy recommendations that could apply to both the medium- and long-term. The Costa Rican e-readiness program was thus unsuccessful in establishing the "action plan" stage of the assessment, although this is largely owing to lacking funds. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 113 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Estonia ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessment I Overview Date The grant period was between 15 July 2002 and 30 June 2003. The report was published in April 2003. Authors The project was coordinated by Tarmo Kalvet, director of Innovation Program at the PRAXIS center for Policy Studies. Andre Krull, research fellow, was the project manager and author of the report, with contributions from Prof. Rainer Kattel, Rain Rannu, Andres Juhkam and Katri Kerem. Abstract Structured according to Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, the Estonian assessment is a lengthy and detailed, yet coherent discussion of the country's e-readiness. Drawing heavily on previous work, the assessment discusses Estonia's network society, network access, networked education, networked economy and networked government. The report achieves its main objectives: it provides an overview of the latest developments in the Estonian information and communications technology (ICT) sector; explains why certain choices and decisions have led to specific developments; provides comparative data for foreign experts and institutions; and draws attention to the main problems facing Estonian ICT development in the future. The assessment was complemented by three case studies that looked at specific aspects of e-readiness and the use of ICT in Estonia: mobile services, Internet banking and a study focusing on the reasons for Estonia's internal digital divide. The work has reportedly had a significant impact on policy-makers, and has been widely disseminated through various media. Estonia enjoys one of the highest Internet, mobile phones and personal computer (PC) penetration rates in Central and Eastern Europe. 60% of Estonians have access to mobile telephony, while Internet access is enjoyed by almost 40% of the population. Adoption rates for Internet access have remained stagnant for the two years preceding the assessment, and the assessment calls for further research addressing the link between ICT and economic growth, quality of work and social cohesion. II Report summary Rationale E-Readiness is defined as "the degree to which a society is prepared to participate in the digital economy", based on the idea that the digital economy can help to build a better society. The objective was to provide uniform coverage of "all the relevant aspects contributing to the country's e-readiness" in order to lead to policy recommendations and action plans. The report lists the following specific goals: · Provide an overview of the latest developments in the Estonian ICT sector; · explain why and how [was: some choices and]certain policy decisions have led to the observed developments; E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 114 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · compile comparative data for foreign experts and institutions on the current situation of Estonian e-readiness and the level of ICT infrastructure; and · Draw attention to the main problems facing Estonian ICT development in the future. Additional goals include initiating a well-informed discussion on technological innovation and related social aspects both on national and international levels and promoting dialog between researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders on general technology and innovation policy issues. A separate objective was to draw out lessons learned and information that would be helpful for other Eastern and Central European nations. Estonia had seen tremendous developments in the ICT sector and PRAXIS considered the assessment an opportunity to share Estonian experience with other countries at earlier stages of ICT adoption. Methodology The assessment is based on the most well-known international assessment models, with Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries as the primary source. The corresponding areas for assessment were thus network society, network access, networked education, networked economy and networked government. In addition, qualitative analysis provided the basis for comparison with other countries, while case studies were conducted on Internet banking, m-services and the digital divide in Estonia. The rationale behind the methodology design is that it enables a big picture overview of Estonia's e-readiness while providing additional in-depth analysis of particular crucial issues. Key findings and recommendations Measuring physical access to ICT · Estonia enjoys one of the highest Internet, mobile phones and PC penetration rates in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). 60% of Estonians have access to mobile telephony, while Internet access is enjoyed by almost 40% of the population. · 30% of the population has computers at home. · While rural access is high (88% of rural children claim to have Internet access at school), the role of the public sector in ensuring access outside of the cities is important, as urban children tend to have Internet access at home, while rural children use it at school or at the public library. · According to EMOR E-Track survey, 49% of the population has never used computers before. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Estonians spend 5% of their income on telecommunications (3% on IT), which is especially remarkable considering the low gross domestic product (GDP) per capita (4524.6 EUR in 2001). · Comparatively, Internet costs are relatively lower than in other CEE countries. The monthly fee for a dedicated Internet connection starts from 10 EUR, and ICT equipment and services have become generally more affordable. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Almost all (93%) children have Internet access at school, in their neighborhood or at home. However, although 75% of schools have Internet connections, on average, schools have only three PCs per 100 pupils connected to the Internet. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 115 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · The Tiger Leap program, launched by President Meri, has helped to bring computers into education and made ICT popular among children. The program focuses on ICT competencies, virtual learning, sustainable development of infrastructure, and collaboration between the state, local governments, schools, parents and organizations. However, its successful start has not been enough to achieve regionally competitive penetration levels. · Computer use to support learning is far from extensive, and with the exception of informatics, only 8% of pupils on average use computers in different subject classes, while 16% have never used computers in subject classes at all. · There is a concern that vocational ICT training institutions are producing surplus amounts of "advanced users", but low numbers of IT specialists, engineers and programmers. This feeds a vicious circle of limited research and development (R&D) and a lack of innovation. · Almost all Estonian electronics companies have a shortage of ICT specialists with the appropriate tertiary education. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · Most Estonians do not use the Internet for shopping or work. · 83% of Estonians are not interested in shopping online. · The Estonian Government was one of the first to develop a functioning e-government system. By 2000, the e-government system enabled "paperless government sessions" and participation in meetings from distant locations via Internet. · Preconditions for a citizen-centered e-state and the development of the framework for business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) services need to be harnessed. These include the regulatory framework, infrastructure (Internet connections, ID-cards, Public Key Infrastructure), the public sector's e-citizen portal project, and capacity training by the Look@World Foundation. Convenient e-services for taxes, health issues, retirement benefits, education and applying for permits and certificates need to be established. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · Estonians use the Internet for the following main reasons: email (70%); online searching (66%); occasional surfing (62%); Internet banking (57%) and "reading about Estonian issues" (54%). Most use the Internet at their workplace (53%), at home (40%) or at school (29%). · 75% of companies have at least one computer (50% have 1-3), and 89% of these have Internet access. 35% of those companies with Internet access have their own homepage. · The Government needs to address the emerging issue of the digital divide, as the growth of people using the Internet practically halted for almost 2 years in 1999-2001. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · Estonian women are more active users of the Internet than men, and 81% of Internet users are under the age of 20, according to the Global e-commerce Report (2002). Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · Estonia's liberalized telecommunications market and its well functioning regulatory environment are at the same level as Finland's. · The two most important policy documents influencing the developments of the Estonian information society have been the Principles of Estonian Information Policy, passed in May 1998, and the Public Information Act, passed in November 2000. The latter has led to several national programs and projects, the most extensive of which is the document management program of government agencies, which in turn resulted in several other ICT acts. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 116 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · A "real innovation strategy" is required, without which the report claims the Government cannot achieve the goals of its so-called "no-policy policy": spending 1.5 percentage of GDP on R&D in 2006; strengthening the collaboration of academic research institutions and private companies; and giving incentives to the companies to increase their spending on R&D. Looking at the use of ICT in business · The main economic activities in Estonia are assembly, labor intensive manufacturing and resource extraction. Technology is assimilated through imports, foreign direct investment (FDI) and imitation. · There are an estimated 451 companies in the Estonian ICT sector. Most are very small, and the eight largest companies make up 85 % of turnover of the whole sector. · Estonian companies, regardless of local or international ownership, are primarily subcontractors to foreign corporations, and only a few of them are able to sell high-value added products and services on their own. Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · The World Economic Forum's (WEF)'s Global Competitiveness Report 2002-2003 puts Estonia in the leading position of 49 countries in terms of investment into telecommunications. · Western European countries have invested heavily in Estonia's ICT sector. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · Most of the major projects, such as computerizing schools and public administration, creating ID-card infrastructure and developing e-services, have been initiated by the public sector. · Despite a four-fold increase in Government resources allocated to ICT financing between 1997 and 2003 (28.44 million EUR), Estonia's expenditures on ICT have been rather modest, compared with other countries that spend 2.5-4 % of the state budget on technology. · Since 2001, the private sector had been a moderate supporter of information society developments, but public-private partnerships are starting to develop and have impact. · Stronger co-operation of state institutions with one another and their private sector counterparts would expedite national ICT projects such as the e-citizen portal and other electronic services. In its overall conclusion, the report suggests that Estonia should learn from the Nordic countries, where success has been understood as the result of: the liberalization of the telecommunications market; a well functioning regulatory environment; a high level of national education; heavy R&D investments; good national dialog and cooperation between all the players. Outcomes The assessment -- especially in combination with the digital divide case study -- has reportedly had a powerful impact on policy-makers in highlighting the social impact of ICT in Estonia for the first time. Further to this, there was apparently extensive reference to it in the media. The Principles of the Estonian Information Policy for 2004 - 2006, and the Information Policy Action Plan for 2005, both still in draft form at the time of writing, were informed by the research. As was the Joint Memorandum on Social Inclusion of Estonia32, published in 32http://europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/soc-prot/soc-incl/est_jim_en.pdf E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 117 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 December 2003 by the European Commission in Brussels. In order to address the growing digital divide in Estonia as revealed by the report, PRAXIS organized an international conference called eVoting ­ Social and Technological Challenges for Society in June 2003. PRAXIS was also twice invited to present assessment results and report on the situation in Estonia to inform the development of the eEurope action plan, and provided input and comment based on the assessment to the Information Society section of the National Development Plan 2004-1006. Apparently, work on the digital divide in Estonia has had strong impact on the reformulation of policy documents, and various private sector strategies. The assessment has put the issue of e-readiness onto the map in Estonia. As all the materials were translated into English and Russian as well, accompanied by an international awareness campaign, the research results were studied with great interest by public policy-makers in other countries. Finally, the Look@World Foundation was established in Autumn 2000 by several Estonian banks, telecommunications and IT companies as a major Internet connectivity project, with the objective of radically increasing the number of Internet users in Estonia. It provided, free of charge, basic computer and Internet training for about 10% of Estonia's adult population. The foundation's activities were in line with the results of the study. The assessment's findings confirmed Look@World's initial strategy on capacity-building as a relevant intervention to increase ICT use in Estonia. Obstacles faced and lessons learned Based on the experience of completing the assessment and case studies, the authors feel that a focus on long-term strategies is more beneficial than the short-term infrastructure focus frequently used in assessments, and encouraged the development of stronger linkages between industrial and economic, and information society policy. Because of the relatively small sample size of most surveys and including the original data collection, the results are expected to differ from alternative studies -- and even between the digital divide case study and the assessment small deviations were observed. More comprehensive surveys might be necessary to collect reliable data that can span the significant socio-economic divides in countries like Estonia. The main challenge lies in moving from analysis of the problems to the implementation of solutions. For example, the lack of ICT use by small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is relatively easy to diagnose, but it is difficult to develop the specific solutions that are needed to enable these SMEs to become more efficient. Analysis of underlying reasons is needed to understand some of the results of e-readiness assessments. For example, the reasons as to why people do not use the Internet are different in different countries. In Estonia the non-users fall into two groups, "passive users" who have no interest to change their current ways and "blue collar users" who are older and lack relevant skills and are uncomfortable to use ICT in public access points. These two groups will respond to fundamentally different strategies, but a general e-readiness assessment would have failed to bring out these differences. The assessment found a need for research into the link between ICT and economic growth, quality of work and social cohesion. Despite the many detailed findings of the assessment, the authors feel that the main question, "how can ICT help?" still needs to be answered, and proof of the positive economic and social impact of ICT is still missing. While many of the main socio-economic problems are known in Estonia, more research and projects are needed to show whether ICT can help solve them. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 118 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 III bridges.org feedback The report provides a comprehensive overview and analysis of Estonia's past, present and future e-readiness. Although quite lengthy and very detailed, the report is a cohesive and logically structured presentation of e-readiness information, and meets each of its stated objectives. The authors were aware that Estonia had been assessed four times before this assessment, and that its e-readiness and ICT infrastructure capacity was evaluated in 1999-2000 by the European Commission. The executive summary states that Estonia "has been previously assessed by various e-readiness reports as one of the most successful adaptors and uptakers of new communication technologies in Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries." These previous assessments are cited prolifically throughout the assessment. The methodology is insufficiently explained, but appears to consist primarily of a literature survey presented under the CID guide's headings, although there are no scores provided for each category of e-readiness. And although most of the data in the report seems to have been generated by other authors, research bodies and statistics institutions, a lot was collected by EMOR, with input from PRAXIS. The researchers commendably refrained from duplicating the previous work, yet the extent of the initiative's value-add is unclear, as the "case studies of Internet banking, m-services and digital divide" are referred to only sporadically and superficially in the report. These case studies are highlighted in the methodology as augmenting the approach of the conventional e-readiness models with qualitative data, but they were created as separate and independent documents. The relationship between assessment and case studies could have been brought out more clearly and data from one leveraged in the other. The report features thorough descriptions of issues related to infrastructure, cost, patterns of use and content. However, the data has been garnered from a variety of previous reports and information sources, and in some instances appears contradictory. Quoting the EMOR E-Track survey (2001), graphs indicate that 49% of the population between 15 and 74 years old has never used a computer before. Although this appears potentially contradictory to other cited statistics (for example, 93% of children have access to the Internet, 40% of the population is online, and 30% own home computers) there is no attempt to explain or unpack these potential anomalies in the report. During the country visit, it was established that the EMOR survey used a small pool of people (1000), as resource constraints prevented fully representative sampling. Another source for contradiction is the use of different methodologies. This can also be seen as an opportunity, as it helps to identify areas that may need more research. The report clearly illustrates the Government's moderate financial support of e-readiness and information society issues. Recent media about developments in Estonia's e-readiness evidence increasing political will for improving access to and use of ICT. The Estonian Government has gone so far as to consider Internet access a basic human right. Estonia is clearly at a more developed level of e-readiness than most of the other countries in the infodev program, but is facing significant problems in the years to come -- something that is easily overlooked when faced with the modern city center of Tallinn and Estonia's media image. The report addresses questions that are further along the e-readiness road than those facing many other e-readiness assessment teams, and are evidently aware that a more in- depth approach is required to inform the next steps. The analysis is often more probing and forward-looking than assessment in less e-ready countries. For example, the report states, "growing penetration rates do not show the quality and purpose of use. It is important to E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 119 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 analyze what people use the Internet for, do they use it for work or entertainment, do they use e-government applications or do they shop online?...The state's readiness to provide education compatible with the needs of information society and satisfying the needs for skills in the corporate sector is more vital to the e-readiness than the number of mobile phones and PCs". The assessment also identifies solutions include "creating motivation to use the Internet (by providing interesting and essential content), overcoming individual barriers (providing training, education and improving skills) and providing easier access (through telecom market regulation and competition). On the other hand, the importance of the ability to sustain growth cannot be overstated. There is not much reason in investing heavily into ICT, if the society cannot keep up with the economic growth nor strengthen the social bondages by the help of these investments." Other developing countries can learn from Estonia's success. Main reasons the report identifies for Estonia's fast development since regaining independence in 1991 are: its proximity of technologically advanced Finland and Sweden; the large amount of FDI into Estonian companies; a population with a high level of technical education (in the Soviet era only hard sciences were ideologically free), and a large part of the population ready to consume and adopt modern technology as part of their lifestyles. However, despite the country's progress in e-readiness, there has been no real proof for how ICT can help with the socio-economic issues that Estonia is facing. Estonia shows the largest income disparity of all nine recent EU extension countries. This economic gap correlates with a clear digital divide within the country, and the two need to be addressed simultaneously. Developing countries should learn from this aspect of Estonia's experience as well, and strategize to prevent similar problems. Focusing predominantly on e-readiness for economy and industry, without affording sufficient resources and effort on addressing socio-economic inequities is problematic. It means that ICT is harnessed to further enhance the lives of those already privileged, while those on the other side of the digital divide become increasingly disadvantaged. It is of equal importance to ensure that a country leverages the positive elements of its e- readiness or it faces the danger of falling behind in Innovation. Estonia is showing signs of "primatization", a development towards activities that do not require high-level skills and add very limited value. In light of the likely relocation of such activities to lower income economies such as India and China, Estonia's future economic development hinges on its ability to increase innovation. Estonia is currently at risk of remaining a sophisticated user of ICT, but failing to become a leading innovator. Current e-government reports indicate that other countries are developing e-government services at a faster pace than Estonia, and especially other CEE countries are catching up quickly33. The report identifies the need for strategic thinking about e-readiness and related issues. Both the cited reasons for success and the identified approaches to improving the country's e- readiness provide other developing countries, as well as Estonian policy-makers, with valuable insight. 33UN (2004) Global e-Government Readiness Report http://www.unpan.org/egovernment4.asp E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 120 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Jamaica Jamaica's e-Readiness Assessment I Overview Dates The grant period was between October 2001 and February 2003. The report was published in 2002. Authors Central IT Office (CITO), established by the Government of Jamaica, was the grantee. Allied Research Associates conducted the assessment. Abstract The Jamaican e-readiness report comprises a broad-based assessment of the role of information and communications technology (ICT) in society, but has a greater emphasis on ICT capacity-building within the business sector. Through the lens of the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Guide, the assessment examines the technical issues around developing ICT skills in the general population, and to a lesser extent, the impact of foreign investment on the ICT sector. Government efforts to produce policy aimed at supporting ICT projects and the SME sector are mentioned. The poor economic climate in Jamaica is recognized as producing a large, internal digital divide. The report predicts that this will worsen with the acceleration of new ICT imports that only the rich can afford. Patterns of ICT uptake and use in society were studied to provide information in support of the Government's development goals and to address this problem. The report outlines where improvements can be made for bolstering the small, service-based ICT industry that already exists and promoting the uptake of ICT by Jamaicans. II Report Summary Rationale This e-readiness assessment is based on CID's Guide, which assesses community readiness for the networked world. The assessment team modified the methodology, by removing and adding to the list of indicators, to produce a methodology relevant to the socio-economic circumstances of the country. The aim was to produce a report that would provide information useful for helping the government achieve its development goals. The assessors emphasize the desire to discover Jamaican's attitudes toward ICT and their patterns of use, it states the need to get ICT into the hands of ordinary people and stimulate communication between local communities, before focusing on external communication. This, it claims, should be the focus of under-developed countries. The report paints a picture of the economic landscape of Jamaica, the state of the ICT industry and ICT use within business. ICT uptake is clearly held back by the impoverished circumstances of a large number of Jamaicans, and a poor education system has been partly responsible for this. Thus improving literacy levels, as a precursor to e-literacy, and increasing ICT skills are recognized as key to the use of technology in society and its uptake by small business. Methodology The assessment methodology is based mainly on the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A guide for developing countries. The "Network access" category was renamed "ICT infrastructure", and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 121 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 included connectivity as well as access. Terminology in the Guide was updated, for example, "Networked learning" was referred to as "e-learning". Issues such as entrepreneurial orientation34, risk taking, research and development (R&D) and employment, were given priority in the e-economy assessment. In adopting this approach, the assessors sought to ensure a contextually relevant assessment while maintaining comparability of the findings with other countries. The process was based on primary and secondary data collection and review. Over 500 citizens in civil society, from five major town centers across the island, and 300 small business enterprises similarly distributed, were surveyed. Several interviews were conducted with key informants in the public and private sectors as well as in the non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Two panels conducted the assessment simultaneously: the first internal panel comprised the team of consultants who worked on the project; the second panel was a diverse group scattered across the Diaspora. This external assessment panel was selected from the various stakeholder groups of academia, business, the public sector, civil society and the ICT sector, but in order to avoid bias or attempts to advance personal or group interests, individuals were not nominated by any group or organization. A "strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats" (SWOT) analysis of the ICT sector is also included in this report. In large part, data was gathered through interviews supplemented by analysis of company financial statements (in the case of the private sector) and from public regulatory and planning institutions (i.e. Fair Trading Commission, Office of Utility Regulations, Statistical Institute of Jamaica, Jamaica Stock Exchange, etc.). Community-based institutions were surveyed at selected towns throughout the country, designed to reflect the influence of location (rural/urban), age, gender, income, economic status, age etc. At Government level the Office of Prime Minister, the Ministries responsible for Education, Industry, Technology, as well as the National Council on Science and Technology were consulted. Banks, ICT companies, and manufacturing enterprises in the private sector, the University of West Indies and the University of Technology were all consulted. The assessment is concerned with the following categories: ICT infrastructure, e-learning, e- society, e-economy and e-policy. The indicators to inform these include infrastructure (access, connectivity, knowledge, hardware, software); technical quality of infrastructure; social and cultural infrastructure; e-learning; propensity for risk-taking, entrepreneurship and innovation; policy and regulatory framework (security, privacy, standards); e-economy; e- business and e-commerce; e-government and service delivery; community infrastructure and citizens' participation; and ICT industry and economy. Key findings and recommendations Measuring physical access to ICT · The main obstacle to connectivity is power shortage and the price of electricity per kWh. Without reliable, adequate, continuous and price competitive power supply, the hopes of development in the ICT sector are pipe dreams. · Jamaica has a good telecommunications backbone with state-of-the-art technologies provided by the dominant carrier. There is a large market for non-Internet e-commerce. · Teledensity stands at 19.6 per 100 population; mobile penetration at 19.2. There are 4.8 computers and 2.7 Internet subscribers per 100 population. · There are service and maintenance delays, parts are often unavailable, lengthy repair 34There is no explanation as to what is meant by this. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 122 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 times, delays in response time and misleading advertisements. · 45 cable television licenses and four very small aperture terminal (VSAT) licenses have been issued. · There is no cable or wireless Internet or wireless data access available in Jamaica. · The growth rate of Internet users has been slow, with only 70,000 subscribers logging on. The report claims that the rate is likely to accelerate with the increases in public awareness, infrastructure and competition among Internet service providers (ISPs). · The report suggests Government should ensure that public and community access points, kiosks and Internet cafes are made central to a strategy to promote public access to ICT. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · The development of a reliable electricity infrastructure needs to be prioritized, and investigating alternative technologies to generate electricity is also under consideration. · The fact that several cable operators have recently been issued with licenses for providing Internet services should be a boost for under-served rural areas without telephone lines where neither dial up nor digital subscriber lines are available. The extent of penetration would be determined by the level of interest, IT literacy and price. · Roll-out of broadband technologies must be accelerated, especially through wireless connectivity to the Internet, especially in rural areas. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Many Jamaicans cannot access technology -- and Internet access in particular -- because the cost of Internet access is prohibitively high. This is exacerbating the local digital divide, especially with the recent acceleration in the number of new technologies entering the market, which only the well-off can afford. · The average price for basic dial-up unlimited Internet access is around US$30 per month. This compares with US$18 per month in North America, where technical support and 10mb for personal web hosting is included. · Although duties have been removed from computer and related accessories, the costs are still too high in a country where average incomes are low. · The prices of mobile telephony were extraordinarily high, but with the Telecommunication Act and introduction of competition, there has been a dramatic reduction in the price of telecommunications services. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · 66% of all schools now have at least one computer, and the Government has partnered with private companies and international organizations to get more computers into schools. · Most teachers do not have any computer training, and teacher training institutions are under equipped. IT instructional courses are currently being introduced. · Computer training for workers and use in adult education courses is at the low to emerging stage. · The Jamaican education system has had many problems, resulting in a high level of illiteracy and unemployment. This has had a significant impact on the local digital divide and attempts are being made to improve the system by, for example, increasing the teacher­pupil ratio. · Results for the year 1999-2000 show low pass rates for subjects related to ICT (information technology, electronics, mathematics, physics and English.) This is likely to have adverse effects on the number of students matriculating in computer sciences and the projected supply of essential and higher occupational level IT skills. · There is generally low enrolment in secondary and tertiary education institutions, and poverty and inequality are likely to persist if action is not taken to improve enrolment and graduation rates. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 123 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · There is little capital, or local capacity, to re-train people in up-to-date skills to produce a critical mass of ICT expertise to take forward small business in ICT. · The ICT industry is skill intensive, yet the current focus is on the lower occupational and skill levels. · Migration and "brain drain" have had their effect on the ICT labor market. This has led to the issuing of work permits for various IT positions and the import of ICT skills. · There is a focus on applied rather than basic and exploratory research on ICT, and new innovations in ICT are non-existent. This is reflected in the relative absence of patent applications. · There are partnerships in education and training between international agencies, the Ministry of Education and non-governmental organizations. There need to be significantly expanded. · Human resource development policies and programs should be prioritized to facilitate and support the growth of a domestic ICT skills base. This should be based on an assessment of workplace skills and needs. · ICT clusters should be developed to enable the assembly of a critical mass of ICT skills, foster competition, innovation and creativity. · Jamaica needs investment in R&D, collaboration and partnerships between public and private sectors, academia and the education system. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · An estimated 1000 Jamaican websites, promoting various industries and interests, exist. · One of the aims of the Government's ICT procurement policy is to award large contracts to local companies producing locally relevant content. · E-Government projects should be established in departments generating revenue, public policy implementation and service delivery. · E-Commerce is rudimentary and its growth is constrained by the lack of diversification in production; lack of investment in product development; lack of focus on niche markets; and use of more appropriate marketing techniques. There is some prospect for growth in e-commerce with the increase in knowledge, investment in call centers and roll out of facilitators such as merchant accounts and Internet training sites. · Although there are 5000 community-based organizations and 200-300 non-governmental organizations in Jamaica, ICT is used solely as support for routine office functions. The use of ICT for service delivery or as a mobilizing or development tool has not been incorporated in the NGO sector besides in some environmental groups and health services organizations. Socio-cultural factors affecting ICT use · ICT access and use are limited in Jamaican society because people have little technical knowledge, the infrastructure does not yet extend to all people, costs are high, and there is a low level of e-literacy. ICT growth is further held back by people not sharing information freely. · 69.3% of the population in poverty lives in rural areas. · The ICT skills and e-literacy of the marginalized majority of the population need to be increased, the roll-out of ICT throughout the education sector should accelerate, and technological innovation and life-long learning must be encouraged. · An integrated community development and outreach program with ICT as its core needs to be developed. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · State policy is focused on telecommunications market liberalization, public investment in call centers and establishing regulatory frameworks and institutions. · Jamaica is on course in terms of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection and ICT E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 124 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 market liberalization. But the report cautions that there is still a need to create an enabling environment and regulatory frameworks that protect intellectual property and facilitate e-commerce, "while avoiding waste, revenue loss and misuse of funds". · There has to be a review and revision of several existing laws and drafting of new legislation on several subjects, the most important being privacy, security, electronic documents and consumer protection. · The authors propose strengthening (if it exists) or establishing (if it does not) a coordinating, monitoring and standards generating authority, independent of any department or ministry to review and integrate the respective ICT plans; provide guidance in negotiations in international fora; develop projects; and conduct the community outreach and public awareness conferences, seminars and meetings. Looking at the use of ICT in business · Most small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have insufficient ICT skills, largely due to the number of experts that leave the country to seek work elsewhere. A lack of ICT skills in some areas has resulted in the need to outsource from overseas. The Jamaican Government recognizes that support mechanisms should be established to facilitate the transition and maturity of SMEs. · A survey of medium sized businesses showed that 45% have Internet access, 9% own a website, and 5% intend to procure computers. A survey of small businesses found that 31 to 64% do not have a computer, and 88% of those who have computers have no Internet access. · The ICT sector is dominated by small businesses, yet no local companies produce hardware. This includes the manufacture of computer chips, electronic components, or transmission and line telephony equipment, as well as its assembly. There is some software production, but it focuses on adapting and localizing imported software. · Of the 34 ISP licenses that have been issued, only about eight companies are active. · The report suggests starting initiatives to improve the investment and business environment, to encourage, support and facilitate the use of ICT in business. Added to this should be the creation of employment opportunities in the services, content and hardware sub-sectors. · The authors identify the need for ICT clusters that "enable the assembly of a critical mass of ICT skills, foster competition, innovation and creativity, while hopefully guarding against enclave development, detachment and complacency.35" Understanding the macro-economic environment affecting ICT use · Analysis of economic indicators reveals that unemployment and underemployment are high; there are relatively high levels of basic and functional illiteracy, a marginally rising poverty level and a high level of inequality. · Foreign direct investment (FDI) flows have declined. · The ICT sector's contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and impact on the economy are marginal. This comes despite marked improvements in bandwidth capacity, an increase in teledensity (both fixed-line and mobile telephones), extensive computerization within the financial sector, and moves toward liberalization in the ICT sector. · ICT research and innovation is minimal, as venture capital is not readily available. Funding for R&D is very limited and not considered a priority by either the public or private sectors. · Only one ISP has received funding through collaboration with an international partner, and many companies with licenses are yet to begin operating. The concentration of market power in the hands of one dominant player is problematic. · According to UNDP classifications, the Jamaican ICT industry is an adaptor of technology, 35There is no further explanation of this assertion in the report. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 125 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 rather than a leader in its development, and is described as "competently imitative rather than innovative". The report agrees with the findings of an UNCTAD study that reported Jamaica's ICT sector -- consisting largely of small, inexperienced companies -­ as lacking capacity specialization. The sector is volatile in nature, the industry growing in spurts, and has not as yet achieved sustained growth (UNCTAD, Science, Technology, Innovation Review, 1997). · Measures and mechanisms need to be implemented to facilitate Jamaica's transformation from a traditional manufacturing and agricultural economy to one that is information and knowledge-based. · The ICT sector should be disaggregated as a separate category in the National Accounts, in order to track its contribution to GDP more effectively. · The report underlines the importance of converging policy, coordinating institutions and developing appropriate methodologies and indicators for calculating and reporting economic performance, e-commerce and the contribution of ICT to GDP. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' will to drive change · The Government procurement policy for ICT has improved transparency through the National Contracts Commission. · Disparate ICT initiatives need to be coordinated in order to avoid the duplication of activities. For example, partnerships in education and training between international agencies, local private sector, the Ministry of Education and NGOs need to be expanded. An integrated approach will enhance the effectiveness of projects and programs, thereby freeing resources for other complementary development activities. · The use of ICT in the public sector should be mandated, and the modernization program needs to be expanded to all levels of Government. Outcomes The report was disseminated to stakeholders including all ministries and universities, the Jamaican Computer Society, the Jamaica Bankers' Association, the Jamaica Bar Association, and ICT companies. The report was not published on the Web, but a booklet was published (ISBN 976-610-479-4). The respondent did not answer questions regarding outcomes resulting from the report's findings. Obstacles faced and lessons learned The assessment was conducted prior to the passage of the Access to Information Act, and reluctance to sharing information was prevalent in the bureaucracy. Possible reasons for this, as offered by the questionnaire respondents, include inter-agency competition, and perceptions that publishing data may be a cause for criticism, or may impact on any competitive advantage they have. Although there were some exceptions in the public sector (notably in the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister) and also in the private sector, there was a general reticence towards the assessment. The view that the adoption of technology can result in job losses was offered as a possible reason for this. The business survey responses were far lower than expected, even taking into consideration the methodology used. This was in contrast to the community surveys. The assessment team had to conduct follow-up calls and in some cases personal visits, thereby increasing the need for resources to complete the study. Internally, support from public sector ICT personnel was described as "somewhat lukewarm". Extended timeframes for the project would have enabled greater stakeholder engagement, and had time been set aside to promote the benefits of the study, there may have been a more positive response. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 126 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 III bridges.org feedback Community development, which is the key to sustainable national development, requires the focus of ICT on the enhancement activities that will improve living standards and reduce poverty; generate growth, employment and equity. It does not require the distribution of IT equipment and facilities for its own sake. The latter is likely to result in waste or excessive use of IT for purposes unrelated to value added or productive endeavors. Jamaica's e- Readiness Assessment, CITO In this assessment, a broad understanding of the potential of ICT for poverty alleviation, as illustrated by this quote from the report, is couched within the objective achieving sustainable development by generating economic growth through the ICT sector. While there is some mention of the use of ICT for development (the assessment is one of the very few in the infoDev initiative to look at the use of ICT by NGOs for mobilizing and service delivery), the focus is on business, with an emphasis on foreign investment and business growth, especially by SMEs. The assessment finds Jamaica at the point where the local ICT industry needs to be promoted through Government support and investment, and identifies the urgent need for continuing and improving skills development initiatives. Ensuring both the quality and variety of the data collected was a challenge, owing to resource and time constraints. Unlike most of the other assessments funded under the infoDev program, the Jamaican e-readiness assessment team tried to address the problems of bias inherent in CID's methodology, and had two independent panels ranking each category. While the report is complete in terms of the collection, collation and presentation of baseline data on the ICT sector, it is unclear how the various categories and indicators in the assessment were pulled together to generate the overall E-Readiness index. The report fulfils its objective of providing useful baseline data for future comparison, and addresses issues of access, affordability and capacity and training at many levels. The data contained in the many tables in the report is detailed, and the accompanying narrative paints a picture of Jamaica's telecommunications environment, its macro- and socio-economic situation, and its ICT industry. It includes a detailed costing structure for the various options of Internet access services. The assessment places Jamaica in the early stages of ICT development, and identifies a useful number of factors inhibiting its readiness. Discussion of appropriate technologies for urban and rural Jamaica, and the legal and regulatory frameworks identifies potential solutions for bridging Jamaica's digital divide. The report is very long, and in some parts feels somewhat disjointed. There is also some repetition, and statements that require further explanation or substantiation. For example, the report states that the "basic literacy rate" is 20%, while a table further in the report, illiteracy for all Jamaica is put at 20.1%. The UNDP's (2003) Human Development Report puts adult literacy at 87.6%. The assessment puts "poverty" at 18.7%, but offers no definition of poverty, or explanation of what this percentage means. The report is however one of the few in the infoDev initiative that includes issues of basic literacy and poverty. The report is clear in its definition of the digital divide, and reasons for why it should be narrowed. The digital divide between Jamaica and developed countries is recognized, but equally so is the divide within Jamaica itself, based on economic, demographic and geographical factors. Issues as they relate to the disparities between urban and rural areas are woven through the report, but it would have been useful to provide more analysis in this regard, especially in considering future development plans. Basic literacy, secondary and tertiary education, ICT skills development and related jobs are covered in the section on e-learning - a major section of the assessment. Descriptions of the E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 127 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 available and required skills domains, and analysis of average salaries in both the public and private sectors, highlight areas for improvement. The SWOT analysis of the country's ICT industry is revealing, and will most likely prove useful to policy-makers and decision-makers as it highlights the fiscal expenditure choices that have to be made for transformation into a more productive economy. Although there is a section on R&D expenditure, it is not accompanied by any statistics on actual expenditure by Government, higher education, the private sector or civil society. The report promotes Jamaica's transformation from a traditional manufacturing and agricultural to a knowledge-based global economy. Given the ratings the authors themselves give the country's level of e-readiness, it is unlikely that the ICT industry will expand sufficiently or quickly enough or that the sector will be a panacea to the problem of poverty. ICT needs to be mainstreamed and integrated into Jamaica's other sectors, and has significant potential to improve the key, existing industries of manufacturing and agriculture. The report is focused on next steps, and includes the foundation for an action plan. Although many of the recommendations appear primarily couched in policy concerns and without timeframes for action, the completed questionnaire features a list of qualitative and quantitative targets and indicators for appraising progress. This constitutes an appropriate start for moving from assessment to action, and the authors themselves recommend that qualitative and quantitative indicators and targets should be included in the action plan for appraising progress. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 128 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Kenya Kenya ICT Infrastructure and E- Readiness Assessment I Overview Dates The report is yet to be published. The study was conducted in 2001 and the final draft was finished in October 2002. Authors The assessment was carried out by the Department of Finance and Planning, IT sector working members and a team from Netcom Information Systems, a private consultancy firm. The team comprised the following people: Dr Timothy Waema (Team Leader, Netcom), Dr Meoli Kashorda (IT-SWG, Quality Control), Mr Ezra Odhiambo (Netcom), Dr Maina WaGichangi( Netcom), Mr Victor Kyalo (Netcom) and Dr Gerald Chenge (Netcom). Abstract The Kenyan e-readiness assessment uses the methodology of the Harvard Center for International Development's (CID's) Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries. Data was collected via questionnaire from all major towns in Kenya, but it is not clear how many -- or whether any -- rural communities were surveyed. Most data was collected from survey of the telecommunications industry, information and communications technology (ICT) use within education and business, and the e-commerce industry. But it does not investigate the socio-cultural factors that influence the uptake of ICT by Kenyans, focusing primarily on market influences only, such as low teledensity and the monopolistic activities of the incumbent telecommunications operator. Consequently, the conclusions drawn throughout the report are minimal, with no indication of how the findings on which they are based fit into the bigger picture of ICT uptake in Kenyan society. It follows that the recommendations lack depth and it is likely they do not tell the Government anything new. The assessment was conducted by a private consultancy commissioned by the Kenyan Government, but they do not appear to have received any support from the Government, which impacted on the assessment. Further, they have not received any feedback after submitting the report to the Ministry of Finance and Planning in 2002, and were not included in a stakeholder meeting on the outcomes. The recommendations section provides a strategy for each of the CID Guide's e-readiness areas for assessment, with timeframes and assignment of Government agencies for each task. Most of the recommendations are based around liberalization of the telecommunications sector, awareness raising and education of business managers and teachers, and improvements in teledensity. While useful in providing a high-level plan for sparking dialogue and creating a more detailed strategy, it cannot work without full Government support, and must first be supplemented with data on the socio-cultural factors that affect the uptake of ICT by Kenyans. II Report Summary Rationale E-readiness is defined by the Ministry of Finance and Planning as the "extent of the application of technology in an economy". The authors of the report followed the CID Guide's definition as "the degree to which community is prepared to participate in the Networked E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 129 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 World", which is gauged by assessing a community's relative advancement in the areas that are most critical for the adoption of ICT, and its most important applications. The assessment's overall objectives were to measure the following elements of e-readiness: · Infrastructure readiness; · Capacity; · Education; and · Content development. Methodology Data was collected primarily through questionnaires, which were developed under the five areas outlined by the Harvard Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, and covers all 19 indicators in these areas. Data was collected in all major towns in Kenya. The data was analyzed using Microsoft Access and statistical software, as recommended by the CID's Guide. The report does not say how many questionnaires were completed, but explains that they were formulated to look at the following sectors: telecommunications operators and Internet service providers (ISPs), ICT in education, and ICT in organizations. Key findings and recommendations of report CID Rankings Network access36: 2.25 Networked learning: 2.33 Networked society: 2.38 Networked economy: 2 Network policy: 4.5 Measuring physical access to ICT · Fixed-line teledensity is currently standing at 1.01% while mobile lines are at 3.03%, but these figures are skewed in favor of urban areas. · The wired network is minimal in Kenya, especially outside Nairobi and in rural areas. · Quality and services from the fixed network operator are very poor (e.g. time to get a new fixed connection is too long, and time to repair faults runs into weeks). · The percentage of schools with telephones is 81.35, 57.2% and 64.3% in Nairobi, outside Nairobi and nationally respectively. Overall, there are 575 telephone lines for over 17,000 schools. · Over 80% of primary schools had less than 5 computers, while the corresponding figures for secondary schools and universities were about 50% and 33%, respectively. · About 71% of the organizations surveyed in Nairobi reported that they have a fax and telephone. However, there are a small number of people within these organizations that are using these facilities. · About 37% of organizations reported that they have installed public pay phones for use by their employees in the premises. · Only 16% of employees have access to a networked personal computer (PC). · The number of Internet users is normal for the region, with services from 72 ISPs. Half the bandwidth entering Kenya is via satellite. But Internet access by any means other that dial-up is expensive, and similar to the rest of the continent, this is largely due to lack of peering with neighboring countries. 36These scores have been averaged for each category. The report only provides scores at the next level of granularity (e.g. Network access = information infrastructure, Internet availability, network speed and quality, hardware and software and service and support). E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 130 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · There is some degree (low) of electronic transactions in some sectors, such as banking, where payments are (salaries) are effected through the electronic funds transfer (EFT) system. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · Digital wireless local loop should be used to improve the quality of the local access network. · Government should extend local access optical fiber network to all key buildings in all major towns. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · High costs of Internet, mobile telephony, and fixed-line telephones limit the use of ICT. · Market competition for Internet and backbone services would likely see lower prices in Internet access. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Education with ICT is at stage 2, with a limited number of teachers/lecturers using computers. · The importance of ICT has been recognized by a limited number of institutions such as the banks, large supermarkets chains and universities. · Desktop applications are seldom used by teachers and lectures, except in universities. · Most schools have teachers or lectures that have basic ICT literacy skills: 93.2% and 67.2% in and outside Nairobi respectively. · There is limited knowledge and skills among teachers and lecturers on the use of ICT in education, and a lack of relevant standardized professional curricula. · There are few training opportunities for junior ICT personnel. · While there is adequate local capacity to train graduates, there is an indication from the private sector that most ICT training does not match the requirements of industry. Accordingly, some employers offer in-house ICT training. · ICT training should be incorporated into teacher training. · Centers of Excellence for ICT training should be established in selected universities. · Professional bodies should be strengthened to regulate ICT education and training (e.g. engineering or computer science institutions). · The ICT workforce forms only a small fraction of the total employees in the country, and ICT is not widely used to support the core business of many organizations. · While about 22% of the workforce, particularly in Nairobi, is expected to use computers, only about 15% are current users. 56% of organizations surveyed thought ICT was strategic. · Only 5% of the workforce comprises expatriates. · There is limited knowledge and skills among teachers and lecturers on the use of ICT in education, and a lack of relevant standardized professional curricula. · Business leaders should be educated on strategic benefits of using ICT, and the benefits of B2B commerce (e.g. reduced cost of transactions). Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · About 40% of the organizations surveyed in Nairobi, and 19% in other areas, have active websites. · About 27% of local websites are hosted in Kenya. · Up to 34% of the organizations reported that local web sites are regularly visited by employees, but their own websites are not being accessed by clients. · Although there is limited availability of commercial information, most of the leading organizations with a web presence tend to be private sector organizations. · There is no locally relevant educational content. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 131 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · A small level of online access to training does exist, though it is quite limited and the report suggests that educational portals should be created. · Less than 50% of software in Kenya is developed locally. It was recommended that the Kenyan software industry should aim toward producing 90% of software in use. · Less than 10% of hardware in Kenya is locally assembled. The action plan suggests that this is improved to more than 50%. · The availability of local e-learning courses is limited. · There are several government web sites that provide relevant data and some government publications. · E­Commerce has not taken root as a means for conducting business in Kenya, and only 3% of websites support on-line transactions. · There is a large network of point-of-sale terminals and merchants who accept credit cards. · There are also about 60 000 credit card holders. · Critical Government institutions and departments should create transactional websites, and all departments should have intranets. · Online support availability is still at its infancy though deployment seems to the on the increase. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · Computers have not been accepted as part of every day life and most people who access computers only do this at their workplace. · Sociological research into the use of ICT should be conducted. · An advisory center should be established to help communities setup and operate non profit public computer labs in schools, libraries, and shopping centers in Kenya. · There are about 1000 cyber cafes in Nairobi and other cities, as well as major towns in which there are a large number of business people and the young people. · In Nairobi, only 30% of the organizations surveyed reported using e-mail for sales and marketing. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · Most Internet users are young people and professionals. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · The ICT sector has a regulator which is still learning how to work with the telecommunications sector, but there have been several big changes in recent years. For example, the mobile telephony and ISP markets have been liberalized and several markets are experiencing increased competition. · The incumbent operator, Telkom Kenya, will continue to enjoy a monopoly over fixed- lines, leased lines, the international gateway, commercial VSAT networks and all Internet nodes and backbones until 2004. · All operators contribute towards universal access but are not regulated, which means universal service implementation is not effective and there are still schools and hospitals without telephones. · Tariffs on leased lines should be regulated during the period prior to the monopoly expiring. · Wireless access to ISPs should be deregulated. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 132 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Looking at the use of ICT in business · ICT is not used to support strategic business activities in the majority of Kenyan organizations. · High costs of Internet access via leased line discourage business-to-business (B2B) activities, and only about 5% of the organizations interviewed had installed Internet-based B2B applications. (This includes e-banking). · Local business software and content development activities should be encouraged by creating science parks (or ICT centers of excellence), and IT business incubator centers in Kenya. Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · In the past, duties on computing equipment have been reduced to as low 5%. However, duty payable on telecommunication and networking equipment is still very high (60% for duty and vat). · Tax on PC and other associated devices is close to 24%. · There is no tariff structure for electronically delivered products. · Despite the opening of the service providers sector, there are still restrictions on the complete ownership by foreign investors of a telecommunications business. · Government should give tax incentives to foreign software development companies to encourage foreign companies to invest in Kenya. · Improvements in the end-user equipment duties and tariffs have not helped to increase accessibility to ICT services, and this has put Kenya in stage 2. · There should be an inclusive policy to further open up the ICT market and pave the way for e-activities. · Local assembly of computers should be encouraged by zero rating electronic knock down kits37. · There is a need for research on the contribution of ICT to trade. · Tax on ICT equipment and services should be reduced to less than 10% (duty + VAT). Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · The fact that the incumbent telecommunications operator still has control over key services indicates a lack of political will for change. Forming a telecommunications regulator is a step forward, but the process of liberalization is slow. · Lack of policy around e-commerce also shows a lack of awareness within political circles for the benefits of ICT to Kenyan business. Outcomes There are no published outcomes as yet. The report has only been submitted to the Ministry of Finance and Planning, and they only have hard copies of the assessment. Obstacles faced and lessons learned The first challenge faced by the assessors was the unwillingness of institutions -- both Government and private -- to engage with the assessment team and provide them with information. It is likely that the participants did not know enough about the e-readiness assessment and were suspicious of the motivations behind it. The problem was even worse with multinational organizations working in Kenya. The low level of ICT use in Government institutions meant that many civil servants were unable to respond to the questions put to them, especially those of a technical nature. Many key respondents in Government departments did not understand common technical terms, such as "bandwidth". 37This is not further explained in the report. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 133 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The data collected was not comprehensive, largely owing to low numbers of questionnaires returned or completed. This made it difficult for the authors to draw conclusions from the data, so that they were forced to rely on their own experience and knowledge of the Kenyan ICT sector. The assessors found it difficult to convey their findings to the Government officials who commissioned them. They felt that many of the officials viewed the study as "just another donor-initiated project in which they had no special interest." The report was produced without Government input, and there was no coordination within Government as to who should work with the assessment team. There appeared to be lack of coordination between the Ministry of Finance and Transport and the Ministry of Communications regarding the roles of each in the assessment. During field work, it transpired that some of the officials responsible for the project had moved on without handing over the project. It was also mentioned that the Government procurement system is cumbersome, and as a result, the project started later than anticipated. Although the study was conducted in 2001 and the final draft was completed in 2002, the report is yet to be published. According to one consultant interviewed, there are no indications that the report has been used in any way by the Government. He recommended that the report be published and a workshop held to discuss its findings and chart the way forward. But there appears to be some miscommunication between the consultant and the Ministry, as according to one Government official, a stakeholders' workshop has already taken place. III bridges.org feedback The Kenyan e-readiness assessment does not provide a list of objectives. As such, it lacks depth and direction. The Harvard CID Guide methodology is adhered to without an attempt to mold the assessment to one that is relevant to the socio-economic climate of Kenya. This resulted in a report that contains facts and figures, but little insight into how ICT is being used by Kenyans. The recommendations are largely based on liberalizing the incumbent telecommunications operator, increasing teledensity and raising awareness of ICT and e- literacy levels across society. It appears that there was little Government support for the assessment, with no objectives conveyed to the assessment team from above. Government officials did not demonstrate much interest or awareness of the outcomes. And publication has been delayed for unknown reasons, although this should not preclude Government from acting upon the recommendations. There appears to have been a stakeholder workshop, following submission of the report to the Government, but the assessors were not invited and there is some doubt as to which stakeholders (other than Government itself) participated. The report is at times confusing. For example, it states that "About 71% of the organizations surveyed in Nairobi reported they have a fax and telephone. The teledensity within organizations was only 2.4. However, internal teledensity is 21.7 because of the PABX system." The reader is left wondering why there are two different numbers for "internal teledensity" and there is no explanation provided. Acronyms are simply used without explanation, the reader is left to imagine what is meant by, for example, "unlicensed ISM should be used for local access," or "EDI transactions are only 3% of the total inter ­ organizational commerce transactions ..." E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 134 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Although the report mentions and refers to development goals "as summarized in chapter 6", these goals are not actually mentioned in chapter 6 or anywhere else. It is mentioned in the report that there are poverty reduction strategy papers attached as annexes, but they do not materialize. (There are no annexes in the report). The report takes a relatively in-depth look into B2B and B2C commerce, and underlines the challenges Kenya faces in establishing the infrastructure and capacity for e-commerce. It cites lack of awareness in management as one of the key factors holding back e-commerce and recommends a number of training and education options. But there is no attempt to find out the reasons underlying the slow uptake of ICT by Kenyans. It is not clear how much data was collected from rural areas -- the report appears to focus on business and Government use of ICT. And there is no insight into the motivations and ICT needs of Kenyans from a social perspective. Thus, although the action plan identifies critical issues, outlines objectives and describes a high-level strategy for reaching each goal, they are only relevant to Government, big business and education in general. Overall, taking these plans forward will rely on Government involvement, and the action plan will remain at a broad, conceptual level until this happens. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 135 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Panama Panama Readiness for the Networked World Project I Overview Date The grant period was between August 2002 and October 2003. The report is yet to be published. Authors The e-readiness assessment team comprised individuals from various departments and entities at Harvard University, at the invitation of the Panamanian Secretaria Nacional De Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacion (SENACYT). SENACYT is a Government body tasked with providing technical advice, performing and sponsoring research, creating partnerships outside Government and gathering data and opinions on a wide range of topics related to science, technology and innovation. William Fisher III, principle investigator at Harvard University, was responsible for the technical, scientific and program coordinating aspects of the grant agreement. Jeffrey Sachs, principle investigator at Harvard's Center for International Development (CID) and Magda Ismail, research associate, were joined by Jeffrey Smith and Sarah Holtz from the University's Office for Sponsored Research. Colin Maclay, Mark Lopes and Nora Dillon from Harvard Law School's Information Technologies Group (ITG) were investigators for the assessment. Abstract The Panamanian e-readiness assessment is a long, descriptive narrative of the ICT environment in this country. It provides the reader with historical, political and commercial information regarding developments in information and communications technology (ICT), and predicts where the sector is heading. Panama is described as a country of two worlds where the wealthy live alongside the extremely poor. But the environment is conducive to the development and uptake of ICT, due to Panama's geographical location, access to the international Internet backbone, newfound political and economic stability, and stable currency. This report is based on the Harvard Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, yet none of the indicators appear to be measured and no e-readiness ratings are given. The authors found that e-readiness is related to the level of education of users, infrastructure capacity, technical support and the country's level of technological development as compared with others in the region. The report relies heavily on interviews with various stakeholders and quantitative data gathered from third party reports. This means the report lacks substance and consequently, the recommendations are overly broad. No action plan for Government is provided, and there is no data on the socio-cultural use of ICT, despite the author's promotion of ICT as a tool for socio-economic upliftment. II Report summary Rationale The study aimed to gather information on e-readiness in the education, business, government, financial service, public service, and general public sectors. E-readiness is defined as "readiness to face challenges related to or as a consequence of the introduction of E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 136 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 ICT; how to use them, how to adapt them, how to apply them, and further to develop them into tools for advancement." Methodology The assessment was conducted according to CID's Guide, with questionnaires38 and interviews used as the primary means of data collection. The research was mainly descriptive, as opposed to quantitative. A lot of data was already available to the assessment team, but they way in which it had been collected was unsatisfactory, so they decided to use a range of methods to gather more data. These included a literature review, desktop research, numerous meetings with a variety of local stakeholders (from Government, business, academia and civil society), and international actors. The team also utilized quantitative data from the International Telecommunication Union, United Nations, Panamanian Government, private sources and the joint CID ­ World Economic Forum Executive Opinion Survey. Key findings and recommendations The analysis is still in progress, and as a result the recommendations are yet to be compiled. Measuring physical access to ICT · There are 248,489 active fixed-lines and 834,032 mobile connections. · The numbers of public telephones installed varied widely according to each province. · Mobile telephony has seen the greatest growth in the telecommunications market. Mobile network coverage has reached about 81% of the population and 32% of the nation's geography. · Panama is very well positioned in terms of the international Internet backbone, enjoying direct access to seven undersea cables, enabling the local development of high quality, low cost services. Panama has also benefited from first cooperative Internet Exchange Point in Latin America. · Although dial up Internet Access is available in Panama City and other urban areas, people in some rural areas are forced to pay for long-distance calls for Internet access. · The number of personal computers (PCs) in Panama is estimated to be 200,000, with an additional 60,000 sold each year. · About 80% of people with PCs and Internet access reside in the capital, and the number of Internet users in Panama is assumed to be standing at over 250 000. · Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is now offered. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Cyber cafes and public access points are very popular due to the high cost of private Internet access. There are a variety of Internet services available in Panama City at reasonable prices. · Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) and wireless connections are available for US$35 to US$50 per month in some areas of the capital. · An Infoplaza project -- which is a nationwide initiative -- has 54 subsidized community access centers that are run by local partners on a non-profit basis. There is a plan to expand these to about hundred centers and they offer high quality public access and services for fees of US$0.25 to US$1.00 per hour. They reach about 82% of the students and less affluent users, promoting use of Internet as a research and information tool. The number of users at 39 Infoplaza centers is estimated at over 8000, but financing this initiative is proving to be a challenge. 38The report does not describe what the questionnaires covered, who completed them, or how many were completed. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 137 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Nearly 100% of the people surveyed have heard of the Internet, regardless of their age, with almost two thirds of the respondents having used the web. · The level of education in Panama has had a positive effect on the understanding and use of ICT. This comes despite a backdrop of complex politics, limited collaboration, lack of coherent and communicated vision, and unclear goals for education within Government. · Professional managers and business owners were most likely to use the Internet, followed by Government employees and office workers. · About 80% of the schools (with computers and Internet) which were surveyed (in a separate study) revealed that teachers and students have access to computers after hours. · In 2002 the Institutional Commission for the Internet For Everyone project took on the task of meeting its legislated mandate to provide Internet to all public schools. The commission was established by the president together with other state agencies. · Lack of effective training and great number of ill-prepared teachers is often cited as one of the greatest difficulties in improving Panamanian education. · Businesses, organizations and research and development (R&D) institutions have to work together to promote ICT uptake. Panama needs to improve its support of individuals and organizations (in public, private and academia) that are capable of conducting high quality research relevant to ICT. · There should be better methods for gathering information about ICT in Panama on an ongoing basis. · There is a need for a revised vision for SENACYT that focuses on research and support leadership, where the organization will not implement projects but provide direction instead. · ICT initiatives should be linked to efforts at higher education reform so that enthusiasm and the benefits of the Internet help catalyze change in teaching, research and community involvement. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · Some municipal authorities use ICT to provide services to the local population. Activities are spread across a range of efforts aiming to modernizing the administration of justice, combat corruption, and improve public services. · The e-Compras initiative, which uses a web-based procurement system for government contracting, has been launched. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · It appears that Internet use is more prevalent among students and professionals. · The Internet is used primarily for communication via e-mail or chat. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · The Panama telecommunications market is still in transition since the privatization of the national carrier. This has introduced competition into some markets, the ultimate goal being a free market economy. · There are lots of positive developments in ICT policy in Panama, but coordination and cooperation are lacking. Panama has a stormy (unstable) political history, which impacts on ICT policy. And there are many concerns about the effectiveness and impartiality of legal and administrative institutions. Many interviewees also recognized the unpredictable relationship between law and its enforcement. · The establishment of an independent regulation authority and the opening of the telecommunications sector were followed by e-commerce law, digital signature authority, and the call center law. These have led to basic improvements and firming up of the legal and business environments for ICT. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 138 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · In 2003 Panama formulated a charter of Panamanian Law and New Technologies Association which is a non-profit dedicated to supporting the understanding of the law as it relates to ICT. · The Government should refine and deepen existing national ICT strategies. · There should be a universal access strategy and funding mechanism to address the challenges of underserved markets. Socio-cultural factors affecting technology use · One of the greatest barriers in addressing rural disparities is overcoming geographic and demographic challenges of the country. Panama has an extremely dispersed population with over 6000 villages of less than 50 villagers each, and over 4300 small communities of less than 2000 people. · ICT uptake is not gender related, but young people are more prone to use ICT. Looking at the use of ICT in business · There is active support for ICT uptake within the SME sector. · Some companies have converted their experience in working with national industries, such as banking, to produce software and services for export. · There are currently six call centers operating in Panama representing an estimated 5000 jobs and creating a significant entry-level employment. · Collaboration across organizations and sectors is also lacking despite stated interest, potential mutual benefit and overwhelming need. · There are businesses in Panama that promote the use of e-commerce for business by small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Looking at whether people trust ICT · Panama should look into integrating issues of privacy, security and intellectual property into ICT policy /law. · Transparent and effective accountability and evaluation mechanisms should be established and genuine participation from different sectors, communities and stakeholders in ICT encouraged. Macro Economic Environment · There are private volunteer organizations such as the Panamanian and Panamanian- American Chamber of Commerce, and the Panamanian Association of Business Executives that are dedicated in improving the nation's business environment. · City of Knowledge and SENACYT are two prominent initiatives with an ICT focus that seek to promote elements of National Innovation System. Although they have survived political developments, neither has been as successful as was hoped, although they have made some impact. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · Although there are complaints about Government ineffectiveness and lack of vision, there is significant activity and commitment on the part of numerous Government entities. · The Government of Panama is using the Integrated System for Financial Management of Panama as part of a long-term attempt to modernize the state finances. · The Comptroller is a Government agency responsible for collecting, amongst others, different types of data relating to ICT. · The E-Panama project, comprised of diverse representation including each branch of Government, is a mechanism for interaction between the Government and citizens. It is also coordinating Government's integration of ICT and is concerned with the broader vision for ICT and Government in the 21st century. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 139 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · In addition to participating in Government-sponsored ICT initiatives, company executives often dedicate significant amounts of their own time to a range of private efforts that broadly promote everything from the integration of ICT in education, to informing policy- makers on business conditions, developing joint marketing strategies, and preparing business for e-commerce. · There are infrastructure limitations in the areas outside the capital due to lack of interest by the private sector in servicing underserved areas, limited involvement by academia and a lack of coherent Government strategy for integrating ICT into its development strategy. · There is no clear leadership, demonstrated by the high failure rate of ICT projects. Different Government entities have differing interests in the outcomes of these projects, and under cut one another's interests. Outcomes The report is yet to be delivered to any outside entity, and as a result has not yet generated any outcomes. Obstacles and lessons learned The authors had to conduct this assessment with inadequate funds. Bias in opinions from questionnaire respondents and interviewees may have skewed the data. Communication between SENACYT, Harvard and the investigator was sometimes difficult, but steps were taken to overcome this as the project progressed. Some private sector interviewees were resistant to offering information they considered sensitive, which were nonetheless necessary to understand ICT markets and services. The report indicated that had the numerous studies conducted in this sphere been coordinated, more valuable information would have been available. III bridges.org feedback The Panamanian e-readiness assessment is a long, descriptive narrative of the ICT environment in this country. It provides the reader with historical, political and commercial information regarding developments in ICT, and predicts where the sector is heading. But, there is virtually no quantitative data, and while the assessors claim the methodology is based on the Harvard CID's Guide, there is no evidence that the Guide's indicators were measured and no scores for e-readiness. Most qualitative data was collected from interviews and questionnaires, and quantitative data was garnered from reports published by large, international bodies such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU). There is mention of Panamanian Government and private sector involvement, but nothing more specific. The objectives of the report are vaguely stated in the questionnaire as "know all the information and the level of e-readiness in all the sectors mentioned in number 3.1", these sectors being the level of education of ICT users; infrastructure capacity; technical support; and ICT capacity in relation to other countries in the region. The lack of concrete data comes across most clearly in the section on telecommunications, where instead of statistics on, for example, teledensity per region and types of Internet connectivity, the reader is presented with a long narrative on developments in VoIP in Panama and failure of the national regulator to control the incumbent operators with respect to this market. Further, some information is unclear, for example "Limitations [on competition] exist (or existed) in the areas of public phones, cellular, national and international calling services." Basic data expected of an e- readiness assessment is simply missing (and is not provided in an Annex), and the reader is left scanning the document for anything of substance. It is surprising that despite the assessment team being comprised of researchers from Harvard University, they chose to interpret the Harvard CID Guide's methodology in this E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 140 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 manner. There is hardly indication that ICT use by region, gender or socio-economic status was explored. The report mentions that some areas are extremely poor, but no link is made between ICT uptake and poverty alleviation. And there no details on how the report is to be disseminated. Recommendations are described as "navigational considerations" rather than an action plan for Government. This is to be expected as there is insufficient data for more in-depth comment. Further, each recommendation appears to be based on the authors' opinions. And they are so high-level that their usefulness to policy-makers tasked with translating them into actions is doubtful. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 141 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Philippines Macro and Micro ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Report I Overview Date The grant period was between October 2001 and October 2002. The report is yet to be published. Authors Dr Aldaba from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) coordinated the research. Gmelina Guiang authored the Macro ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Report. This, along with the micro assessment summary of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in four sub-sectors, forms the focus of this case study. The infoDev-funded Philippine's e-readiness effort includes ICT infrastructure and e-readiness assessments of the garments industry, by Cruzita Carbon; the electronics and semiconductor industry, by Ronald Tamangan and Alvin Diaz; the furniture sector by Marissa Paderon-Macam and Nino Mendoza; and the processed fruit industry by Asuncion Sebastian and Manuel Sandoval. Abstract The Philippines e-readiness project is focused on e-readiness as a means to increasing the productivity and efficiency of SMEs. The project team produced six reports: a macro e- readiness assessment, as well as four micro-assessments and a summary. The macro assessment consolidates and links previous work -- rather than duplicating it -- to provide a comprehensive overview. The micro assessments have been produced for four different sectors of the economy: semiconductors and electronics, garments, furniture and fruit processing. SMEs from each sector were surveyed through questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions. The result is a detailed e-readiness assessment for each sector, looking at the areas of ICT infrastructure and systems, ICT policy and legal environment, human resources and education and the e-business environment. Despite shortfalls associated with unrepresentative sampling (a major challenge for the research was garnering participation from industry representatives), the micro assessments provide useful information for the private sector as well as Government policy-makers. Each recommends concrete actions, specifically tailored to each of the respective industries. II Report summary Rationale The authors define e-readiness as the "readiness of a country's infrastructure and institutions to face the challenges and harness the opportunities provided by enhancements in information and communications technology (ICT)". The assessment sought to "evaluate the ICT infrastructure and e-readiness of the Philippines and assess the preparedness of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to participate in the new global digital economy." With SMEs representing the majority (99.61%) of firms in the Philippines and providing 67% of the country's total employment, the levels of e-readiness of these engines of growth will inform efforts to enhance and increase their productivity. Methodology Five assessments were conducted: a macro assessment, and four sector-specific micro assessments. The macro assessment used existing data and studies to assess e-readiness in four categories: ICT infrastructure and systems, ICT policy and legal environment, human E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 142 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 resources and education and the e-business environment. Six e-readiness assessments were surveyed by the Ateneo Research Network for Development (ARND) e-Readiness research team. Consolidation, synthesis and critical analysis of these assessments' key findings, culminate in this macro assessment. It also seeks to identify strengths and weaknesses and make recommendations. For the micro assessments, four sub-sectors of enterprise were chosen according their size, contribution to the economy and potential for greater productivity when harnessing ICT. 13 semiconductors and electronics firms, 34 garments companies, 58 furniture SMEs and 87 processed fruit companies were surveyed and interviewed. Survey questionnaires were administered to those responsible for each company's management, ICT development and business operations. They were designed to gather data relating to local infrastructure and hardware, networking capacity, application/ software, human resources, and the business and policy environment. Facilitated group discussions and interviews were conducted with key informants from each sector, selected with assistance from trade associations and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) agencies. The discussions tackled issues affecting ICT deployment, penetration and use. Interviews with experts sought to yield insights on ways that the country can harness ICT for its economic and social development. Key findings and recommendations Major findings of the Macro assessment include: Physical access and infrastructure · Following the deregulation of the country's telecommunications market, teledensity (defined as the number of telephone lines per 100 persons) rose from 4.66 in 1996 to 9.05 in 2000. · The country's growing use of telephony was not matched with increasing access to the Internet - only 2.6% of the population has access, and of this, more than half are located in Metro Manila and in the middle and upper-income classes. This problem is attributed to, among others, the monopoly in telecommunications rendering Internet access prohibitively expensive. Affordability and cost · High costs of hardware, Internet access and software hinder e-commerce, and many firms are still unaware of the potential benefits ICT can offer them. Capacity and training · The Philippines has the second highest number of training facilities for computer programming in Asia. · Filipino IT professionals' high levels of productivity and low salaries lead to "brain drain", leaving those with low-end skills responsible for the development of local ICT. Integration of technology in peoples' daily lives · Only 1% of Filipino businesses are online, and of these, application is limited to advertising and basic email communication. Business to consumer (B2C) and business to business (B2B) transactions are very limited. Legal and regulatory frameworks · While the Philippines is one of the few countries in Asia to enact e-commerce legislation, there are no policies to address issues on security, interconnection and convergence. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 143 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Major findings of the micro assessments on SMEs in four sub-sectors include: · The electronics sector is the most e-ready, with the highest penetration of ICT (the adoption of new technologies results from pressures of competitiveness from large contracting firms), while the processed fruit sector is the least advanced owing to the nature of the industry, which has mostly small-scale producers and simple production processes. · While 95% of firms use computers, applications are limited to spreadsheets, word processing and payroll programs. Interestingly, 94% of firms have Internet access and 70% have their computers networked. · Most SMEs are still unaware of the benefits of ICT. "About 2 of 3 SMEs surveyed use ICT for manufacturing, sales, procurement, process control, finance and accounting, and research and development (R&D). Approximately 1 out of 3 utilizes ICT for business and strategic planning, customer service and personnel training." · 64% of firms surveyed have a website (excluding garments SMEs which did not provide the relevant information). 47% sell products online, and for 89%, email is the most common form of communicating with suppliers and customers. However, only 16% and 14% give and receive payment online, respectively. · ICT personnel are employed by SMEs to a limited degree. Only 68% have hired personnel for hardware maintenance, 50% have hired programmers, 40% have found the need for systems analysts, 30% for information managers and only 25% have network administrators. · Common challenges experienced by most SMEs surveyed include: access to capital and credit; high costs involved in conducting business and inadequate support infrastructure; high cost of raw materials (e.g. sugar for food, wood for furniture etc.); insufficient market information; lack of requisite skilled staff; inadequate investment in research and development (R&D); macroeconomic and political instability and threat of competition from imports. · SMEs, their trade associations and the Government should collaborate to promote awareness of the benefits of ICT. This can be achieved by sharing knowledge and replicating best practice, and working together within sectors to develop business models emphasizing the efficiency and economy of business operations enabled by ICT. The following recommendations are made: · Collective ownership of ICT can promote economies of scale among SMEs. · The Government needs to provide financing, training and technical assistance to SMEs. Outcomes Key findings and recommendations of the study were presented to the Secretary and other top level officials at the meeting of the DTI Executive Committee on June 10, 2002. At a multi-stakeholder workshop on 29 May 2002, workshop documents containing key findings and recommendations were distributed to around 150 people. Articles on the study and workshop have appeared in major newspapers, both in print and electronic editions. The report achieved its objective of informing the DTI for decisions on key and strategic interventions by Government in the areas of ICT use by business and engagement in e- commerce. The Secretary of Trade and Industry gave various instructions to his key officials based on the report's findings, and current efforts are seeking to increase financial support and technical assistance to SMEs. The report and workshop have proved useful to organizations operating within the private sector. The president of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society (PICS) attended the E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 144 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 workshop, following which PICS organized two meetings of the National E-Commerce Congress, with the latter focusing on SMEs. The Small Enterprises Research and Development Foundation of the University of the Philippines Institute for Small-Scale Industries, whose representatives also attended the workshop, has used the study's findings and recommendations in its ongoing advocacy efforts. Obstacles faced and lessons learned The Government has not resolved issues relating to the optimal organizational structure for the promotion of ICT use. Focusing on SMEs enabled the project team to "steer clear of the conflict between the Department of Trade and Industry and another office as to who is the main proponent of ICT within the government structure." Available data for the macro assessment was not optimally reliable or relevant, as most of the existing e-readiness assessments provided only broad performance rankings and wide- ranging estimates. Most benchmarks were based on American or European standards that may not be as relevant in the developing country context. Nevertheless, the project team tried, wherever possible, to select more specific, locally meaningful and verifiable indicators of e-readiness. Time and resource constraints were challenges when conducting the micro assessment. The team therefore chose just four sectors to be surveyed. Additionally a lack of interest on the part of some of the respondents proved challenging -- although the trade associations were very helpful and coordinated some of the interviews. The initial attempt at random sampling was succeeded by a purposive approach, owing to very low response rates. Only the processed fruit sector was able to exceed the target number of 80 respondents for each sector. Nevertheless, the authors claim that the results are "representative of the selected sectors and robust across sectors." III bridges.org feedback Limited to a literature survey of previous e-readiness assessments, the macro assessment refrains from duplicating existing work. Instead, it consolidates previous assessments to create a very comprehensive overview in which to couch the micro assessments. The various macro e-readiness assessments cited in the report are critically analyzed in section IX, entitled "Gaps and Weaknesses". The authors identify that many of the assessments provide only broad performance rankings or wide-ranging "estimates" that are based on U.S or European standards, and point to the Philippines' unique socio-economic and political contexts as constraints to the applicability of these benchmarking methodologies. The section includes a matrix that illustrates the level of availability of information upon which the indicators informing any assessment of e-readiness are based. It shows that for many, minimal or no information is available, bringing into question the validity and reliability of the reports which claim to make calculations and rankings according to these indicators. The authors point out that few previous e-readiness assessments consider factors beyond those affecting the "digital economy" and that most fail to sufficiently investigate the domestic digital divide within the Philippines. The report shows an awareness of the larger issues impacting upon the Philippines' development. Levels of poverty, unemployment, population growth and availability of social services are cited as bigger issues that inevitably impact upon e-readiness. Introducing the micro assessments, the authors write, "Macro assessments are useless without action plans that make specific recommendations at the industry and sectoral levels. Thus, industry and sector specific studies need to be undertaken to shed light on such E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 145 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Government interventions. More concretely, the country's policy-makers have begun to realize the contribution of SMEs to specific industries and the country's development in general. SMEs do not only provide employment and comprise majority of firms, but they also pave the way for innovation and entrepreneurial skills to be honed. Moreover, they also play a key role in development and a wider distribution of wealth and opportunities. With these ideas in mind, a real e-Readiness assessment of the country must involve a look at the ICT presence vis-à-vis the SMEs." These insights and recommendations are applicable to broader development goals, including the MDGs. For macro assessments to have impact, they need to make recommendations specific to sectors including health, education and environmental sustainability. The micro assessments are detailed and filled with valuable and practical information. Each identifies industry strengths, weaknesses and threats, and makes recommendations for furthering competitiveness. Issues relating to ICT and the e-readiness of participating firms that came up in the focus group discussions are very interesting and useful in their specificity and applicability. Despite the inevitable shortfalls resulting from insufficient respondents in most sectors, the micro assessments provide useful information for the private sector as well as policy-makers. They recommend concrete actions in the context of specific industry sectors. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 146 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Romania E-readiness Assessment of Romania and Information Society National Action Plan I Overview Dates The report was finished and submitted to infoDev and a small group of Romanian stakeholders at the end of the grant period, which was between July and December 2003. The report was not officially published or disseminated, because approval from infoDev was delayed and the report is now outdated. The action plan was published in December 2003. Authors The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCTI) commissioned the report, supported by a grant from infoDev. A work group was established under the coordination of the MCTI, with representatives of the main public institutions, professional associations and civil society actively involved in promoting Romania's information society. The Romanian Academy also provided constant support. The Ministry produced the action plan. Abstract The MCTI has been conducting thorough and well thought-out work in boosting Romania's e- readiness and use of information and communications technology (ICT) by its citizens. The study made use of a hybrid methodology informed by the eEurope program, Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries and other assessment tools listed on infoDev's website. The report is laden with information on the country's ICT policy, access, e- government, education, society and economy. An action plan has also been developed, which builds upon the assessment. It summarizes and extends the National Action Plan (NAP) formally adopted by the Government in December 2002, and outlines suggested responsibilities and timeframes. The action plan is a particularly insightful document, which stands to take the NAP to the next level of actualization by, for example, assessing the costs associated with measures in the NAP and mandating each public institution to adopt an information society implementation action plan. The study and action plan have informed implementation initiatives that are set to have a positive impact on the country's e-readiness. These include: the Knowledge Economy project, which was developed to fill the gap between different social levels, rural and urban contexts, and small and large businesses; and development of the Interoperability Framework draft law, which focuses on definitions for a common standard of communication for Government institutions. II Report Summary Rationale Although the report doesn't specifically state objectives, it was established in discussions with the MCTI that the main objectives for the e-readiness assessment were benchmarking with other European countries and compiling a comprehensive starting point for measuring Romania's progress towards developing a knowledge economy. In addition, the assessment and action plan were intended to demonstrate Romania's commitment to moving towards the information society and attract foreign financial support (foreign direct investment (FDI), development assistance, etc.). E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 147 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Methodology Benchmarking was an important issue and goal for the report. As a result, the assessment team sought to ensure compatibility of the methodological approach with other assessments. A hybrid methodology was developed by the consultant conducting the research with input from MCTI and the working group, informed by the eEurope program, Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries and other assessment tools listed on infoDev's website. The assessment covers six key areas: policy, access, education, e-government, society and e- economy. Where possible, existing indicators required by the eEurope program and recommended by the European Commission (EC) were used. An "e-readiness grid", framed by CID's guide, is presented as an annex to the report. These findings are presented alongside those from a similar assessment conducted in 2001, providing interesting comparative evidence. The assessment team consulted numerous national and international sources, and held debates with specialized professional associations in order to make qualified estimates. Other studies conducted during similar timeframes informed the assessment, including the National Institute of Statistics (NIS)'s annual survey that includes relevant e-readiness indicators, the National Communications Regulatory Authority (ANRC)'s survey on the wholesale telecommunication market, and MCTI's assessment of ICT use among public administration and Internet service providers (ISPs). Initial interviews with stakeholders were conducted to inform the methodology and identify data sources. Data from a variety of sources was combined, including from the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and the European Union (EU). Key findings and recommendations CID Rankings Network access39: 3.33 Networked learning: 3.33 Networked society: 3.5 Networked economy: 3.06 Network policy: 3.75 Measuring physical access to ICT · The main physical access constraints facing Romania are: low penetration of fixed-line telephony in rural areas; lack of national network of Public Internet Access Points (PIAPs); and low support of banking systems for e-commerce. · The score of 3.5 for information infrastructure shows that "a considerable part of the community has access to high quality telephony services". · 58% of Romanian households have fixed-lines. There is a long waiting period (an average of 2.71 years), and an average of 23 faults per 100 lines. · 96% of the population has mobile telephony coverage/ one third of Romanians over the age of 15 owns a mobile phone. · 85.7% of households have a television set, and 55% are connected to cable networks. · There are 111.8 radio sets per 100 households. · The number of public Internet access points is still relatively low40. 39These scores have been averaged for each category. The report only provides scores at the next level of granularity (e.g. Network access = information infrastructure, Internet availability, network speed and quality, hardware and software and service and support). 40The report does not provide the actual number of public Internet access points. It notes that it has not considered Internet cafes as public Internet access points, as they are private businesses. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 148 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · It is estimated that liberalization of the fixed telephony market and increases in mobile telecommunication and cable networks will lead to increased Internet use in the short- and medium term. Although there are only 3.6 million Internet users in Romania, there has been considerable growth since 2001, when there were only one million. · The Access and Connectivity Program (part of the NAP) allows for implementing pilot projects in geographically isolated areas, and developing alternative communication networks, and interconnecting them for data transmission. · Important steps still need to be taken, including: the promotion of infrastructure interoperability and standardization of the information transportation infrastructure, the enforcement of regulatory measures in providing universal service in electronic communications, and the establishment of a network of info-kiosks. · Access to universal service needs to be extended beyond voice communications to include data transmission in the rural areas. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · A number of new developments have led to a significant increase in the quality and speed of voice and data transmissions, including: increased digitization of fixed telephony, national extension of the fiber optic network, and complete national mobile telephone coverage. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Economic factors such as the low income levels per capita are constraining the uptake of ICT, especially at the household level. · Internet access costs are low compared to the EU average. Internet access costs between 0.3 Eurocents/min (off-peak) and 0.8 Eurocents/min (during peak hours), whereas the cost of regular local calls is between 0.21 Eurocents/min (off-peak) and 3.34 Eurocents/min (during peak hours). · High costs of mobile Internet access and budgetary constraints for Government spending on ICT for health, education and local administration are limiting the uptake of Internet in Government. · Some of the e-strategies' timeframes have proven difficult to comply with, mainly because of lacking financial resources allocated for this purpose -­ especially in the case of local public administration faced with the challenge to correlate and interconnect the local and central databases. · Affordable and rapid access to the Internet is the major objective of the Access and Connectivity Program contained in the NAP. · Costs associated to the measures included in the NAP should be assessed. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · The report describes computer and Internet penetration in schools as "satisfactory" considering the public budget. (12 Internet-connected computers per 100 university students, 7.5 per 100 high-school students, and over one per 100 school students41. · There are low levels of general public awareness of the benefits of ICT and specifically, e- government services. · Romania's tertiary education institutions produce a sufficient number of ICT specialists, although there is a problem that they are concentrated in the urban areas. · The NAP plans for an increase in the number of education institutions (especially higher education) capable of producing ICT specialists. · Civil servants benefit from free IT training. It is compulsory that they obtain the ECDL (European Computer Driving License). 41Although the report does not qualify this term, we surmise that it is referring to elementary school students. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 149 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · The term "digital culture gap" is used to describe the fundamentally different environments of the central administration (the Ministries located in Bucharest) and their regional and rural counter-parts. Romanian administration has been completely decentralized and processes are being streamlined to reduce the number of middlemen. This creates situations where civil servants in small rural offices, who often lack ICT skills and sometimes even computers, are increasingly required to interact electronically with well-resourced civil servants in Bucharest. · InfoSoc is a specialized ICT research entity that will support the development of Romania's information society. · The Training, Education and Public Awareness Program (part of the NAP) includes plans for training teachers and adapting curricula to include ICT, stimulating the development of educational software, introducing a Management Information System at the national level, ensuring access to Internet resources and e-learning platforms for young civil servants and building fiber optic metropolitan networks to connect educational and research institutes. · Expert ICT consultants need to be commissioned to assist central and local public administration to improve coordination of the NES, particularly with regard to developing appropriate and efficient internal information and document management procedures. · The lack of ICT specialists at the local level should be compensated by creating a specialist support group within the central administration to grant technical assistance. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · The number of websites featuring local content has doubled between 2001 and 2003, although it is yet to meet the minimum level of developed countries (20 sites/ 100 inhabitants). · The limited presence of real e-commerce solutions limits the use of ICT in everyday life and is one reason for the relatively low numbers of Internet users. · Point of sale (POS) solutions have been introduced not only at retailers but also in public administration offices delivering services to the public · Basic e-government and e-administration on-line services at a national level are increasingly available, and there is improved quality and quantity of e-content (e.g. creation of digital libraries, web sites of the public administration). · The National Electronic System (NES) was launched on September 2003 and is available at www.e-guvernare.ro. It provides 5 e-services and 164 forms are available for downloading. It has been accessed 1.6 million times by approx. 50,000 visitors. · Some education institutions, such as the Academy of Economic Studies from Bucharest are providing long distance learning, including web-based lessons. · Most newspapers and magazines have websites, with shortened electronic versions of the current printed issues. · Electronic info centers need to be set up in public places, providing information concerning legislation, local cultural events, environmental information etc. · The Government should continue its support of e-government projects, also to comply with EU recommendations. · The systems of the National Health Insurance Institution, the Ministry of Health, and related institutions should be computerized. · Broadband access should be provided to hospitals and university clinics, emergency hospitals in large towns, town hospitals and policlinics and village health centers. · As stated in the NAP, the contents of libraries, archives and museums will be digitized, and theatres and other cultural institutions connected. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · The NAP allows for the adoption of accessibility standards to ICT, especially for improving the degree of utilization by the workforce and the social integration of disabled persons. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 150 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Looking at security and whether people trust ICT · Data security issues have been addressed by legislation regarding personal data and free circulation of such data. There are also laws for the processing of personal data and the protection of privacy in the telecommunications sector, as well as a law governing electronic signatures. · The NAP notes that security of information systems in institutions, at a national or regional level needs to be assessed. · The NAP outlines various measures for preventing fraud and electronic criminality, including implementing security policies against hacker attacks. · There are plans to develop anti-virus software and secure electronic payment systems, promote smart cards (for authentication and securing access to everything from pay phones to medical services) and introduce security and encryption technologies in the local and central public administration. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT · Romania has undertaken to conclude preparations for joining the EU by January 1, 2007, and has fully accepted the aquis communautaire for telecommunication, postal services and information technology (IT). · Liberalization of the telecommunication market in January 2003 has created a competitive environment, leading to higher quality services, reaching more of the population at a reduced cost, and 179 companies have since acquired the right to supply fixed-line services. · The law of universal service and the rights of users regarding electronic communication services and networks (Law 304/2003) represent the legal basis for reducing the digital divide among sectors of society and geographical areas of the country. · Other laws have been established to address issues of e-commerce, data security and privacy (see above). Looking at the use of ICT in business · Over 4800 companies in Romania develop software as their primary activity. The sector is represented predominantly by small companies, mainly owing to the tax advantages (profits tax of 25% is replaced with an income tax of 1.5%) · The degree of acceptance of new technologies by the business community is one of the factors that influence the development of e-commerce services. · Most large companies have their own websites, while most small businesses have presentation pages hosted by the chambers of commerce, business portals or free hosting sites. · Romanian virtual traders offer product catalogs and functionality for placing orders online, but payment still takes place by traditional methods42. · The NAP notes that incentives will encourage businesses to invest in ICT equipment and to use electronic commerce services43. · The NAP states that the Ministry of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises should provide impetus for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to build web pages and stimulate export. · A campaign needs to be initiated to promote, at a national level, the advantages of using ICT by SMEs. · A system for periodical consultations between MCTI, the Agency for Small and Medium Size Enterprises and Cooperation (ANIMMC) and the work group on the one hand, and the Romanian Association of Banks and the National Bank of Romania, on the other hand 42The report does not detail whether these are purely paper-based, or if other methods, such as wire transfers, are included. 43The action plan does not explain what kind/type of incentives. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 151 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 needs to be established in order to identify and monitor the necessary measures for stimulating e-commerce. Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · ICT imports are exempt from custom duties, regardless of their country of origin. · The highest increase of foreign direct investment (FDI) was in the ICT sector, following the granting of licenses for mobile telephony and the privatization of the fixed-line national operator. · Foreign companies have approximately 50% of the market share in the hardware industry. · An open market for information society services and communications, assuring quality services at an affordable cost, should be promoted and sustained. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · The Government strategy for implementing the information society in Romania is based on the principles of information sharing and equal participation of all the components of society: Government, private sector and civil society. · A "development strategy for the electronic public services" was being developed at the time of writing. It sought to generate an estimate of the financial needs and funding sources, and included an action plan which focused on e-government services. · The Government is committed to increase the use of ICT in Romania -- within Government, for Government service delivery and by business and civil society. The Government has created an inter-ministerial working group, chaired by the MCTI, to coordinate and implement activities that are intended to increase access and use. · Each public institution should adopt an information society implementation action plan, derived from the NAP. · A national campaign should be initiated to promote services offered by, and benefits associated with, the NES. Outcomes Members of the working group represent institutions and organizations that in the future will be key stakeholders driving Romania's efforts to increase access to and use of ICT, and become sources of e-readiness information. Discussions within the working group revealed that representatives were not fully aware of the obligations incumbent upon them in the implementation process, and the identification of this anomaly was important for consolidating, agreeing upon and framing expectations for moving forward. To address some of the problems identified in the e-readiness assessment and implement recommendations from the action plan, the Knowledge Economy project was developed to fill the gap between different social levels, rural and urban contexts, and small and large businesses. The goals and strategy for the project developed from the report. The project is currently in the early stages of implementation, and the activities and objectives are ambitious: starting with the spread of knowledge in 300 communities, and, following the demonstration of success, extension to the rest of Romania. Successful negotiations for securing funding for this project were to a large degree based on the quality of the assessment project. Another outcome of the report is a social program aimed at increasing affordability of personal computers (PCs). It allocates EUR200 (which is where the cheapest PCs start ­- but without monitors and keyboards ­- full set-up starts at around EUR300 for a local brand) for each poor family with school age children that want to buy a computer. The children have to apply for the grant, and this incentive comes directly from the assessment report, which suggests a social fund to benefit all of society. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 152 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 All of the report outcomes are in line with the eEurope+ action plan and eEurope 2005, and are effectively promoting the country's integration into the EU. The report has been useful to policy-makers, mainly in the development of the Interoperability Framework draft law, which focuses on definitions for a common standard of communication for Government institutions. Obstacles faced and lessons learned According to the assessment team, Romania's e-readiness was unexplored territory at the time of embarking on the assessment. Many of the indicators recommended by the EU were unquantifiable owing to the lack of credible data sources, and the identification of alternative and additional data sources was time consuming. It became increasingly evident throughout the course of the study that there were no mechanisms in place in public institutions and professional associations for the collection and processing of data and information necessary to assess the country's information society development stage, although there are some initiatives in the field. Considering the dearth of valid and reliable data required for a comprehensive assessment, the available funding limited the level of detail that could be provided. The assessment team recommends that a system, managed by the National Institute of Statistics (INS), needs to be designed and created to collect the indicators of information society development. E-Readiness assessments play an important role politically -- both internally, for politicians, and externally, to attract investment from donors as well as the private sector. Authors of e- readiness studies can find themselves in a challenging position to fully describe the existing problems in order to inform policy that addresses them, while at the same time ensuring that private sector investment in their countries is not discouraged. At the same time Governments need to take into account public perception of the objectivity of their reports and one way to address concerns is to hire an independent outside consultant (rather than conduct the work in-house) and combine a variety of independent data sources (rather than relying on one source only). The working group members were largely passive participants in the research effort, and although they were consulted from time to time, they were not exceedingly proactive in offering suggestions or solutions. As the group did not provide the level of input initially anticipated, more responsibility for designing the methodology and conducting original research fell to the consultant that was commissioned for the assessment. However, engaging stakeholders did have other benefits, primarily in taking the results forward. Before June 2004, there was good communication and good response time for feedback from infoDev. After June there were major problems with responsiveness, and the MITC had to wait before receiving the official "no objection" from infoDev -- a prerequisite for publication of the report. The assessment was completed in December 2003, yet the final go-ahead was received only recently in December 2004. The report results are now dated, so it is probably too late to disseminate the report as widely as initially intended. Another lesson learned is the relevance of regional developments, and specifically the guidelines set by the EU. In many respects, Romania is waiting for clear signals and the Government does not want to pass any laws that may prove to be in conflict with EU legislation. This can make moving forward difficult in areas where EU developments are expected. III bridges.org feedback The MCTI is doing good work, and the various strategies and action plans it has penned are sure to make a positive impact on Romania's e-readiness. A major obstacle, it seems, is E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 153 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 securing sufficient funding to realize them. The infoDev-funded e-readiness assessment conducted by the MCTI was the impetus for thoughtful and effective work promoting Romania's ICT-enabled development and progress towards EU integration. The action plan is a particularly insightful document, which stands to take the NAP to the next level of actualization by, for example, assessing the costs associated to measures in the NAP and mandating each public institution to adopt an information society implementation action plan. The assessment thoroughly describes the methodology used. It was developed for the specific context of a country caught at the border of being a developing and a developed country. However, the objectives for conducting the e-readiness assessment are not outlined clearly in the report. Neither do the authors provide a definition of e-readiness. The discussion of the "history of the information society in Romania" is interesting, and serves to set the stage for a complicated myriad of legislation, laws, strategies and action plans that have been adopted and implemented at various stages as Romania edges towards EU integration. The table in chapter 6, presenting the community law transposition schedule for meeting the acquis communautaire (the entire body of legislation that is binding to members of the European Union), and outlining the implementation stage of the various legislation, provides a useful overview of the status and stage of Romania's ICT policy. The chapter on macroeconomics provides a useful overview of the Romanian context. However, the infrastructure and access data included in the sub-section entitled "ICT sector development" is a little vague. This information is then repeated in chapter 7, entitled "Access". Although e-readiness assessments need to consider far more beyond basic access to infrastructure, it is generally a useful starting point. It might be helpful to readers unfamiliar with the ICT landscape of Romania to feature the access chapter earlier in the report. There also seem to be some conflicting findings (e.g. statistics of the population's access to mobile telephony), which are not explored or explained. However, the costs of various Internet access options are clearly depicted, and contribute an informative section of the report. It is also one of the few reports produced by grantee countries to look -- albeit very briefly -- at other ICT beyond computers and Internet; the report provides statistics for radio and television. The report discusses e-health, and offers interesting indicators for thinking about e-readiness in terms of broader health goals. For example, measuring the percentage of the population over the age of 16 that search the Internet for health-related information is an example of locally relevant content in the context of the health MDGs. The number of doctors recording patient information electronically is another useful indicator. The report mentions a range of appropriate technologies and provides access statistics for television and radio. This is in contrast to the majority of assessments in the program that focus exclusively on the Internet and telephony. However, content is discussed only in terms of that available online. Comparing the results of the 2003 CID-framed assessment with that from 2001 is an interesting and useful exercise for identifying gaps in progress. However, the explanations for each stage sometimes are too general. For example, noting that access to telephony is "increasing significantly" would be better illustrated with relevant statistics. The "Networked Learning" section fails to adequately provide an overview of the e-readiness of Romania's learning institutions. For example, it refers to "a satisfactory level" of computer penetration and Internet connections in schools, yet fails to qualify this in any way. It may be due to the shortcomings of the 2001 assessment that the assessment team found e-readiness in Romania "unexplored territory", and that their work was fulfilling the need for baseline statistics. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 154 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Some of the scores appear a little optimistic regarding Romania's e-readiness and progress towards an information society. While looking forward and planning for progress are essential for effective leadership, it can become problematic when this tone overrides objectivity in an assessment. An example is that the number of schools is termed "satisfactory", when the statistics show that there are obviously not enough computers in schools. This is identified by the authors themselves in the action plan, where they write that, "it must be underlined that some scores also consider the expected short-term effects of the implementation of the legislation adopted during 2002 and 2003, even though at present such effects are not yet visible." In the introduction to the action plan, the authors write, "Establishing objectives is the first step and should always be followed by a concrete Action Plan, which should highlight the measures to be taken, the deadlines, as well as realistic assessments of the financing needs and the key players involved." This document takes the country's e-readiness efforts to the next level for igniting positive changes. Whereas some of the other countries in the infoDev program appear unaware of related efforts, such as NICI plans, previous assessments and other strategies, the Romanian action plan integrates, draws from and builds upon previous strategies, most notably the NAP formally adopted by the Government in December 2002. The former outlines clear action items, expected results, assigns responsibilities to specific departments and entities, and includes timeframes. While specific departments within Government are featured in the "responsibility" column, the level of detail when referring to the private sector is insufficient; for example, action points are designated to the "banking sector". During the next steps of implementation a more specific level of granularity is required, by identifying specific companies for example, and this is highlighted in the final section of the assessment -- among a list of very good recommendations for short-term actions. The first step outlined is that each public institution adopts an information society implementation plan, derived from the NAP. The second, assessing the costs associated with the measures included in the NAP, follows from the fact that the NAP fails to indicate the human and financial resources required for realizing the action items. The NAP seems to consider trust, privacy and security issues in more detail than any of the other assessments in the infoDev program. It also addresses increasing public awareness, building capacity on all levels, and building the efficacy of public services. However, the plan to establish more institutions that produce ICT specialists appears contradictory to the assessment finding that there are sufficient ICT specialists. The MICT has been empowered to lead on implementation, and to drive the national strategy. Conducting this assessment has provided the Ministry with useful information and knowledge to frame a better, and more e-ready, Romania. The next step required after this assessment is financial assistance to implement the recommendations. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 155 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Russia Russia e-Readiness Assessment: ICT Infrastructure and E- readiness Assessment Project I Overview Dates The report was published in 2003. Authors The research team, headed by Sergey Shaposhnik, consisted of Nadezhda Brakker, Olga Vershinskaya, Alexander Yevtiushkin, Valentin Ivanov, Igor Kravchenko, Leonid Kujbyshev, Marina Moiseeva, Michail Jakushev, Yri Hohlov and Elena T'ur'ukanova. The e-learning section received funding and support from the Harmony Project Inc. Abstract The purpose of the infoDev-funded Russia e-Readiness Assessment is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the use and development of information and communications technology (ICT) in Russia, and to inform decision-makers on how to transform Russia into an information society. Alongside this, the report aims to pave the way for Russia to bridge its large, internal digital divide. Applying the Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, the assessment calculates a total average score for e-readiness of three, indicating Russia is on the verge of going into the accelerated phase of ICT uptake. But there are a number of large obstacles that stand in the way. Together, these obstacles form a complex backdrop to development of the ICT sector. Foremost are the low levels of income and educational standards of the poor majority. This means affordable access, and capacity to use ICT is low overall. Another obstacle stems from the disparity between access to ICT in the large cities and outlying regions, where the infrastructure is poor and incomes are lower. Corruption is endemic to business and Government administration, and this is hindering the growth of the ICT industry. Bureaucracy within Government makes any interaction between business and Government difficult and time consuming, especially in the sphere of licensing. Taxes are high, and discourage innovation in ICT and development of the small and medium enterprise (SME) sector. Despite the obstacles identified, most e-readiness indicators meet the criteria for ratings of three or four. The report documents steps being taken by the Russian Government to formulate ICT policy around cyber-crime, intellectual property rights (IPR) and e-commerce. And a program to modernize regulation around the ICT industry is underway. There is a strong focus on using ICT within the sphere of arts and culture, which should spark the need for locally relevant content and services. In addition a number of programs aim to get computers into schools and train teachers how to incorporate ICT into their classes. Following publication of the report segments of the ICT industry have seen accelerated growth, lending impetus to the recommendations. II Report Summary Rationale The Russian e-readiness assessment aims to respond to the rapidly changing socio-economic conditions in Russia, associated with the uptake of technology. To do this, it must provide information on ICT use and development to enable Government and other key bodies to E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 156 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 participate in, and take advantage of, the "information revolution". The report does not contain a definition of the term "e-readiness". Methodology The Russian e-readiness report was prepared for infoDev by a diverse team of experts in ICT, higher education and Government. The methodology was based on the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World. Most data was garnered from secondary sources, but the assessment team conducted three original surveys: a survey of 2,510 working age people from 17 regions; a survey of schoolmasters and the heads of higher education institutions in 380 schools and 200 universities using the eEurope questionnaire; and a survey of 1000 schoolteachers and 600 university lecturers to assess the use of ICT in teaching, using a questionnaire similar to that for the eEurope monitoring program. Desktop research of "the websites of federal bodies of power" was also conducted. The CID assessment tool was altered to suit the Russian context, and other methodologies were referred to where necessary. Extra measures were needed because the commonly used methodologies for assessing e-readiness focus on measurements of ICT infrastructure as a basis for making assumptions about ICT use. In Russia this connection cannot be made: ICT is widely available in Government, business and education, but a relatively small number of people are actually using it. Extra measurements and indicators for human capacity and the business climate were added. More up-to-date parameters, commonly used in international practice, were also included to allow comparison with other European Union (EU) countries. Key findings and recommendations CID Rankings Network access44: 3.16 Networked learning: 3.00 Networked society: 3.00 Networked economy: 1.94 Network policy: 1.87 Measuring physical access to ICT · Teledensity (defined in the report as number of fixed-line subscribers per 200 citizens) is 25.6%, following a steady trend of year on year increases. · Teledensity is significantly different between Russian federal districts and considerably lower in rural areas. · Over 70% of the country has cellular network coverage, and the number of subscribers for 2004 is expected to be on a par with European averages. · Cable television accounts for 61% of all television network subscribers, with 10% subscribing to Internet services. · The backbone infrastructure for carrying data transmissions is moving toward digitization, but between networks it is mainly still analogue. · The whole Russian telecommunications backbone is in need of modernization, desperately so in the regions. · The Ministry of Communications and Computerization estimated that there is approximately 1 public access point per 100 000 citizens. 44 These scores have been averaged for each category. The report provides scores at the next level of granularity (e.g. Network access = information infrastructure, Internet availability, network speed and quality, hardware and software and service and support). E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 157 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · In February 2003, over 2800 licenses for data communications and 3800 license for voice were issued. There are now over 850 Internet service providers (ISPs) in Russia, some holding both types of license. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · What technology is appropriate to people in Russia depends largely on where they live. Physical infrastructure in rural areas is far less developed than in the large cities, giving fewer opportunities for broadband Internet access. Modern technology is also the privilege of city dwellers with the income to afford it. · Using the Internet to send occasional emails and download small files may be possible, but multimedia and broadband connectivity are not available to those in rural areas45. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Despite low teledensity, telephone lines are affordable to the majority of citizens as they cost on average only US$4-5 per month. · Large state subsidies on telephone bills are available to minority groups. · Many operators tried to move to "time-scale" charging, where people are charged proportionately more, depending on the length of the phone call. This was met by considerable opposition in society, especially from the old who depend on telephones for communication, and from Internet users who mostly use dial-up accounts for Internet connectivity. Many of these schemes failed and were subsequently abandoned. · Mobile phone operators provide a wide range of payment schemes. Average prices are in line with those in most developed countries and have made mobile telephony available to a large number of people at least in the large cities, where incomes are higher. By 2004, it was expected that 70% of city dwellers would use mobile phones, but only 1% or the rural population. However, all mobile phone equipment is imported, so prices are unlikely to come down further. · Until affordable technology exists, and the infrastructure to support it, computers and connections are largely out of the reach of most rural inhabitants. · Internet access for households is growing faster than for businesses; due largely to lower ISP tariff charges for private individuals, as well increasing salaries. It costs US$0.04 per megabyte (MB) in Moscow and US$0.11 in the regions. Always-on Internet connection prices have been forced down, due to the monthly limit of 800Mb proving widely unacceptable, and public pressure to reduce it. It now costs between US$50 ­ 96 per month. · Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is available, but costs far more in the regions due to lack of market competition. · In general, Internet access via any technology is more expensive in the regions than the large cities. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · An e-readiness score of four is given for "Interest in ICT and awareness" in big cities, but only 2 ­ 3 for "ICT skills and education". · In Russia a large number of people (especially in urban areas) are well educated and aware of ICT, but not enough have the ICT skills to enable them to leverage their educational background and collectively move toward an information society. · Despite Russia producing one of the highest numbers of science and technology graduates in the world, there is a lack of skilled software programmers. This largely arises from a "brain drain" of programmers moving overseas. · There is a move toward a more individually-orientated, practical ethos of teaching in Russia, and key to this philosophy is ICT. Technology is gradually being incorporated into 45 The report does not explain this further and contains no substantiating statistics for how many rural people can access email and the Internet, or where. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 158 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 the teaching process, but access to ICT in schools remains low relative to other European countries, and especially in rural areas. · Developing the telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas alongside broadband Internet access to schools is recommended, but this will be a slow process. · Distance learning is considered an option for schools in areas that are difficult to access. · Teachers are generally unmotivated to include ICT in the curriculum. They have little incentive to do so, are poorly paid and there is a lack of skilled trainers. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · In 2003, a Government project was launched to provide e-services -- focused on Russian culture -- via satellite. Some of its goals include the spread of Russian cultural content both domestically and overseas; high speed Internet to cultural projects; and educational cultural material provided by multi-media. · Using ICT to promote and support Russian culture is important because "Russians identify strongly with their culture, and consider it the main source of Russia's wealth". The strong national identity has resulted in a large program for introducing ICT into arts and culture in Russia. This is intended to preserve Russian heritage for example, via the digitized archiving of museum and library information. · The first wave of interactive online e-government services is now available, but data needs to be standardized across Government departments for these programs to be effective. If e-government is to work, the lack of access to ICT in the regions must first be addressed. · Localization of web content is under way and using the Internet to promote Russian culture internally and overseas. Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · The assessments on "Access to ICT" and "Human Capacity" show that ICT has yet to become part of the daily lives of most Russians. · Only 6% of adults use the Internet once a week and 10% use it monthly. · One way in which the Government aims to integrate ICT into citizen's lives is via e- Government. All Government agencies have incorporated ICT into their work, but there are large disparities between them. This is due to an unequal allocation of funds to different Government departments, as well as differences in e-literacy and support services. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · Although the numbers of mobile subscribers have increased, mobile phone use remains in the hands of urban dwellers, with only 1% of rural inhabitants reported as users in 2002. This is primarily due to a disparity in wages. · The majority of Internet users are in Moscow and St Petersburg, but this is slowly changing as use spreads to the regions. Looking at security and whether people trust ICT · The large shadow economy in Russia results in a distrust in ICT when conducting business, especially in the areas of e-commerce, including business-to-business (B2B) transactions. · Laws around data protection and the use of digital signatures are out of date, and those specifically for e-commerce and the protection of personal data do not yet exist. · It is virtually impossible to exchange data between competing businesses because of mistrust for technology. This has impacted on the growth of business and the economy. · E-commerce will not become widespread in Russia until there are laws that support it and protect people against cyber-crime. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 159 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · Overall, there is an inappropriate legal and regulatory framework for dealing with the ICT sector. Existing law is out-dated, referring back to the early 1990s, and steps to update it are extremely slow, hindered mostly by concerns over necessary changes to tax law. New laws are considered in isolation, with no reference to existing law. And changes in regulations surrounding ICT are near impossible to keep up with, resulting in a chaotic system. · Telecommunications law has existed since 1995, but it has resulted in a complicated network of various and complex licenses. The Government has updated the law, trying to align it with other countries, but in practice this has not happened. · Licenses were awarded in 2002 to a number of national mobile phone operators and mobile phone use has seen huge increases since then. · Russians are largely unaware of intellectual property rights (IPR) law, and there is little awareness of copyright law in society. · Software piracy is a significant problem in Russia, where it was rife until recently. The Government's commitment to observe international intellectual property law has had a limited impact so far, with street vendors selling legal products alongside pirated versions. · The Ministry of Justice changed its position on IPR, and a large number of "piraters" were subsequently arrested. · However, the courts are not totally independent of "executive bodies"46, and the report mentions that illegitimate court rulings are common in Russia. · Money laundering and illicit dealings in the stock of companies that are subject to a hostile takeover have had a serious impact on the business climate ­- all of which has affected the approach to IPR and growth of the ICT sector. · The Criminal Code, Article 146, 1997, enacts copyright law in Russia, but the business climate has made it difficult to enforce, resulting in an e-readiness index of one for IPR law and copyright. · Russia's trade policy in the sphere of ICT is on a par with other countries with one, important exception. The process of applying export tariffs to software, in which these products are subjected to a lengthy inspection for compliance with Government licensing rules, is complicated and corrupt. This has created an environment that is hardly conducive to the survival of ICT startups looking to export their products. Looking at the use of ICT in business · There is a large shadow economy47 in Russia, and widespread corruption. This affects the culture of conducting business at every level. · Administrative barriers are a major factor holding back business, especially the SME sector. A significant part of this is illegitimate: 69% of bribes are estimated to come from licensing businesses for a range of purposes. One study, which was not part of the assessment, found that up to 20% of business time is spent overcoming bureaucratic hurdles. · While high-level management may know that the introduction of ICT into their business will result in greater profits and hence higher salaries, high taxes and overly-stringent regulation are still such a huge deterrent to business that managers in many companies move ICT assets out of their core business to avoid taxation and enable the business to survive. Further, very few businesses are listed on the stock market, so senior managers do not have an incentive of owning stock in their company to improve the company's performance. · Obtaining a license for software export is so difficult that a number of software houses have moved abroad where the restrictions do not impact so heavily on their business. Of 46The report does not explain what is meant by "executive bodies". 47The unfavorable business climate pushes business towards the "shadow" or unofficial economy. The assessment mentions black markets, under-the-table payments and other illegal dealings as common business practices. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 160 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 those that remain, there is a lack of innovation, and motivation at top-level management, which is holding back ICT business. · Nevertheless, the Russian software industry is slowly starting to grow; and its main export destination is the USA. · The total volume of personal computer (PC) sales is also increasing and a number of manufacturers are now assembling PCs in Russia. Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · The political upheaval in the early 1990s, when the Soviet Union was dissolved and Russia came back into existence, saw the beginning of a period of great instability and zero growth in the economy. · Since 2002 there has been a moderate growth in gross domestic product (GDP), and an e- readiness rating of three was given with regard to capita-GDP (GDP per head of population). · The overall tax burden (including Central Government tax, value-added tax, export and import tax) is high in Russia -- tax receipts account for 37% of GDP in 2002. · The low income of the majority of Russians means they cannot afford to purchase ICT. And due to the high inflation rate, banks are reluctant to give credit, with loans for only one year most common. · Investment in companies increased over the last two years, but the stock market is still small and unstable. It is unclear how the "shadow" economy affects the ICT sector. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · There is no published Russian ICT policy, but there are two documents pending which aim to map out key concepts for a national ICT strategy and related budgetary allocation for the next few years. They are the Doctrine for Internet Security in the Russian Federation, 2000, which provides basic concepts for the development of an information society in Russia. And the Electronic Russia (e-Russia) program, 2001-2002, which promotes the uptake of ICT across society. One of the e-Russia goals is to help the Russian software industry, especially for the development of tools for the public sector. · Political support for ICT has been sporadic across Government departments. Nevertheless, the e-Russia program has not got off to a good start, with competing, regional programs taking away some of the impetus. However a lack of coordination between Government departments and general mismanagement means the program is unlikely to be successful. Outcomes The e-readiness report was disseminated in a number of ways. It was presented at the conference Internet Access and Training: Outlook for the Future (April 14, 2003) organized by Project Harmony Inc. The report findings were included in a presentation of the World Bank report entitled Informatization Policy and New School in Russia (October 17, 2003), attended by the Ministry of Education, experts and journalists. It was circulated amongst the coordinating group of the assessment. Both English and Russian versions have been published as books and presented to Government, ICT experts and journalists. And the English version has been published online. On the basis of the report an action plan has been formulated and is available from http://www.riocenter.ru (in Russian only). Obstacles faced and lessons learned The questionnaire respondent did not answer the questions in the questionnaire regarding obstacles faced and lessons learned. The team found infoDev's support adequate, for preparing both the assessment report and action plan. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 161 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 III bridges.org feedback The Russia e-readiness assessment aims to provide information on ICT uptake and use by Russians, and the factors affecting it, to bring a sense of perspective to the evolving ICT sector. It aims to inform decision-makers in Government and business tasked with investigating ICT as a means of improving efficiencies and increasing profits. It makes a set of recommendations for moving Russia toward an information society, and led to the formulation of an action plan. The report is long and comprehensive. It goes to a more detailed level of analysis than most of the other infoDev-funded assessment reports. It provides insight into the use and uptake of ICT, and the development of the Russian ICT sector. The report is divided into two sections -- first, the factors that effect e-development in Russia: access to ICT, human capital, the business climate, and government regulation. Second, the current state of e-development in Russia: e-learning, e-business, e-culture, and e-government. The data collected for each topic is discussed at the end of each sub-section and recommendations are made. ICT uptake in Russia is primarily confined to the relatively wealthy city dweller. Access to ICT in the rural areas of Russia, and the capacity of the majority of Russians to use it, is a very different story. Some progress has been made in getting computers into schools and access to ICT in higher education is generally good. But there is no mention of alternative technologies that can be more suited to a rural environment, such as handheld computers. Certain sectors lag behind, especially Government, and the rapid advances in ICT uptake in one segment of society are not felt in others. The World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Information Technology Report, 2002 -2003, rated Russia as 68th out of 82 countries for e-readiness. But this e-readiness report shows that many of the barriers that stood in the way of ICT uptake at the time of data collection for the WEF report are currently being dismantled, and suggests that this rating is no longer accurate. The assessment places Russia in the category of countries in which ICT uptake is about to accelerate. But the stark difference between access to ICT in the cities and rural areas of Russia, suggests a strong digital divide already exists and will continue to do so until infrastructure at the very least, is greatly improved. The methodology is molded to measure parameters appropriate in the Russian context, and the obstacles standing in the way of e-readiness are clearly articulated. However, the report describes the various sources of data collected as somewhat unreliable and out of date, yet goes on to use them. Further, many statistics are provided by surveys carried out by large, international organizations ­- such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) ­- in the year 2000. The Russian economy, and in particular several segments of the ICT sector, have changed radically since then (for example, the mobile telephony market), and it is puzzling that that more up-to-date data was not available by 2003 when the report was published. The only original data collected included three surveys - two focused on access to and use of ICT in education and one desktop research survey. It is therefore difficult to have confidence in the rest of the data cited. The e-readiness ratings are also curious. Often, the text leading up to them lists a string of quite daunting obstacles that must be overcome before the goal in question can be met, leading the reader to assume that Russia is far from "e-ready" in that area. This can be seen several times in the "Access to ICT" section. Yet consistently, the indicator receives a rating of three or four (one being the lowest, four the highest rating). This is in contrast to the ground level realities of ICT uptake described in the report. This is partially explained by the fact that in the large cities, ICT infrastructure and availability is sufficient to achieve these ratings, but it is the impoverished status of the majority of Russians that prevent them from E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 162 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 actually using it. This often allows for a middle-to-high rating, but is more indicative of potential than the beginnings of acceleration into an information society, and is somewhat confusing. Underlying obstacles to ICT uptake across society are the complex bureaucracy of Government administration -- for example, leading to long cumbersome and expensive company registration processes -- and the high level of crime and corruption within Russian society. Distrust of technology by business, mainly with regard to data security and cybercrime, has limited exchange of information or pooling of resources -- even when to do so would have obvious benefits for all. Such collaboration is common to business in the developed world, and the converse situation in Russia is holding business back, and ICT uptake along with it. There is no specific ICT legislation in Russia, although Government policy, such as the e- Russia program, is being developed to regulate the sector. Despite plans to formulate ICT policy, the development of a strong "shadow economy" has made it difficult to implement laws and regulations. This is seen in the overt flaunting of copyright law by street hawkers and retail outlets, but recent crack-downs on crime syndicates have lead to numerous arrests and decreased the amount of pirated software for sale. Russian taxes are high -- so much so that many software exporters have moved their operations overseas to avoid paying crippling ICT export tariffs. The slow pace of ICT policy reform and inefficacy of regulation mean that new cyber-laws are desperately needed to pave the way for development of the sector. The report mentions the announcement in 2003 of a "conceptual framework for the federal policy toward ICT until 2010" strategy, but by the time of publication, no policy changes had been made. Promoting a general understanding of the importance of ICT uptake by society, as well as the legal and regulatory frameworks surrounding it, are crucial prerequisites for moving toward an information society. There is a strong focus on ICT in education, not least because national educational standards have dropped in recent years, and there is an urgent need to keep learners in school longer and improve teaching. The Ministry of Education aims to get computers into all schools, but this has been severely hampered by the lack of satisfactory infrastructure in the rural areas and a recent loss of foreign funding. It has been suggested that the issues of poor rural infrastructure and lack of ICT in schools are tackled alongside one another, but no specific information is provided, and it seems a tall order given all the other obstacles. Another obstacle to the introduction of ICT to schools is lack of motivation on the part of teachers for using ICT in their classes, and a lack of trainers to help them. The Government has recognized the need to retrain teachers and has plans to provide skilled trainers to do so, but unless these new training programs are successful, it is likely that the existing computers will remain unused in many schools. The report ends with a set of recommendations, the success of which will largely depend on resolving the underlying problems in Russia society, as described above. Overall, the impression created by the report is of a country able to take on technology in its cities at least, but held back by a climate of sluggish bureaucracy and corruption. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 163 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Tanzania ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Assessments for Tanzania I Overview Date The project commenced on 3 July, 2001 and although the report was completed in 2002, it is yet to be published, because the researchers lack funds for dissemination. Authors The assessment was conducted by the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH). Prof. Kohoi was the project coordinator, assisted by Mr Mlaki. Mr Yonazi lead the assessment team, which also included Mr Kapange and Mr Masawe. Abstract The assessment sought to take stock of the country's "multidimensional IT endowment, including policies and the regulatory framework, connectivity, institutional capacities, human capacities and skill levels, and local digital content availability in multilingual form." The study had a national scope covering all Government Ministries, 13 administrative regions, 18 districts, 46 institutions, and 716 randomly selected individuals. The assessment combined a number of methodologies: Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, McConnell International and SAITIS Baseline study methodologies. Data was collected through literature and newspaper article reviews, interviews, focus group discussions and structured questionnaires. The assessment finds telecommunication infrastructure underdeveloped, with limited communication facilities and highly unpredictable telephone services. There is strong political will within the Government leadership for harnessing ICT and realizing the e-strategy. Although the report does not address ICT policy issues very comprehensively, it has nevertheless informed other important policy documents, most notably the National Information and Communications Technologies Policy (2003). II Report summary Rationale According to the authors, "e-readiness" is "the measure of the capacity of nations to participate in the digital economy. E-readiness is the source of national economic growth in the networked century and a prerequisite for successful e-business.... An e-readiness assessment can be used as an information-gathering mechanism for countries as they plan their strategies for ICT development. It can help a society better understand what impediments to Internet development exist and what initiatives are needed to overcome them." COSTECH sought to take stock of Tanzania's "multidimensional IT endowment, including policy and regulatory framework, connectivity, institutional capacities, human capacities and skill levels as well as local digital content availability in multilingual form." The project's primary aim was to assess the current state of ICT infrastructure and availability of Internet and ICT-related services in Tanzania, for the purposes of identifying key barriers constraining a faster uptake of these technologies, as well as opportunities upon which to capitalize. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 164 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The overall vision driving the assessment was the development of a strong ICT Industry which contributes to sustainable economic growth, social upliftment and empowerment. The purpose was to establish the cooperative strategies, structures, processes and the indigenous capacity to strengthen and grow Tanzania's ICT Industry. Methodology The project's national scope covered all Government ministries, 14 administrative regions, 18 districts, 46 institutions and 716 randomly sampled individuals. A combination of the strong qualities from CID's guidelines, McConnell International e-readiness criteria and the SAITIS Baseline Studies framed the methodological approach. The assessment covered four themes, namely: e-leadership (a survey of high-level civil servants in Government, ICT infrastructure, e-business and human capital. Primary data was collected through questionnaire surveys, supplemented by focus group discussions and review of newspaper articles. The focus groups comprised experts and interest groups from various sectors, and were designed to cover five categories: access connectivity, Internet cafes, e- business, human resources and e-leadership. The focus group on e-leadership had discussion framed by the following themes: top level commitment; vision, mission and strategies; organizational responsibility; public sector strategy and coordination; information technology management infrastructure; citizen and community empowerment and electronic democracy; and existing IT initiatives, programs or projects. Findings were coded and summarized by experts. A statistician from the University of Dar es Salaam helped synthesize the findings. Key findings and recommendations Measuring physical access to ICT · Telecommunications infrastructure is severely lacking, but licensing terms oblige the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Limited (TTCL) to connect every village with more than 3000 inhabitants with at least 2 public phones by early 2005. · Teledensity improved over the past few years, with rapid increase for cellular phones; fixed-line penetration has remained low (0.53 per 100 people upcountry, but 5 per 100 in Dar es Salaam). · Service levels are relatively better in Dar es Salaam and the popular tourist destination Arusha, compared to the rest of the country. · The Internet cafe phenomenon has generated significant increase in the number of users, and the existence of data communication companies has assisted leased line provision. · To improve access to Internet, issues of poor connections, bandwidth, types of connection and monthly costs should be looked upon critically and solved with the involvement of stakeholders. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · The mobile industry holds promise for intensified rural outreach. · Modern technology (fiber optic, wireless, network management tools) and the shift to digital infrastructure have improved network speed and quality. Still, the call completion rate is low, especially for overseas calls. · Increasing use of wireless technologies would bypass problems of physical infrastructure. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 165 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · High costs of infrastructure and access limit use of ICT. · The prices of some basic services (e.g. electricity) are very high and not regionally competitive. · Connectivity costs are high, with a typical 128K fixed-line costing around US$720 per month. · Internet cafes charge around TSh 1000 ($0.97 at time of writing) per hour. · Few individuals have Internet access, owing to the disproportionate ratios of rates and incomes. · All hardware and software is imported. Only a small percentage of the population can afford it, and costs to small businesses are high. · While the Government, together with private sector and international development partners are taking measures to establish infrastructure for the effective conduct of e- business, it should also facilitate conditions that increase affordability of equipment and services related to ICT. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · Training centers exist only in two towns. · General awareness of ICT is driven by Internet cafes, news media, tertiary institutions, business and organizations48. · Due to low human capital, it takes a long time to solve connectivity problems. · There is a proliferation of opportunities for technical, programming and systems training for ICT technicians and professionals at University and private training institution levels. Almost all training is face to face. · Professional certification and facilitation for distance learning should be encouraged e.g. with African Virtual University. The University Computing Center (UCC) at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is experimenting in the area of e-learning. · There is a need for the development of IT related educational training. The report suggests the development and implementation of a training program for IT technicians which would provide in-company support on hardware and software and application issues. A pilot project to specify, develop and implement a Government department set of computer-based systems is recommended. · There is a need for the provision of in-company first level support to company employees on hardware and software and application. · A job-practice model for ICT professionals should supplement other training. · A pilot project should be established to specify, develop and implement a defined set of computer-based systems and procedures for Government departments. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · The web is yet to be utilized as a communication tool by the local population. · The national website (http://www.tanzania.go.tz) is bilingual (English and Kiswahili). · There a number of Tanzanian websites, but most are in English, with static content that is concerned primarily with advertising. · Only negligible e-business is conducted by Tanzanians. · Various strategies, such as competitions and prizes could be used to raise awareness of Swahili websites, and dynamic communications media such as the eThinkTankTz website. · During the study team's visit, interviewees stressed the importance of addressing local issues by incorporating local languages and moving away from English. · Access to standard tendering procedures for civil work contracts would pave the way for transparency and fairness, while making submissions to judicial cases online can cut down the time taken up to judge cases, and hence increase efficiency. 48The report does not expand on what it means by "organizations". E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 166 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · Concerted focus on e-commerce, and associated enhancements to the banking sector, are required. · People must be made aware that they can purchase online (cheaply, quickly and conveniently). Determining whether ICT is integrated into peoples' lives · Mobile telephony reduces the importance of public telephones, and the many Internet cafes are widely used by the population. · There is low level of automation within the Government departments owing to shortages of skills, money and equipment. · Internet cafes are unlikely to survive under current economic models. There is a need for effective economic research and guidance to operators. Considering socio-cultural factors that affect ICT use · The majority of Internet users are between the ages of 16 and 25, followed by those between 26 and 35. · In Tanzania, 70.7% of people using Internet cafes are unmarried. Looking at whether people trust ICT · As part of the awareness campaign to the public, users and potential users must be encouraged to change their attitudes towards ICT. For example, people will have to change their traditional physical money transacting and adopt the card system if the Smart card is to be used. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · Tanzania's telecommunications sector is liberalized, with vigorous competition in the mobile sector. · A regulator ­ the Tanzania Communication Commission (TCC) -- is in place, and is a member of the Telecommunication Regulators Association of Southern Africa (TRASA) and the East African Regulatory, Postal and Telecommunications Organizations (EARPTO). · There is growing consensus as to the need for a national ICT Policy. The Policy is at an advanced stage of completion with the ICT Task Force based in the Ministry of Communications and Transport49. · Some policies -- such as forbidding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) -- are inhibiting the impact that ICT can have on Tanzania's development. · Mobile companies have liberty to compete without restrictions, and have of late, started to offer added-value services like airport, bus and train schedules, etc. Looking at the use of ICT in business · The report suggests helping communities build partnerships, as licensing procedures hinder the entrepreneurial spirit of most prospective Internet cafe owners. The report offers examples of local industries and local authorities engaging to build Internet cafes, and motivates that this should be encouraged. · Partnerships and collaborations can foster ways for more rational use of scarce resources. For example, schools can form partnerships with local entrepreneurs who can install computers, Internet connections and other ICT in schools. · Stakeholders expressed the need for a concrete mechanism that will ensure continuity and sustainability of the existing efforts in the development of ICT in the country. There was a call to have continuous needs assessments of ICT in the country because the situation is dynamic and can change overnight. · No tax breaks are available for companies wishing to innovate in this sector. 49The National Information and Communications Technologies Policy (2003) has since been published. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 167 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Understanding the macroeconomic environment affecting ICT use · While business regulations are generally cumbersome, ICT is not singled out except in a positive sense (e.g. zero-rating of VAT). There are no particular restrictions on trade in ICT products. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' political will to drive change · There is political will for supporting the use of ICT and for cooperating with the private sector to develop ICT solutions. · The Government implemented an integrated financial management system in 2001. About 28 districts are already connected, and plans are in place to connect all sub-treasuries. · There is an urgent need for raising ICT awareness all over the country at all levels. This was seen as the only way to ensure support and commitment to developing ICT and its use in peoples' daily activities. Outcomes So far, there have been no concerted efforts towards disseminating the assessment report as there are insufficient funds. However, there are indications that people are aware of and benefiting from it. The findings have been useful in: · The development of the National Information and Communications Technologies Policy and strategy (http://www.tanzania.go.tz/pdf/ictpolicy.pdf) · The Tanzania Development Gateway Project (www.tanzaniagateway.org) · The drafting of the Country Paper for the WSIS PREPCOM II, Geneva, February 2003 · The provision of baseline data in a number of surveys and studies conducted by the German Technical Cooperation Organization (GTZ) and the Swedish International Development Agency · Discussions by IICD, infoDev and other entities on the impact of ICT in Tanzania · Academic research: PhD and Masters degrees at UDSM One Masters degree student from Sweden Obstacles faced and lessons learned Data collection was very difficult, owing to major problems around setting up appointments with high-level Government officials, especially the permanent secretaries. Another problem was that there were no proper criteria for selecting regions for the study, and the assessors were simply going to places where they expected to find useful information. The assessment recognizes the need for a common country information "gatekeeper". Those interviewed indicated there was a need for accurate, adequate and accessible information. Coordination of stakeholders and the general lack of awareness also presented challenges. Issues around ICT were new to most people in the country and not all members of the steering committee shared the same outlook. And the regulator, one key stakeholder, did not attend the meetings. The assessment team felt that an assessment in 2004 would have been more preferable, as the ICT policy came into being during this year. There is a lot of duplication of e-readiness assessments and related ICT research in Tanzania. Workshop participants felt that reasons are lack of donor co-ordination, and resultant parallel funding. The assessment team has noticed that different donors have varying interests, and that one reason for the emphasis on ICT for entrepreneurship, and business-driven ICT, is to ensure that donor countries' companies do well in Tanzania. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 168 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 COSTECH is still looking for funding in order to publish the report, and they want to conduct another assessment to show where the country stands today, and the progress that has been made. III bridges.org feedback The assessment team evidently did its homework, and identified assessments done in Tanzania by others. However, the report appears to be more of a literature survey of previous reports than an assessment/research intervention on its own. (Throughout the report, the authors refer to the "assessments" as opposed to any one particular intervention.) In fact, it even refers to itself as if it were a separate entity in a list of e-readiness assessments conducted in Tanzania: "Some of the activities undertaken include: The Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH) conducted an infoDev (World Bank) funded ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Assessment for Tanzania. Miller Esselaar and Associates conducted a SIDA-sponsored ICT Survey for Tanzania in 2000. Another study was done by the GTZ effort to assess the present situation and perspectives in ICT for development in the country." Previous e-readiness assessments are cited and discussed throughout the report, and the authors highlight a problematic lack of consolidated substantial baseline data and statistics on ICT in Tanzania. The review of newspaper articles provides an interesting and insightful measure of media attention given to ICT. The objectives of the assessment are not clearly explicated in the report. Although the goal is stated as "taking stock" of the country's e-readiness, there is not much proffered as to the reasons or overarching vision driving the research, besides "ICT are becoming key components in the emergence of a high growth/high productivity 'new economy' or 'digital economy' in the era of globalization". The methodology that was used by the researchers is not sufficiently explained in the report. It seems to be framed by CID's Guide, and aspects of other tools were included, but the description of questionnaires and focus groups and more importantly which parts of the report were informed by collected data are missing. E-Readiness of the public sector and political will is sufficiently covered in the report, although it would have been interesting to have more critical discussion of the many individual projects that are going on. A number of departments appear to be doing their own thing in integrating ICT into their working environment, but the assessment does not discuss the benefits of a combined strategy to frame these developments. The strategy for conducting this research appears to be lacking integration within the broader context. It seems the study was only conducted within urban areas, and the findings are thus unrepresentative of Tanzanian society, the majority of which does not use modern ICT. In assessing the readiness of the work force, focus is mainly on ICT-centric jobs -- such as engineering, and people working in Internet cafes ­- and does not reflect the use of ICT in more general working environments. Although there is not a great deal of discussion about policy issues in the assessment report, it proved useful for feeding into the National Information and Communications Technologies Policy (2003) and strategy. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 169 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Trinidad and Tobago E-Readiness Assessment ­ Trinidad and Tobago I Overview Date The assessment was conducted in March - April 2002. The report was also completed during this time. Authors The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBT&T) commissioned Matthew Hatton and Bridget Morris from Electronic Payment and Commerce (EPayCom) to write the report. EPayCom is a private company based in the United Kingdom, providing enterprise payment solutions for the financial services industry50. Abstract The scope of this assessment project is limited to Trinidad and Tobago's progress in developing the necessary environment to manage e-payments on a national basis. E- readiness is defined simply as the country's ability to do payments electronically, and the data collected is confined to Government, the business sector (including banking), human capacity to use ICT as pertains to e-commerce, and some data on communications. It did not use any of the methodologies suggested by infoDev, and is significantly different from all the other country reports. By assessing just one aspect of e-readiness (electronic payments), the report cannot give a holistic view of e-readiness in Trinidad and Tobago, and can only be considered one source of information for decision-makers tasked with moving the country toward an information society. However, the specificity of its action plan is likely to prove more useful for framing next steps for stakeholders interested in boosting the country's capacity for facilitating payments electronically. II Report summary Rationale The authors term e-readiness as "the country's ability to do payments electronically". This limited focus is due to the design of the study as a precursor to a National Payments Systems project. The report examines the topic of e-payments from four perspectives: legal; telecommunication; government (with a focus on ministries delivering either high volume or high valued payments); financial sector organizations; and the private sector. Methodology The assessment methodology used was developed by EPayCom and is called the "Payment Highway Method". It involves three broad measures to investigate the feasibility of a national electronics payment service in Trinidad and Tobago. A number of workshops were held to transfer skills and knowledge from the consultants to stakeholders, and to build local capacity in the banking sector. These include a workshop dealing with legal issues to promote awareness of the legal and regulatory framework as pertains to e-commerce; to map out the scope of work in this area and the role of the CBT&T in providing legal assistance; and to develop a set of tools for measuring the legal indicators appropriate to the local environment. A risk management workshop was held to train the team on the existing electronic payment facilities available, and to explore how improvements 50For more information see: http://www.epaycom.co.uk E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 170 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 would impact on the development of e-commerce. A "change and communication management" workshop was also held at the request of the local team members. The purpose of the workshops was to train the team and ensure they were able to use the methodology to conduct further work, in the absence of EPayCom. Two consultants from EPayCom made two visits in March and April 2002. They worked with a team seconded from CBT&T, the Ministry of Finance, ISL Ltd, and the Tobago House of Assembly. Data was collected from eleven sources, which comprised mostly of strategic and management information from a number of Government departments and the financial dealings of CB&T. Key findings and recommendations Measuring physical access to ICT · The banks, including CBT&T, are already building some of the vital infrastructure items required for reform of the proposed payments systems. · The banks have telebanking, fax connections, personal computer (PC) connections to bank services, a website, automated teller machines (ATMs), and an electronic funds transfer (EFT) switch. They intend to develop full e-commerce and e-banking facilities. · Areas of the country without access to electronic payment services (called "green fields"), are found widely in Trinidad and Tobago. This is not necessarily negative as it is usually easier to implement solutions where there is no "baggage" of old legacy systems. · Infrastructure to support a variety of e-commerce initiatives needs to be developed and maintained. · There is a marked absence of automation and electronic facilities within the Government in general, and the Treasury in particular. The Treasury has no ICT but wants to handle all payments electronically in the future. · There are approximately 70,000 households with personal computers (PCs), of which 50,000 have Internet access. · Mobile telephony is more pervasive, with 250,000 users. · There were no statistics available for corporate use of computers and the Internet. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · Telecommunications Service of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT) is planning, developing and rolling out a number of initiatives to underpin an e-ready society. For Internet connectivity, it plans to build a fiber optic network and provide asynchronous digital subscriber lines (ADSL). With regard to mobile telephony, it plans to move from using time division multiple access (TDMA), to the more ubiquitous cellular network standard: global system for mobile communications (GSM). It also plans to provide Internet access over the cellular network via the general packet radio service (GPRS). · Given that mobile phone penetration is much higher than computers in homes, mobile commerce (m-commerce) is considered a suitable vehicle for running a program to promote the uptake of technology across society. However, m-commerce initiatives are limited by the current unavailability of GSM and GPRS services. · The report recommends implementing the following "major building blocks" to enable the banking system to develop useful and viable e-products and services: o Real-time Gross Settlement (RTGS) for high value payments; o Automated Clearing House (ACH) for retail payments, switching and clearing; o Automated Credit Bureau (ACB); o EFT Switching; o Payments engines to feed various payment systems; and o Upgraded telecommunications network to run the payment systems. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 171 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · Although there are general complaints about a lack of funding, there are no substantive financial issues in the market inhibiting e-initiatives. · For key projects, international funding is available (e.g. United Nations Development Program (UNDP), World Bank). · Before undertaking any e-commerce project, its champions must be able to prove that it makes commercial sense, i.e. there is a clear business case, and costs will eventually be recovered from customers. The business should drive the technology, and not vice versa. · Fees and charges will make the initiative viable, and there should be small fees, charged on a per transaction basis. Although other approaches have been tried, for example, a percentage of the value of each transaction, it always boils down to the customer (the end-user) paying. · Fees and charges can be structured to drive customers from expensive cash and paper transactions towards electronic ones which are much cheaper. (Electronic transactions are one tenth of the cost of paper ones, and Internet transactions are one tenth of the cost of electronic ones.) Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · The number of people who are highly skilled in ICT is insufficient to meet the needs of Trinidad and Tobago. This is largely due to a "brain drain", as countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom have highly attractive fast-track immigration processes for applicants with certain ICT skills. The report recommends that Trinidad and Tobago initiate new ICT projects that will attract skilled personnel back to the State. · Strategic thinkers need to be exposed to current developments at conferences and seminars to bring them up to speed. · A management awareness program should be implemented for businesses. · It is recommended that skills transfer becomes a component of all projects, whereby suppliers are required, contractually, to provide the requisite skills for each project. · With only 70,000 PCs in the country, basic computer literacy is assumed to be low. The report suggests that the International Computer Driver's License (ICDL) should be integrated into school and college curricula, as well as training programs. · All Government personnel in departments targeted for computerization should undergo training for the ICDL. Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · Customs and Excise are upgrading their technology system for customs activities. Although the system is used for data gathering and reporting, it does not support revenue collection and is not networked. It is therefore of limited use. The UNDP are funding a project to upgrade the software, to place ports that allow for the import of goods on a network and allow customs and excise personnel access to centralized data. · The e-government unit offers no e-products or services as of yet, although there is a goal to have an electronically integrated public service and Government intranet. · The e-government unit is still being established, and currently has no clear mandate. · The report recommends the development of an e-government program tasked with developing initial projects, delivering appropriate education and creating awareness within Government. Suggested projects include linking customs development to e-payment initiatives. · Government would benefit from a suitable workflow/ management product e.g. MS Exchange or Lotus notes. · The banks offer websites for general information, limited e-banking facilities and telephone banking. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 172 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Looking at security and whether people trust ICT · Employees are generally resistant to change, particularly when they feel threatened by new technology. · The public at large is often suspicious and skeptical about the actions and motives of banks and governments (particularly when banks act together). Thus there needs to be effective communication at every level. It is recommended that an overall communications plan should be formulated, and controlled centrally. · The financial and commercial communities in Trinidad and Tobago are relatively small, both in terms of market and geography. Trust is therefore not currently a major concern. But as these markets become increasingly e-enabled, and open up to cross-border transactions, trust becomes vital. · There is a requirement for stringent encryption and authentication capabilities. · Trust goes beyond network level security, and it is vital to ensure that when dealing with a counter party over the Internet or an extranet, the party is in fact who they purport to be and not a "fraudulent imposter". · The Bank should establish a dialog with their corporate customers to discuss and publicize opportunities for enhancing trust, security and trade-related payments. · As financial institutions provide increasingly sophisticated Internet access to their systems, a trusted center for digital signatures will be required. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · The legal and regulatory framework for telecommunications, despite some negative perceptions, is moving in the right direction. According to the Telecommunication Service of Trinidad and Tobago (TSTT), deregulation is underway, new service providers will be in the market soon, and new, appropriate technologies are being implemented. However, the report found that there is a lack of awareness and understanding of these developments beyond TSTT itself. · There are no laws or regulations that deal specifically with other aspects of e-readiness. Support materials and mechanisms to start tackling this were discussed during an assessment team workshop. · The legal community needs to have a "bird's eye view" of all the financial and governmental e-initiatives so that it can create a holistic and appropriate framework. · International standards such as the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Draft Model Law for Electronic Commerce should be observed wherever possible and appropriate. Looking at the use of ICT in business · The commercial sector is the least developed and least interested in terms of e-readiness. · There is a widely-held view that the e-commerce market in Trinidad and Tobago, especially for private individuals, is limited. · There are no clearly defined business drivers for e-commerce initiatives in the private sector. · E-Commerce communities comprised of user and client bases need to be developed. They should be structured at two levels: (i) trading groups formed into various industry exchanges, and (ii) payment schemes operated by members of the financial services community. · Rather than being seen as a number of individual projects, payments reform should be presented as a wholesale change to the banking infrastructure of Trinidad and Tobago, and a key part of preparedness for e-commerce. Gauging the government's and other stakeholders' will to drive change · There is no shared purpose across the banking industry and the larger economy as to what constitutes a state of e-readiness or how to achieve it. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 173 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · There is lacking coordination between Government, the banks and TSTT. · The Government sector has wide scope for efficiency gains through e-initiatives, but again these have not been quantified. · There is a lack of common vision amongst project sponsors, the banking industry, Government and the commercial sector. · The report recommends creating a steering committee with representatives from Government, banking and the commercial sector that can develop the necessary vision and practical project plans to promote ICT use. The committee's focus would be on creating the vision and mission, including all the right stakeholders, building an organizational structure to support the initiative, and developing enthusiasm and support for their goals. The authors suggest focusing on the business level model and coordinating the legal work and funding to get some projects underway and ensure they are visible. Outcomes The assessment results were presented to stakeholders at a seminar hosted by the Central Bank. The report is available at http://www.nict.gov.tt. The consultants conducted additional workshops and seminars that focused particularly on the legal framework, risk management and change and communication. The findings provided input and some guidance in the National Payments System project and the Government "vision 2020" ICT project. The report has had an impact on Government policy in that e-commerce has been identified as a priority. Obstacles faced and lessons learned It appears that the project team worked effectively as a cohesive and focused unit, despite being separated geographically. (The consultants were based in England). The two biggest challenges faced were working within the budget, and ensuring that all participants were at all the meetings held in Trinidad, as this required a lot of travel. Ensuring that key stakeholders worked effectively with the consultants, as well as facilitating comprehensive knowledge transfer from the latter, proved challenging but were overcome by setting tight schedules for activities and frequent communication. The methodology was limited in that it did not "quantify e-readiness in numeric terms" beyond a few infrastructure statistics, and there was consensus that if the project was repeated a different methodology would be used. There was no clear common vision of a desired state of e-readiness: none of those interviewed could articulate this, and it was hence very difficult for the consultants to measure "gaps". Apparently infoDev was not overtly helpful beyond providing project funding. III bridges.org feedback This report met its main objective: to assess the ICT environment of Trinidad and Tobago for development of a national e-payments service, and make recommendations for improving preparedness for the transition. ICT is understood purely as a tool for modernizing business and government transactions, with a very specific focus on electronic payments. The research measures parameters within the government, commercial and banking sectors for doing so, and provides a set of recommendations that include initiating a number of e-commerce projects. The report, and subsequent feedback given to infoDev in a document entitled ICT Final Report (authors unknown), give an impression of miscommunication between the Trinidad and Tobago Government and EPayCom, as to what the term "e-readiness" actually means. Although the terms of reference given in an appendix outline some of the areas within the ICT sector that are usually researched for e-readiness, there is only a cursory attempt to provide even the most basic data, such as teledensity, and number of computers per head of E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 174 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 population. The assessment is completely dominated by measurement of parameters that are specifically useful for determining the best way forward for a national e-payments service. This is hardly surprising considering the core business of the consultancy chosen to conduct the study. The assessment is based largely on eleven sources of data (four of which were organograms of Government departments), and the entire corporate sector for the State was evaluated through assessment of one large company: a furniture retailer. Any future research would benefit from a larger sample and more data, even within the limited framework of the electronic payments assessment. Fundamental to widespread electronic payments and related e-commerce services is a population with the capacity and confidence to use the technology. The assessment should have taken a more in-depth view of computer literacy levels, beginning with basic literacy, and available opportunities for developing it. Gauging the extent of the population's e-literacy from the low number of PCs in domestic environments provides only very rough estimate, and human resources development is considered exclusively in the context of industry and government. It would have been interesting to include a review of current initiatives in the country that are addressing e-literacy, rather than simply recommending the ICDL. The report provided no indication of the extent to which the public can access computers and the Internet at public access points. Public access to ICT is imperative for building e-literacy, as the skills developed through any scheme (including the suggested ICDL course) will be lost without opportunities to use, practice and build upon them. Further, issues of ICT that impact on the broad macro-economic environment; the socio-cultural factors affecting ICT use; or the extent of the integration of ICT into peoples' lives were not investigated. There is no data or analysis of ICT in society, and their relationship to socio-economic development and the millennium development goals (MDGs). The research team does not consider ICT an important or effective tool to reach broader development goals. The questionnaire respondent stated, "ICT can help but I believe more fundamentals such as better health facilities, more caring medical practitioners, expansion of health education (face to face) in all communities will advance the MDGs at a faster rate in small Trinidad and Tobago. ICT will work for the elite and highly educated. Work is needed in the Education system before ICT can reach the masses." As a result of the assessment's limited scope, its recommendations and action plan are far more specific than many others generated under the infoDev e-readiness initiative. For example, it proposes a detailed structure for the e-commerce community of Trinidad and Tobago, recommending the formalization of existing groups, and outlines a clearer set of responsibilities for each. The Government is producing additional e-readiness reports ­- to be published shortly -­ that will fill the gaps left by this assessment, promote the role of ICT in society and spark debate beyond e-payments. The report's narrow focus meant that it was useful instead of duplicative, as a Government-funded assessment that used the Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s Guide was conducted around the same time. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 175 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case study: Uganda E-Readiness Assessment Abridged Report I Overview Dates The grant period was between February 2003 and February 2004. Although the report is yet to be published, a final draft report has been available since January 2004. Authors Ashwin Shankar and Rajeev Agarwal from consulting firm Techno Brain Ltd authored the report. Techno Brain Ltd was hired by the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications for the Republic of Uganda. Dr Kibuuka and Dr Turahai from the Ministry supervised the data collection and report writing. Abstract The Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications commissioned Techno Brain Ltd to conduct this assessment, which is based on the methodology set out in Harvard University's Center for International Development's (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries. The report goes further than the prescribed CID methodology and provides additional findings in five areas: the situation in the Government sector, cost and affordability of ICT, people and attitudes toward ICT, training, and principle constraints. There are also chapters on the judicial reform process, the commercial justice reform program, and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis for each CID category. The assessment identifies that affordability and infrastructure challenges are the main obstacles to increased access to and use of ICT. A major feature is a section detailing Uganda's human resource capacity for improving and harnessing the country's e-readiness. The authors' in-depth knowledge of Uganda's Government, as well as its governing structures and associated bodies and institutions, results in a good overview of the situation, as well as very practical and context-specific solutions. The report includes an excellent action plan for taking the country's e-readiness to the next level. The report has been utilized extensively to feed into policy and decision-making processes, including the development of an e- government initiative, and the formation of the National Planning Authority and the Information and Telecommunications Authority of Uganda. Although complete, the report is yet to be officially published, due to lack of funding. II Report Summary Rationale E-Readiness is described as "the ability of a country to absorb the new trends in ICT for enhancing the living standards of its people.... [and] the ability of a country or community to benefit from ICT." The authors note that whatever the current stage of e-readiness, "it is always possible to leapfrog the intermediate stages and emerge as a Networked society, able to harness the full potential of ICT." The principle objectives of the assessment project are: · Assess the current levels of ICT and the state of ICT infrastructure in all sections of Ugandan society, but with a strong focus on the Government sector. · Suggest cost-effective, affordable, sustainable, means of enhancing e-readiness, especially for education, capacity-building and connectivity. The underlying objective here is to reduce overall costs of ownership of ICT for the Government. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 176 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · Facilitate the development of e-government processes and considerations by conducting the assessment largely within the decentralized public sector. Methodology The Harvard University Center for International Development's (CID)'s e-Readiness Guide was found to be the most suitable methodology framework for Uganda. E-Readiness issues are thus grouped under the categories of network access, networked learning, networked society, network policy and the networked economy. The report goes further than the prescribed CID methodology and provides additional key findings in five areas: the situation in the Government sector, cost and affordability of ICT, people and their attitudes, training, and principle constraints. There are also chapters on the judicial reform process, the commercial justice reform program, and a Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) analysis for each CID category. The survey aims to assess ICT infrastructure within all sections of Ugandan society -- the public and private sectors (especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)), non-governmental organizations (NGOs), homes, schools, and the media. Information was collected through surveys; study of previous surveys and field or sector studies; and interviews with key players. Key findings and recommendations · Statistical analysis of information gathered for the assessment is encouraging and evidences trends of rapid and consistent growth. The country has made huge strides in increasing its level of e-readiness in the past five years and the trend looks as though it will be continuing into the foreseeable future. · Using the CID ranking system, Uganda fares reasonably well in the categories of policy (stage 3+); but there is scope for improvement in network access (stage 2) and a long way to go before it can be considered a networked economy and society (both stages 1-2 for the whole country; stage 2+ in Kampala). Networked learning needs a large input of resources (between stages 1-2). Measuring physical access to ICT · Electricity reaches only 4.5% of the population. · Affordable telecommunications and electricity connectivity is the main problem faced by the country. This will continue to hamper the growth of communications, especially in the rural areas, and inhibit higher readiness ratings of the country. · The telephone network is accessible to about 50% of the population. There are approximately 0.25 lines per 100 people and mobile penetration is approximately 2.74 per 100. · Growth of mobile telephone penetration continues at over 130%. (Uganda is the third country after Cambodia and Finland where mobile teledensity exceeded fixed-line teledensity). · Internet connectivity in rural areas is almost inconceivable; only 2% of rural households have electricity, and villagers have to walk an average of 2km to reach a phone. · Combined teledensity (fixed + mobile) is still less than 3 per 100 population. · MTN Uganda has driven Uganda's telecommunications revolution. Five years after it begun operations, MTN boasts of 416, 000 subscribers and Ugandan call rates are among the lowest on the continent. · Today the key providers of Internet access in Uganda are 16 ISPs and the two leading telecom operators. · 61% of schools do not have electricity. · Most ministries do not use e-mail for communication, formal or otherwise, since access to computers is limited to only a few staff. · There are an estimated 125,000 regular Internet users in Uganda. 96% use the Internet from their offices, schools or public browsing centers. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 177 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 · Technology parks need to be established to encourage private sector startups, and infrastructure companies should be invited to set up masts, fiberoptic trunks and other infrastructure that could be leased by the major players for a fee. In particular, plans such as the East African Digital Transmission Project need to be revived. Considering whether ICT is appropriate to local conditions · The Ugandan Government is using FM radio stations to reach out to the population and provide agricultural information. · The report advocates wireless fidelity (WiFi and voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) as low cost technologies for improving access to communication facilities for people, schools and businesses. · Similarly, it recommends establishing a low cost WiFi/VoIP Metropolitan Area Network in Kampala to provide all the Government offices with Intercom and Data Networking services. Gauging the affordability of ICT in the local context · High costs of communications, education and equipment are serious impediments to the growth of ICT in the country and unless tackled urgently, will prevent the spread and further uptake of ICT in the country. · Schools have inadequate funds for computer and network equipment, and cannot meet the connectivity costs. · Hardware and software is too expensive for most schools, many Government departments, individuals and families. · There is a need for a body to coordinate all ICT related activities of the Government such as procurement, maintenance of hardware and software and creation of standards. It is possible to increase affordability of ICT equipment and resources to Government organizations by suggesting standardized equipment, an approved list of dealers, and bulk purchasing to reduce costs and improve bargaining capability. · The report suggests the development of education loan schemes to make ICT (or for that matter, any) education more affordable for students. · Being a landlocked country makes lowering Internet charges more difficult, because access to undersea fiberoptic cables that provide cheaper access, is not possible. Determining whether ICT capacity and training is available · ICT can help Uganda harness her greatest assets: her human resources. Uganda has literacy rates over 70%, and boasts almost 100% attendance in primary schools. 50,000 students attend the 16 universities and colleges in the country, and a large part of the population speaks English. · Despite the presence of pioneering projects such as World Links and Uganda Connect, the Networked learning score is the lowest among all categories assessed. · Tertiary education of an international standard is available only in Kampala and a few selected towns. While international ICT accreditation is available in Kampala, it is beyond the reach of the majority of Ugandans because of its cost. · Ugandans' attitudes towards ICT are quite positive, and even older respondents were of the impression that it is both necessary and inevitable. · Government funding for capacity-building for ICT is limited by budgetary constraints, but most ministries have managed to get a sizeable portion of their staff trained using project funds or getting small groups trained at a time. · There needs to be a serious attempt to sensitize teachers and school administrators to the power of ICT for enhancing education. Getting computers to schools is relatively easy; putting them to effective use is the real challenge, partly because they do not have the staff to maintain computer equipment. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 178 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Checking availability of locally relevant content and services · Low cost, quality content for schools is unavailable. · Some local websites are available, though most carry static content and are updated infrequently. · Many websites are available in local languages or a dominant Web language ­ such as English - spoken locally. · There is some use of online bulletin board systems, Usenet groups and newsletters. Socio-cultural factors affecting ICT use · There is gender equality in Internet use in Uganda, and most users are between 20 and 40 years old. · The Government is aware that for the national development programs of poverty eradication, decentralization and involvement of the public in governance to succeed, appropriate information has to be availed to all levels of society. Examining the legal and regulatory environment for ICT use · No transactions are carried out online. Physical signatures are required on any legal document, and credit cards are unavailable to Ugandans. However, legal reforms are underway that could provide an enabling framework for transactions. · The ICT trade liberalization policy has successfully doubled the number of computers in the country by reducing tariffs and bringing down prices for imported equipment. · A national ICT policy framework has been put in place and strategies for its implementation are being formalized. · A rural communications fund has been established, and is subsidizing services and developing local content for Internet communications to rural areas. · Although the number of private telecommunications providers and operators has been increasing, as well as the number of subscribers, the exclusivity clause in the license of the two major operators has hindered entry of new participants in the sector, delaying particularly the increase of international bandwidth infrastructure. · The Government has ratified the ICT policy, selecting five institutions to implement the strategy: the Ministry of Works (working on e-government), the Uganda Investment Authority (e-commerce), Office of the President (e-information), and the Ministries of Education (e-education) and Health (e-health). · Large scale computerization efforts by the Government will require careful planning and a viable and effective regulatory mechanism to prevent duplication of efforts, ensure standardization across Government, and the effective utilization of funds. · During the country visit, one interviewee identified a need for an ICT champion within Government, and suggested establishing a commission on ICT. Looking at the use of ICT in business · On the whole, the private sector scores much better than other sectors in all aspects in the CID ranking. · Online fish and flower auctions could enable Ugandan producers to interact directly with the procurement sections of supermarkets in other countries, cutting out middlemen and agencies and creating more wealth for Ugandan companies, including the small and medium-sized ones. · The assessment team recommends that Uganda should tap into the lucrative call-center market and attract multinational companies to set up and invest in facilities in Uganda. Public support and political will · Use of ICT in Government is limited to certain departments and staff. There has been no effort towards ensuring standards or compatibility across systems ­ even within E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 179 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 ministries. Most computers are not networked, most ministries do not use e-mail, and some key ministries are without at PABX (telephone management) system. · Both the Government and the regulator are keen to ensure equitable and widespread growth of connectivity; in particular, the Government wants to expand the network into hitherto unconnected areas considered unviable by the carriers. · Although there are many private firms using ICT for various purposes, the private sector does not have a common platform for influencing ICT policy at a national or regional level. · The Government spearheaded the Rural Connectivity Development Fund (RCDF) to establish Internet Points of Presence (PoPs) in all districts. · The Government is also seeking to ensure rural electrification and the use of solar power in areas where it is difficult to extend hydro-electric power. · Ministry support is critical and there should be joint leadership meetings within ministries. · There is a need for more private-public partnerships for projects using ICT. Outcomes The Ministry held a seminar for the National Taskforce, and intends to disseminate the report and hold a workshop targeted at a wider audience, once the last part of funding is received (see obstacles below). The initial seminar piqued the interest of a wide range of institutions and consultants ­ 50 people attended and each received a CD with a copy of the report. The most visible outcome of the assessment has been the development of an e-government initiative. It involves drafting the e-government master plan, as well as implementing a pilot e-government intranet project. Funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA), the project is a result of the identification of gaps and priority areas in the e-readiness assessment. In addition, following the assessment each Government agency is supposed to have specifically allocated funds for ICT. The report was also used by the Ugandan Government as an important reference in the Uganda Telecommunications Policy review; fed into Government deliberations on whether or not to end the duopoly in the telecommunications sector; and was the basis for forming the National Planning Authority and the Information and Telecommunications Authority of Uganda. The Ministry of Education and Sports and the Ministry of Health have begun work in the areas of e-learning and e-health, respectively. The Information Management System (IMS) and local government management system have been updated. Obstacles faced and lessons learned Obtaining information proved challenging. There are few sources of information available, and even the Ugandan Communications Commission (UCC) faces difficulties trying to collect data, and most of it is outdated. Gathering information from SMEs and retail ICT outlets was particularly problematic. However, some ministries and the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS) were able to provide accurate and updated data on parameters such as school enrolment, population, and electricity generation. Most large private companies, ISPs and the operators provided the information as requested, as did the NGOs and Government departments. During the study team's visit, an interviewee expressed the need for legislation to facilitate data provision and collection, especially regarding data from multinational companies. Although the Ministry sent the report to infoDev for input and comments six months ago, they are yet to receive a response. Uganda is still expecting the overdue last tranche of funding from infoDev. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 180 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 III bridges.org feedback The problems that are faced by poor countries such as Uganda need no further elaboration and are more than adequately documented. The focus of this report is on providing sustainable solutions. Throughout this report and in all our recommendations we focus on technologies that are sustainable, that do not eat up a sizable portion of the budget after the projects are over and donor funding has dried up, and how to increase the overall affordability and value for money (of equipment, education, technology, etc). Uganda E- Readiness Assessment Abridged Report. The report looks beyond e-readiness as a means in itself. SME development, health, education, and capacity, among numerous other issues, are presented within the context of e-readiness, and the solutions offered will have direct impact on the MDGs if implemented successfully. This assessment is not just packed with information informing decision-makers, but filled with ideas for practical realization of the objectives, and most identified problems are countered with solutions. The report moves from high level policy considerations to practical next steps, and the 5 point action plan suggests clear focus areas. The report compares Uganda's situation with other countries - both in the region and internationally. It provides a candid description of Uganda's weaknesses and strengths, and offers substantiated suggestions and recommendations. Although rather lengthy, the report's content is presented and analyzed in an engaging way and most aspects of and relating to e-readiness are comprehensively addressed. Unlike many other reports in the infoDev program that are using CID's guide, the report is clear in its depiction of how the categories are assessed and scored, although many of the scores seem a little optimistic (e.g. 3.5 for Network speed and quality). The assessment team has refrained from duplicating previous efforts, and imparts findings from previous research throughout the report. Updated and enhanced with new research, the result is a definitive work on Uganda's present state of e-readiness. The report features wide-ranging information on different topics and although detailed, the discussion is easy to follow and the data is well presented. Reams of very specific information - likely to be useful to a wide range of stakeholders ­ are supported by graphs, tables and maps. The data is couched within further discussions of problems and their solutions. Although depicting a challenging situation, the results are presented with an optimistic and forward-looking attitude. Appropriate technologies such as refurbished computers, WiFi and VoIP are mentioned as solutions for specific problems. However, a few assertions made in the report appear unfounded. For example, the claim that the private sector does not have a common platform for influencing ICT policy at a national or regional level is unfounded in that the i-network51 has been operating since June 2002. Similarly, SchoolNet Uganda52 has been involved in the production of content -- some of which has been described as "of good quality" by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and other organizations -- rendering the finding that "quality content for schools is unavailable" incorrect. The list of key Government ICT projects in ministries and departments is impressive. While the report's focus on the Government's e-readiness is useful for enhancing co-ordination and regulation activities, the same level of concentration on civil society, and particularly the private sector, would produce valuable insights and suggestions for improving e-readiness in these sectors as well. During the study team's visit, the focus on the public sector was explained as a result of the need to benchmark e-government policy. However, the report 51http://www.i-network.or.ug/ and http://www.bridges.org/iicd_casestudies/inetwork/ 52http://www.schoolnetuganda.sc.ug/homepage.php E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 181 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 does not feature an in-depth comparison of the country's e-government policies with other countries. The action plan is well thought-out, and each action item is well explained. For example, the action item for establishing ICT incubators/ technology parks gives very specific infrastructure specifications: "24/7 broadband Internet availability at 128kbps minimum per unit. Additional bandwidth should be available on demand." Security, ease of access and even governance of the incubators is discussed. Each action item is clearly need-based and features clear solutions with lists of small, achievable objectives as the way forward. Each action item comprises realistic, achievable plans that are context-specific and take sustainability into account. Tasking the recommendations to specific line ministries within the Government and other specialized bodies would be a next step to realizing the recommendations, and would similarly enable measurement of success. In addition, one of the interviewees expressed that the report should have recommended the establishment of an ICT policy unit within the Ministry of Works, Housing and Communications, to consolidate efforts for monitoring and developing policies. The section highlighting "critical issues" in the action plan identifies nine simple yet fiercely important items, such as "equip every Government desk with a PC and email, and office productivity and collaboration software; setup wireless Metropolitan networks to connect Government offices together" and "enhance the production and distribution of electricity and strengthen the national grid". The report's practical suggestions are couched within acute awareness of the obstacles to an "e-ready" Uganda. The report identifies affordability and infrastructure challenges as the main obstacles for access to and use of ICT. However, the assertion that funding is the primary obstacle to Uganda's e-readiness is true but underrates the many other issues that limit access to and use of ICT, including lack of capacity, lack of trust, technophobia, corruption, and other "soft" issues around the use of technology. All of these need to be addressed in parallel. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 182 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 2. Overview of the e-readiness assessment process 53 How can an e-readiness assessment help? Many developing-country leaders are convinced that ICT will help their nations solve the economic and social problems they face, and they are ready to drive the changes necessary to exploit these new technologies. However, translating a grand vision into practical steps that fit a local context is not a simple matter. Leaders need to have a realistic appreciation for what ICT can and cannot do for their countries, and they must bolster public confidence in the path they take. An e-readiness assessment, when properly applied in a larger process of evaluation, is a first step towards converting good intentions into planned actions that bring real changes to people's lives. E-readiness assessments are meant to guide development efforts by providing benchmarks for comparison and gauging progress. This is an old process adapted to today's technology realities: determining the current situation in order to plan for the future and advocate specific changes. E-readiness assessments can also be a vital tool for judging the impact of ICT, to replace wild claims and anecdotal evidence about the role of ICT in development with concrete data for comparison. Before starting: do some homework Having a clear understanding of the work that has already been done is an important place to start. Before undertaking an e-readiness assessment, it is essential that decision-makers examine existing assessment results and related efforts undertaken by other branches of government, the private sector, and beyond. A plethora of e-readiness assessment projects have been completed, are underway, or are planned. Governments, international bodies, and the private sector have clearly identified the need to effectively coordinate work on the digital divide and avoid duplication of effort, yet this work is largely uncoordinated and often duplicative. A bridges.org survey found that 107 countries had already been the subject of an assessment, and that 32 countries have been assessed at least five times by different organizations. (For more on this see annex 6: e-Readiness Assessment: Who has done What and Where.) Unfortunately, many of the assessment results are not publicly available or easily accessible, and currently there is no central listing for such assessments. In some cases, assessments are proprietary to the company or organization that conducts them, and the results are published for sale at prices that can be quite high. Frequently only the government agency or organization that commissions the assessment gets the results and they are either not published, or not well publicized when they are published. The e-readiness process The e-readiness process comprises four steps: (1)Choosing an appropriate assessment tool based on a clear understanding of national goals for ICT integration, (2)Conducting the e-readiness assessment, (3)Developing a detailed action plan that will move the country toward its objectives, and (4)Implementing the plan. 53NB: The information provided in this Annex is based on intellectual property previously developed by bridges.org and previously published under an open content license by bridges.org. This derivative work remains the copyrighted material of bridges.org. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 183 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Step 1: Clarify National Goals and Choose an Appropriate Assessment Tool This step has two parts: clarifying national ICT integration goals and choosing the right e- readiness assessment tool. Clarifying National ICT Integration Goals Determining which e-readiness assessment tool is appropriate depends on the country's goals for ICT integration, so it is critical that the process begin with a clear understanding of where the country wants to go. There is no objective measure for e-readiness, and all assessment tools have an underlying standard of e-readiness that will necessarily shape the results. Assessments selectively identify aspects of government policy and the economy that "need to be reformed" in order to improve e-readiness, and they usually set the stage for advocating particular changes that should be undertaken (such as removing barriers to foreign investment or promoting universal access). Decision-makers must have clear goals so they can choose a tool that measures what they are looking for and that does it against a standard that fits their own view of an "e-ready" society. It is likewise important that goals be concrete, realistic, and achievable. E-strategies that work in one country may not be easily transplanted into another environment. However, comparisons between countries with analogous political, social, and economic landscapes can provide useful benchmarks and clues for how to set appropriate goals. For example, it is unlikely that Zambia would be able to build an ICT economy in five years that rivals Finland's, and plans that set unrealistic goals are doomed to failure from the outset. In the past, many countries looked at e-readiness through a lens that focused on either "e- economy" or "e-society." If the country's primary objective was to improve the economy, then basic ICT infrastructure and the nation's readiness for business and economic growth were put at the forefront. When the primary national objective was to improve social equality, then the focus was on improving the ability of the overall population to benefit from ICT and improve their daily lives. However, these distinctions are not valid. E-economy and e-society goals are interdependent and the relationship between them is complex. Social goals must incorporate business growth and use of ICT as part of a larger vision, and promote the business growth necessary for the broader e-readiness of the population at large. Likewise, economic results depend on the long-term stability that can only be achieved in an environment of relative equity among social groups. Choosing the Right E-Readiness Assessment Tool Once policymakers have determined their country's objectives, they face the difficult task of choosing between a wide range of measurement tools of varying degrees of complexity, differing methodologies, and different outcomes. In the last three years, more than 15 e- readiness assessment tools have been developed. On the surface, each tool aims to gauge how ready a society or economy is to benefit from information technology and electronic commerce. But, as described earlier, the tools use widely varying definitions for e-readiness and methods for measurement that suit different goals. Some of the most prominent e- readiness tools focus only on short-term e-commerce growth or foreign investment. However, a comprehensive look at e-readiness should combine assessment of the society and economy (such as schools, businesses, and health care) with analysis of socioeconomic divisions (such as ethnicity, income, and gender). If the socioeconomic issues are not studied and addressed, then practical use of ICT will remain the province of a privileged few. However, without the detailed action plan that e-assessments can provide, efforts to put technology to effective use throughout society may struggle to be successful and miss the key elements needed to translate vision into action. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 184 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The bridges.org Comparison of E-Readiness Assessment Models describes various tools that are available and what they measure, including the tools' underlying goals and the assumptions that shape their outcomes. (See Annex 4). InfoDev also provides a comprehensive list of e-readiness resources on its website. Step 2: Conduct the E-Readiness Assessment The single most important thing a government can do to ensure an accurate and comprehensive e-readiness assessment is to involve a diverse group of stakeholders, and to involve them right from the beginning. An open dialogue on the ICT program and its goals will help form the foundation of trust that will be needed when the plan is implemented. Consultations with business leaders, government representatives, and civil society organizations, as well as town meetings with local community members, will all help foster a dialogue to inform the assessment process. Not only will this assist in the collection of reliable information, it will help to ensure that the results represent a consensus and that they are actually used. The assessment should also recognize majority and minority opinions and leave room for dissent. Step 3. Develop a Detailed Action Plan Simply studying e-readiness is not enough far too often, e-readiness reports sit on a shelf and do not get used. Assessment results provide the starting point, and decision-makers must build on that to map out a detailed action plan based on sound "e-strategy" for improving e-readiness. Realistically speaking, wide-reaching government programs are notoriously difficult to conduct, and ICT plans are no exception. The process of harnessing ICT and improving e-readiness requires major investments in time and resources; actions range from training the judiciary in the legal ramifications of cyber- crime and harmful content to encouraging the growth of a local ICT economy. The government must consider and recommend policy reforms and business initiatives, balance the needs and views of the relevant constituencies, and engage the right people to ensure the plan will be implemented. It must hold workshops to educate all levels of the bureaucracy in new programs and laws, train its own staff in ICT use, and so forth. However, there is no "one size fits all" guidebook for developing countries. Too often, international organizations, developed country governments, ICT companies, and private consultants promote a single "perfect" solution of their favorite technologies and laws, regardless of the country's needs and history. The process of developing and implementing an ICT action plan is unique for each country, shaped by the existing web of legislation, local culture, economics, and politics. It is risky to make assumptions about what laws are appropriate, where community centers should be located, how many computers to buy, or what training materials teachers should use before taking the local context into account. Rather than telling governments which products to buy and laws to enact, more resources should be devoted to providing background information and neutral evaluations of the options, to help governments make informed decisions for themselves. More information is needed to help countries with the process of plan development and implementation. Nonetheless, a few best practices have emerged that can aid policymakers in determining appropriate local solutions. The following sections highlight some suggestions for developing effective plans and putting them into action. Drafting an Action Plan The action plan must outline ICT initiatives that will benefit the range of stakeholders. Simply put, if the ICT strategy causes a loss of jobs and decreases people's quality of life--or appears to do so-- the public will not support it, and the government will lose credibility. The growth E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 185 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 in the digital divide shows that despite the promises of technology, far too many ICT programs are increasing inequity; wide-scale ICT initiatives that do not directly attack the digital divide to spread the benefits of ICT may be doomed to failure in the long run. Further, programs that fail to balance the concerns of their diverse stakeholders will face resistance -- making effective implementation difficult, if not impossible. The plan must also outline concrete steps toward ICT integration goals, including specific policy measures, business initiatives, and development programs to be undertaken. It must consider who can implement them and how to engage the appropriate participants. It should also set a timeframe for implementation, and determine the oversight and evaluation processes. It must include specific actions to address the needs and views of the relevant constituencies in a balanced way, such as consumer rights, business, and labor. Finally, the action plan must ensure that ICT is embraced and used by people in the country. If people do not actually use the technology, then ICT integration will not bring the economic and social benefits that governments seek. E-readiness programs risk spending vast sums of money on assessments, strategies, technology, and training that will go to waste if it is not relevant to the local situation. Countries and their citizens will not be able to harness the power of ICT unless the programs address such issues as long-term sustainability and the availability of software and content in local languages. Step 4: Implement the Plan The implementation process is by far the most difficult step, and also the step where the most help is needed both in establishing the process and creating awareness of it. There are, however, relatively few resources offering advice and expertise to assist governments. Although there is no universal method for achieving e-readiness, a few general principles are emerging that can help countries focus their efforts and effectively harness ICT in the long term: 1. Catalyze action throughout society. National governments should realize that they do not have to carry the burden alone. Government has the unique ability to lead the way while helping others expand the scope of activity and become involved in the process. Stakeholders in the private sector, in academia, in community organizations, and in local government should be encouraged to get involved in the process and start their own initiatives within the context of the national e-strategy, drawing on their own expertise and perspectives. If government, business, and societal leaders champion the cause, their support can be cascaded down through the various levels beneath them. But to achieve this, these same individuals must fully understand the benefits and opportunities that ICT can offer. 2. Seek public support for the e-readiness plan by helping citizens understand how ICT can benefit their daily lives, and by involving the private sector. Ground-level pilot projects can be used to explore options for improving e-readiness while demonstrating the value of ICT to citizens, winning public buy-in, and gaining the participation of all stakeholders. It is important to establish relationships between the various groups that will foster technology use; to facilitate productive local use of technology to generate demand for content and services developed and delivered through technology; and to demonstrate this demand to the public and private sectors to cultivate a self-sustaining economic environment. 3. Establish links between on-the-ground efforts and policymaking processes. Both ground- level initiatives and policy reform are necessary, and information flow between them will make both approaches more effective. Many ground-level programs are limited by the lack of a supportive legal and policy framework. Most policymaking processes related to ICT issues E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 186 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 would benefit from a clearer understanding of how policy affects the technology end user at ground level. Unfortunately, few models standing of how policy affects the technology end user at ground level. Unfortunately, few models effectively bring the two together. Government, business, society, and current and future technology users must understand and acknowledge each other's positions and responsibilities. 4. Establish and continue feedback process throughout implementation. There must be an independent review of the process, and a continued dialogue between the various stakeholders to make sure their needs are being taken into account. 5. Coordinate and avoid duplication of efforts. Efforts to improve e-readiness and narrow the divide must be coordinated nationally and internationally. It is difficult to estimate the number of governments, businesses, and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that are involved in these initiatives. Because most are involved unilaterally, there is duplication of effort and scarce resources are wasted. 6. Establish national vision and leadership at the highest levels of government. This requires identification, through consultation between the government, industry, civil societies, communities, and other stakeholders, of local and national priority areas of development , followed by a program of action, and clear plans on implementation (and delivery timetables), as well as evaluation and enforcement mechanisms. 7. Identify levels of priority for urgent and longer-term actions. On the basis of unequal resources and levels of development in each member state, it would be unrealistic if not imprudent for all countries to aim for a quantitatively uniform set of goals in a uniform space of time. Country-specific short term, medium term and long-term achievable goals should be identified. Programs of action with enforcements and regular evaluation of progress should be drawn up and carried out. Countries should adhere to the plan of action unless it needs improvement or revision. 8. Strengthen institutional capacity. This refers to state, business and private institutions. A stable political environment and the rule of law are the building blocks upon which institutional capacity can be built. Enabling commercial laws and economic policies (including tax, tariffs, import and export laws) are crucial for the success of business institutions. When e-assessments are conducted in SADC, countries have rated low on human capital, which is significant for institutional capacity. Policy on and a culture of regular training for employees and ICT professionals in institutions is needed. Regular research programs on updating institutional capacity to modern innovations should become the norm. 9. Collaborate regionally and harmonize regional policies especially in telecommunications infrastructure. Without implying the application of model laws, member states should harmonize economic and trading policies, as well as minimum ICT development levels if they are to develop as a regional force. Bilateral agreements between countries can supplement SADC guidelines towards this end. Member states should also participate in efforts to share information, for example by participating in the TRASA project to develop a data bank for SADC to support informed decision-making. If all states contributed regularly, the levels of policy implementation could be recorded and tracked in a dynamic manner that enhanced further regional cooperation. SADC has the opportunity to draw upon lessons and expertise garnered in the developed countries. But it is paramount that these international developments are tailored to apply to domestic circumstances. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 187 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 10. Simultaneously address traditional development and e-readiness issues. Traditional development initiatives and e-readiness can no longer be separated as an either-or situation. Both are required to ensure equitable and sustainable development in Southern Africa. Further, if harnessed effectively, ICT can bridge pre-existing divides along cultural, racial, gender and socio-economic lines. Emphasis on traditional development concerns of rural electrification, basic education, primary healthcare, access to transport routes and basic telephony, will ensure that governments do not attempt to create an e-ready society in a vacuum. It will help ensure that the developments are taken side by side. Attempts to create an e-ready society will be fruitless and ineffective otherwise. 11. Form partnerships. Broad consultation and co-operation between the public and private sectors and the formation of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) allows governments to take advantage of private sector skills and know-how, improve the efficiency of service delivery and gain access to finance for new investments. If well designed, PPPs can bring improvements in the quality, availability and cost effectiveness of services. Various successful public-private partnerships have already been instituted within SADC to address substantive concerns within policy, infrastructure and ground-level initiatives, including: 12. E-readiness is about more than adopting model laws. Model laws are not enough -- there is a need for local solutions that a country will buy into and that meet local needs. Model laws are often instituted with the good intention of addressing a common problem faced by both the developed and developing world, or a problem specific to the developing world context. However, these are often inadequate because they simply are not aware of the existing laws, political tensions, and economic environment of the country. Instead of model laws, guiding criteria for drafting tailor-made policies, including international best practices, and a clear path for implementing these policies will help meet the goals of delivering economic and social advancement. Applying lessons learned The complex process of harnessing ICT and bridging digital divides needs a comprehensive solution built on a foundation of detailed information. E-readiness assessments can provide this information and serve as a benchmark for future progress. However, unless the assessment results are used to create a concrete action plan that is then implemented, the resources used to conduct them will have been wasted. A few words of wisdom for developing-country leaders can be drawn from past experiences with e-readiness processes: Take a comprehensive approach to gauging e-readiness. Devote as much time and resources as feasible. Although a quick questionnaire is useful, a more detailed analysis is needed to direct reforms. Review assessments that have already been done in the area. Prior reports often exist. Among e-readiness projects, greater coordination and foresight is needed to avoid duplication. Make the results publicly available. The agency or organization that commissions the assessment should ensure that the results are publicly available and circulated for wide use--too often this step has been missed. This is vital for government to catalyze action in business and the wider community, so others can harness their initiative and experience to put the concepts into practice in their own spheres. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 188 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Reflect the views of all stakeholders in the e-readiness process and throughout implementation. This may seem obvious, but it has been ignored in the past. What has been lacking hitherto is a strategic approach that involves everyone in defining goals, collecting data, determining the e-strategy, and implementing the plan. Use assessment results effectively to develop an e-strategy that addresses how exactly e- readiness will be improved and ICT used to benefit the country. There are no universal answers to these questions without a detailed understanding of the local circumstances; developing-country decision-makers should be wary of those that purport to have "the answer." Do not make unrealistic promises in the action plans. The plan should comprise small achievable steps that deliver sustainable, scalable, and replicable results. This is the best approach to narrowing the digital divide and ensuring that the valuable resources used to measure e-readiness are not wasted. Further work is needed in this area. Best practices should be established that can aid the process of developing and implementing the action plan. There is a need for clear leadership in the field and the establishment of an information repository that will provide developing countries with unbiased advice about e-assessment, e-strategies, and setting achievable goals. Most importantly, there is a need for advice about how to translate assessment results into action in a way that is appropriate for the local economic, governmental, and cultural environments. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 189 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 3. Comparison of e-readiness assessment tools 54 The number of tools that are ready-to-use to assess a nation's e-readiness is limited, as relatively few organizations have presented their assessment methods for use by others. However, there is a wide range of reports and other resources that can be re-worked into "assessment tools", including third-party reports, position papers and survey results. This list of e-readiness assessment tools starts with those formally presented as assessment methodologies with ready-to-use questionnaires, and then goes on to look at assessment methods that can be garnered from other resources. Some of the tools included measure access to and use of ICT as opposed to "e-readiness" per se, although most of the tools included here look at Internet and other ICT use within a broader economic, socio-political context. Many third-party assessments rank countries according to their measure of e-readiness, providing indicators for competitiveness by comparing countries using various measures. Some of these benchmarking reports have been included in this discussion of e-readiness reports, as the measures utilized in these reports are useful indicators for e-readiness, and contribute to a broader understanding of the field. Throughout this report, the term "assessment tool" is used in the wider sense to mean both ready-to-use questionnaires as well as other resources that could be adapted into assessment methods. 1. Ready-to-use tools ­ questionnaires There are few Ready-to-use Tools freely available on the web. In this discussion, three such tools have been identified: Harvard University's Center for International Development (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A Guide for Developing Countries, Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation's (APEC)'s E-Commerce Readiness Assessment, and the Computer System Policy Project's (CSPP)'s Readiness Guide for Living in the Networked World. These tools produce scores or ratings from which communities or countries are supposed to identify where they fit according to each tool's definition of e-readiness. 2. Case studies There are numerous case studies assessing specific countries' e-readiness, and many of these could be used as bases for e-readiness tools. Some bodies and organizations conduct assessments of a number of countries, utilizing their specific tool, and thus enabling comparison or ranking of countries. The case study e-readiness assessments featured in this discussion are the International Telecommunications Union's Internet Country Case Studies, the ASEAN e-readiness assessments, and case-studies conducted or funded by USAID, infoDev and SIDA. 3. Third party surveys and reports These reports aim to rank and rate countries on various measures held to indicate e- readiness or e-competitiveness. Although some of the reports included here are not fundamentally e-readiness-specific, their inclusion is owing to the fact that they measure important aspects of e-readiness, and contribute to an understanding of the field. While some utilize questionnaire methodology, many rely on statistical indicators garnered from other sources. The third party surveys and reports included here are: McConnell International's Risk E-Business: Seizing the Opportunity of Global E-Readiness; Mosaic's Global Diffusion of the Internet Project; WITSA's International Survey of E-Commerce; Crenshaw & Robinson's Cyber-Space and Post-Industrial Transformations: A Cross-National Analysis of Internet 54NB: The information provided in this Annex is based on intellectual property previously developed by bridges.org and previously published under an open content license by bridges.org. This derivative work remains the copyrighted material of bridges.org. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 190 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Development; CIDCM's Negotiating the Net Model; the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)'s E- Readiness Rankings; Statistical Indicators Benchmarking the Information Society (SIBIS); Metric-Net's Worldwide IT Benchmarking Report; the World Bank's Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM); the World Times/ IDC Information Society Index (ISI); World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Networked Readiness Index (NRI), infoDev and Pyramid Research's Information Infrastructure Indicators (III), Kenny's Prioritizing Countries for Assistance to Overcome the digital divide; Orbicom's Monitoring the Digital Divide ...and beyond and the World Telecommunications Indicators and the ITU's Digital Access Index (DAI). 4. Other e-readiness assessment models In addition to the formal tools and surveys described above, there is a range of other frameworks that can be similarly used for e-readiness assessment. This section describes how the ideas expressed in digital divide reports, position papers and other kinds of models can be used to evaluate a society's readiness to adopt and use ICT. In most cases, these are not ready-to-go assessment tools nor completed surveys, but they could provide rich criteria for assessing e-readiness with some adaptation. Consideration of the various concepts outlined below and the standards they set add depth to this discussion, especially where they include elements that are missing in traditional assessment tools. Digital divide reports Another way of looking at e-readiness is through the lens of who is not benefiting from ICT, and which societies are not e-ready. In the last two year, numerous reports have come out that study the digital divide and propose solutions. Many of these reports have the same components as the e-readiness tools described above: assessments of current technology and policy, and recommendations for making a society or community e-ready. Also like the tools described so far, digital divide reports use a range of methods and standards for evaluating e-readiness. Unlike e-assessment tools though, digital divide reports are more concerned with the distribution of the technology throughout society and its impact on the lives of people. See annex 5 for an introduction of digital divide assessments, discussion around how they differ from e-readiness assessments, and a description of bridges.org's (2002) Digital Divide Assessment of the City of Cape Town, introducing the Real Access / Real Impact approach to e-readiness. Position papers There are a large number of position papers with recommendations for how a country can become 'e-ready' and effectively use and benefit from ICT. These perspectives range from a focus on business and export-oriented growth with industry self-regulation, to strong government consumer protections and equitable access programs, to local content and cultural reception of ICT. These underlying models could easily be turned into assessment tools. In fact, many of the models have corresponding assessment surveys (for example, a business / export / self-regulation focus underpins APEC's survey). This report does not analyze them further, however, since there is such a range of position papers. Two sample papers worth examining are: The Networking Revolution: Opportunities and challenges for developing countries at http://www.infoDev.org/library/NetworkingRevolution.pdf Okinawa Charter on Global Information Society at http://www.dotforce.org/reports/it1.html E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 191 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Comparing e-readiness assessment tools: which is best and why? Each assessment tool included in this comparison study is described below, with links to each, and answers to the questions "what does it measure?" and "what results does it produce?" Topics covered and level of detail Also included below is a chart comparing the tools by the level of detail they provide on given topics. Each tool's coverage of a particular topic in their assessment, such as "locally relevant content", is rated on a scale of "0" to "3", where "0" is no coverage, and "3" is detailed coverage. e-Economy versus e-society E-readiness assessment tools and models can be divided into two main categories: those that focus on basic infrastructure or a nation's readiness for business or economic growth, and those that focus on the ability of the overall society to benefit from ICT. These two categories of tools -­ which this report describes respectively as "e-economy" and "e-society" ­- are not mutually exclusive. However, "e-society" tools incorporate business growth and use of ICT as part of their larger analysis, and consider business growth necessary for society's e-readiness. "E-economy" focused tools also include some factors of interest to the larger society, such as privacy and universal access. These rough categorizations are as follows: E-Economy · WITSA E-Commerce Survey · APEC's E-Commerce Assessment · McConnell International's E-Readiness Report · Mosaic's Global Diffusion of the Internet Framework · Crenshaw & Robinson's Cross-National Analysis of Internet Development · USAID's Case Studies · EIU's e-business readiness rankings · Metric-Net's Worldwide IT Benchmarking Report · Pyramid Research/ infoDev's Information Infrastructure Indicators (III) · Kenny's Prioritizing Countries for Assistance to Overcome the Digital Divide E-Society · CID's E-Readiness Assessment Guide · CSPP's E-Readiness Assessment Guide · CIDCM's Negotiating the Net Model · SIDA's Case Studies · SIBIS ­ Statistical Indicators Benchmarking the Information Society · ASEAN Readiness Assessment · World Bank's Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM) · World Times/IDC Information Society Index (ISI) · WEF's Networked Readiness Index (NRI) · AT Kearney/ Foreign Policy Magazine's Globalization Index · infoDev's Country Development Gateway country case studies · Orbicom's report · The various models for evaluating e-readiness from "digital divide" reports · ITU's Digital Access Index Another, similar, way to look at the e-readiness assessment models would be to consider them in terms of e-Society, e-Economy, and "e-Systems," where e-System models examine the underlying technology infrastructure that is a prerequisite for both E-Economy (including E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 192 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 e-commerce, ICT sector jobs, etc), and e-Society (use by the general population, etc). The ITU's World Telecommunication Indicators examines primarily infrastructure and the use thereof, and would thus fit into the "e-Systems" category. Assessment methodology The tools discussed here use four main methods to assess countries' e-readiness: (1) Questionnaires ask a set of direct questions about information technology and policy in a country, and the same set of questions is asked for any given country. (2) Statistical methods mathematically analyze prior data on the country to test for relationships between the individual factors, for example, by looking for a casual relationship between Internet access and political democracy. (3) Best practices use experience learned in other countries or direct comparison with other, similar, countries. (4) Historical analyses of the unique political, economic and social events in the country use these unique events to explain or forecast information technology in the country. Tool Questionnaire Statistics Best Historical Practices Analysis CSPP Y Y CID Y Y APEC Y Y WITSA Y Y McConnell Y Y Y Crenshaw & Robinson Y CIDCM Y Y Y Mosaic Y Y Y Y USAID Case Studies Y Y SIDA Case Studies Y Y Y ASEAN Y EIU Y SIBIS Y Y Metric-Net Y KAM Y ISI Y NRI Y Y III Y GI Y WTI Y Y DAI Y Kenny's Y Orbicom Y infoDev CDG assessments * Y * * Assessments under infoDev e- * Y * * readiness initiative Digital Divide Reports * * * * Position Papers * * * * * Varies, depending on the report E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 193 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Assessment results The tools described here have three basic results: description, diagnosis, and proscription. Descriptive tools explain or describe what happened. Diagnostic tools identify problem areas, but do not indicate how to address the problems. Proscriptive tools urge action along a clearly defined path. Tool Description / Explanation Diagnosis Proscription CSPP Y CID Y APEC Y Y WITSA Y McConnell Y Y Crenshaw & Robinson Y CIDCM Y Mosaic Y USAID Case Studies Y Y SIDA Case Studies Y ASEAN Y Y Y EIU Y SIBIS Y Y Metric-Net Y KAM Y Y ISI Y NRI Y III Y GI Y WTI Y Kenny's Y Y DAI Y Orbicom Y infoDev's CDG assessments Y * * infoDev's e-readiness initiative assessments Y * * Digital Divide Reports Y Y Y Position Papers Y Y Y Analysis The Markle Foundation points out that, "action is taken depending on the discrepancy between the desired state and the current state of the system, as indicators perceive it", and that "the problem is that the current state may not be perceived (measured) accurately". The results of e-readiness assessments are very important, as they inform and shape policy decisions and action plans. And problems of proxy, bias and deductions aside, tools developed from a limited definition of e-readiness (as all necessarily are, to varying degrees) will inform decision-makers only within this delimited framework. It is important that the indicators, patterns, benchmarks and recommendations which derive from e-readiness assessments are considered with an awareness of what the tool or report actually measures, where the data originates from and how the results and findings are reached. Even if a solid definition of e-readiness were to be agreed upon and adopted by all, "true" levels of "e-readiness" could never be measured, as measurement of the system is but a proxy of it. However, without measurement, governments and other policy and decision- makers would be "flying blind". E-readiness is a complex and multi-faceted phenomenon, and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 194 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 an accessible and manageable set of indicators is useful for at least partial explanation (Markle, 2003). As e-readiness assessments are the first phase and foundation for strategy and action plans, it is important that a comprehensive look at e-readiness combines assessment of the society and economy (e.g. healthcare, schools and businesses) with analysis of socio-economic divisions (e.g. ethnicity, income and gender). If the socio-economic issues are not studied and addressed, then practical use of ICT will remain the province of a privileged few. What is the most accurate definition of "e-readiness"? The answer to this question is an ongoing debate and is beyond the scope of this report, but a few thoughts are outlined here to aid such a discussion. First and foremost, it should be noted that all assessment tools have an underlying standard of e-readiness. This standard will necessarily shape the results of the tool; i.e. there is no objective test of e-readiness. This standard may or may not fit the prospective user's personal views. No standard definition for e-readiness is perfect. WITSA's method of asking participants for their subjective opinions, and generating a plan of action from them seems problematic to use for e-readiness recommendations. The other models simply state what factors are necessary for e-readiness, but do not provide a detailed rationale. It seems likely that the bias of these models came from their authors' individual experiences and knowledge of "best practices" in their field. In sharp contrast, Crenshaw and Robinson's model, as well as many of the competitive / benchmarking reports (EIU, SIBIS, NRI, ISI, KAM etc), rely purely on a statistical analysis. While the statistical analysis superficially appears to get beyond subjective standards of e-readiness, decisions of what to measure and subject to analysis cannot be scientifically objective. Additionally, a cross-national statistical analysis is invalid if the unique circumstances of individual countries are more important than generic measurements (as the considerable deviation in measurements would hint in Crenshaw and Robinson's work). In that case, a country-specific tool such as Mosaic or McConnell, or case studies would be better suited. At the international level, there is a growing need for a process whereby governments and international decision-makers can monitor countries' progress on a regular and consistent basis. A number of such reports are now produced on an annual basis. Whilst these reports are valuable tools for developed world economists, bankers and government officials, they are of less use to developing countries, which can only aspire to be included in these comparisons. However, they do provide a recognized benchmark against which progress can be measured year on year, and provide useful strategy examples for developing countries to consider, especially when there are specific country and regional reports. Some of these reports (notably, the ITU's Digital Divide Index and Orbicom's report, Monitoring the Digital Divide...and beyond) reflect some convergence between indicators that link ICT and societal factors. What assessment tool is the best? The right tool depends on the user's goal As the descriptions above have shown, e-readiness assessments are, in fact, very diverse in their goals, strategies and results. The right tool depends on the user's goal. The user should choose a tool that measures what they are looking for, and does it against a standard that fits their own view of an e-ready society. If the goal is to gauge the readiness of a particular company or group of companies to participate in e-commerce, the WITSA study would seem to be best suited. However, one possible critique (for this, along with other tools utilizing questionnaires) is that the participants' opinions about what is needed for improving their companies' readiness may not E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 195 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 be accurate. The Metric-Net Worldwide IT Benchmarking Report is useful for companies to assess their inputs (mainly financial) to IT and compare their performance with industry norms. If the goal is to assess a country's preparedness for e-commerce, APEC might have the best- suited tool. The survey is quite detailed with 100 questions, and straightforward to use. However, the digital divide reports suggest that wide-scale e-commerce is doomed if technology is not also spread throughout the society, a topic that the APEC survey gives only minimal coverage. Moreover, consumers would need locally relevant content and products, and training to use the computers to buy e-commerce products (in the business-to-consumer field). Also, unlike its stated goal, the APEC survey is not geared to specific environments. It measures specific environments against a single standard of how a country should be in order to promote e-commerce. This method implies that the same structure of e-commerce is needed for any country. If the goal is to assess the current level of technology in a region as a basis to forecast future technology levels, there are a number of options. The Mosaic method provides a detailed and deep understanding along six different axes. There are also a number of sources of raw statistics (ISI, SIBIS, WTI) that the user could employ in this process. Questionnaires such as the CID and CSPP guides measure a slightly wider set of statistics, such as bandwidth, reliability, pricing, and usage in homes, schools, businesses, and government. However, these are very rough measurements ­- and the granularity is low for answers -­ since users choose from one of four multiple choice answers. If the goal is a quick but rough gauge of technology usage, then CSPP and CID are useful (with CID being the more detailed of the two). If the goal is to understand the relative roles of political, economic, and social factors in technology's growth and usage, then Crenshaw's model seems to fit best. This statistical method would help prioritize what elements (and sets of elements) in a society are most important for e-readiness. This method could be combined with a detailed survey of the current state of these factors (such as with McConnell's method) to identify and prioritize key areas to work on. On the other hand, the Mosaic framework provides a detailed narrative analysis of these factors (though with less focus on the social factors), and conceptualizes the analysis with respect to another country. Many of the statistical analyses consider the political, economic and social spheres, and the benchmarking of countries on these variables contributes to an understanding of the interplay and importance of these factors in determining e-readiness. Examples of these include the NRI and the WTI. If the goal is to understand why particular countries progress differently, the case-study method used by Mosaic and CIDCM is appropriate, as are the EIU, SIBIS, ISI and the NRI. If the goal is to assess the effects of the technology on the lives of real people, and consider how widely the technology is really being used, then it would be helpful to look to the digital divide reports; specifically to the group of digital divide reports that focus on education, local and relevant content, and effective use of technology throughout society. Kenny's "Prioritizing countries..." model and the Orbicom report would also be relevant for this objective. What is the correct focus for assessment: e-economy or e-society? Again, it depends on the user's goal. If the goal is to forecast business and economic growth, then e-economy assessment tools seem to be the only appropriate choice, similarly with e-society assessment tools and social benefits. However, the relationship between the e-economy and the e-society is complex and E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 196 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 interdependent. The economy generates the ICT and employment that spread technology's benefits through society. E-society assessment tools therefore incorporate business growth and use of ICT as part of their larger analysis, and consider business growth necessary for society's e-readiness. However, one critique states that without economic equity, there can be no long-term stability. As Rodriguez and Wilson (2000) state in Are Poor Countries Losing the Information Revolution? "a continuation of existing trends in the ICT have/have-not gap may contribute to a number of social problems including....social and political conflict." In other words, e-economy assessments may be insufficient to assess economic readiness because they do not provide enough coverage of social issues. Some reports on the digital divide would indicate that the current focus on economic growth is causing increased inequity. On the other hand, some business groups reject technology distribution initiatives and regulations for universal access because they believe these interfere with economic growth. To quote Rodriguez and Wilson again, "there are great complementarities between ICT and economic and social progress, there are also some important trade-offs between equity, well- being and the unhindered development of ICT. Simple claims about the links between ICT and progress are not correct, and may in some cases be dangerously wrong." What should a country be measured against? The formal questionnaires and many of the informal assessment models measure all countries against one standard: the optimal state of e-readiness. Two problems can arise from this. First, many developing and emerging countries could be faced with an insurmountable task and not know where to start. These tools place developing countries in the "early" stages of e-readiness, and indicate that they must undergo massive economic and political changes to become e-ready. Second, it may be faulty to use a single standard of measurement at all. There is no single social, political, and economic model that has been the most successful at harnessing information technology. Some authors would argue that the unique cultural and historical environment of a region must be taken into account as part of a national ICT policy to truly gauge the country's e-readiness for the future. The Mosaic and CIDCM models work from this perspective. A solution to both of these problems could be to base the primary assessment on countries within a particular region or social / economic / political group. The assessment tool could be adapted for the region, and recommendations could be made based on the experiences of similar countries. Additional data points and recommendations on how to become e-ready could be drawn, with caution, from the best practices and other examples seen in developed countries. This method is far from perfect, though. It is considerably more complicated and costly. It provides detailed description of the state of ICT, but a less detailed action plan for future work. In addition, data points from similar countries may be lacking. For example, what happens when no similar country exists that has been successful at harnessing ICT? The tabled list of variables, although not exhaustive, provides a simple overview of the level of detail each tool or report includes in its assessment of the technology, economy, government, education and social considerations of e-readiness. With "0" indicating that the tool or report fails to address a specific issue, and "3" indicating many related questions or indicators, it is interesting to note from the last table of averages that infrastructure is covered by most of the tools (2.57), while socio-cultural issues are generally far less of a concern. Basic literacy and poverty, for example, scores an average of only 0.65. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 197 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The main e-readiness assessment tools currently used 1. Ready-to-use tools/ Questionnaires 1.1 Harvard University's Center for International Development (CID)'s Readiness for the Networked World: A guide for developing countries Source: www.readinessguide.org What does it measure? This guide measures 19 different categories, covering the availability, speed, and quality of network access, use of ICT in schools, workplace, economy, government, and everyday life, ICT policy (telecommunications and trade), ICT training programs, and diversity of organizations and relevant content online. What result does it produce? The guide rates the "stage" a community is in for each of the 19 categories, and descriptions are given of what is required to be in a particular stage. The Guide does not offer prescriptions for improved readiness. 1.2 APEC's E-Commerce Readiness Assessment Source: http://www.apec.org/apec.html What does it measure? Six categories are measured for "readiness for e-commerce": 1. Basic infrastructure and technology (speed, pricing, access, market competition, industry standards, and foreign investment); 2. Access to network services (bandwidth, industry diversity, export controls, credit card regulation); 3. Internet use (in business, government, homes); 4. Promotion and facilitation (industry led standards); 5. Skills and human resources (ICT education, workforce); and 6. Positioning for the digital economy (taxes and tariffs, industry self-regulation, government regulations, consumer trust). What result does it produce? The product of the assessment is the answers to 100 questions. Countries are supposed to work on areas with less than optimal answers, since they are "impediments...to the deployment of e-commerce." 1.3 CSPP's Readiness Guide for Living in the Networked World55 Source: http://www.cspp.org/projects/readiness/ What does it measure? The guide measures the prevalence and integration of ICT in homes, schools, businesses, health care facilities, and government offices, with additional focus on competition among access providers, speed of access, and government policy. Measurements are divided into five categories: 1. Infrastructure, 2. Access, 3. Applications and services, 4. Economy, and 5. "Enablers" (policy, privacy, security, ubiquity). 55This tool does not appear to have been used for some time E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 198 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 What result does it produce? The assessment produces a rating that indicates which of four progressive stages of development the community is at for each of the five categories listed above. An overall score for the community can then be estimated by simply averaging the scores across the criteria. 2. Case studies 2.1 International Telecommunications Union's (ITU's) Internet Country Case Studies (report)/ Mosaic methodology56 Source: www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/cs/ What does it measure? ICT infrastructure, use of ICT, legal and regulatory frameworks and macroeconomic and local business environments are measured in these very detailed case studies, which seek to examine the Internet in different economies around the world and are based on the methodology developed by the Mosaic group. What result does it produce? The case studies provide an analysis of the factors affecting Internet use, along with recommendations. The ITU also includes a statistical ranking based on Mosaic's methodology. 2.2 USAID (tool and report) Sources: Central and Eastern Europe reports are easily available at: http://www.usaid.gov/regions/europe_eurasia/eeresources.html#IT Other reports can be found through: http://www.usaid.gov/regions/ The assessment tool is available upon request. What does it measure? These case studies are produced using a framework of "Pipes (Access), Public Sector (Government Policies, E-Government), Private Sector (Usage), People (Training), and existing development Programs." The data upon which the analysis is based is from the ITU's World Telecommunications Indicators (see below). What result does it produce? Detailed case studies describing countries' progress, along with detailed action plans for countries to pursue in the future. 2.3 InfoDev's flagship e-readiness initiative and Country Development Gateway programs Sources: http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/137849/? http://www.infodev.org/html/programs_ereadiness.html What does it measure? The e-readiness assessments conducted under the auspices of the Country Gateway initiative seek to evaluate the level of preparedness of stakeholders to participate in the gateways, such as NGOs, development partners, the private sector, learning institutions and policy and regulatory authorities. The assessments conducted under the flagship e-readiness initiative measure according to the choices made by the grantees. Nevertheless, the far majority of both groups of these assessments make use of CID's Readiness for the Networked World guide (see above). 56This tool is referred to as Mosaic in the tools comparison study. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 199 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 What result does it produce? Although the CID's guide does not offer prescriptions for improved e-readiness, some of the Country Gateway e-readiness assessments produce e- needs evaluations, based on the survey and issues identified by stakeholders, as well as the various ratings that result through the CID method. Some of the assessments produced under the flagship initiative make recommendations and are the basis for action plans. 2.4 SIDA Source: Reports are available at http://www.sida.se http://www.sida.se/Sida/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=1265&a=17798&f=Result.jsp&depth=0 What does it measure? The country case studies examine ICT infrastructure, use, human resources, and the legal and regulatory framework in given countries using survey methodology, interviews and CID's Readiness for the Networked World guide. What result does it produce? Descriptions of the countries' ICT landscape, as well as "a basic analysis of factors of major interest for the promotion of use of ICT for development purposes". 2.5 Asean e-readiness assessment Source: http://www.itu.int/asean2001/documents/pdf/Document-28.pdf http://www.aic.or.jp/conference/28th/pdf/address%20at%20opening/Mr.Romulo.PDF http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/ni/security/workshop/presentations/cni.24.pdf What does it measure? Data was gathered on six indicators of readiness for the digital economy and the development of the ASEAN Information Infrastructure: e-society, e- commerce, e-government, liberalizing trade in ICT goods and services and infrastructure. What result does it produce? 10 countries within the ASEAN region were clustered according to their readiness status according to four stages of development identified by IBM: Emerging, Evolving, Embedding and Extending. Common challenges and potential focus areas were highlighted. 3. Third party surveys and reports 3.1 McConnell International's Risk E-Business: Seizing the opportunity of global e- Readiness (MI) Source: http://www.mcconnellinternational.com/strategies.html What does it measure? The report measures five areas: 1. Connectivity (infrastructure, access and pricing); 2. e-leadership (government policies and regulations); 3. Information security (intellectual property, privacy, electronic signatures); 4. Human capital (ICT education, available skilled workforce); and 5. E-business climate (competition, political and financial stability, foreign investment, financial infrastructure). What result does it produce? Countries are rated in the five categories listed above on a scale of one to three ("blue", "amber", "red"), and extensive analysis and recommendations are given. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 200 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 3.2 WITSA's International Survey of E-Commerce Source: http://www.itaa.org/news/pubs/product.cfm?EventID=172 What does it measure? The survey focused on the direct experiences of companies with e- commerce and their subjective views of what is needed to promote e-commerce. The questions cover a range of issues, including: barriers to technology industry, role of consumer trust, problems with e-commerce technology, internal business practices that support e- commerce, workforce problems, taxes, public policy issues, and resistance from consumers. What result does it produce? A final report was published that compiled answers from survey participants. The report has charts and a narrative account of the answers. 3.3 Crenshaw & Robinson's Cyber-Space and Post-Industrial Transformations: A cross-national analysis of Internet development (C&R) Source: Contact: robinson.47@osu.edu, Crenshaw.4@osu.edu What does it measure? The authors focus on the role and interactions of the following factors in ICT development: level of existing technological development, political openness / democracy, mass education, presence of a sizable services sector, teledensity, foreign investments, ethnic homogeneity, sectoral inequality, population density, and the quantity of exports. Their later work includes consideration of individual property rights and local phone call costs, as well as global urbanization, economic and socio-political globalization variables, calculated with indicators from various sources. What result does it produce? Statistical metrics stating the probable relationship between the variables, and a narrative explanation of how these factors are likely to shape technology development. 3.4 CIDCM's Negotiating the Net Model Source: http://www.cidcm.umd.edu/projects/leland.htm What does it measure? The framework measures four categories of information for each country: 1. Background and history ­ structural context (economy, education levels, existing infrastructure), political structure and culture (type of government, policy making style), cultural norms (religion, etc). 2. Key players in Internet development ­ responsibilities and objectives of relevant players in government, local and foreign businesses, universities, NGOs, international financial institutions, research groups. 3. Internet development and ICT policy over time ­ access, regulation, competition. 4. Negotiations between players in developing the country's Internet - each aspect of Internet development and ICT policy is categorized into one of four stages (pre- commercial, commercial, competitive, and consolidated).'Negotiation' between players is the focus of the framework ­ the rest is supporting information.' What result does it produce? The report comprises a detailed narrative describing the processes and outcomes of negotiations between key players over the phases of development. It also identifies major contentious issues likely to remain problematic in the future. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 201 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 3.5 The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU): E-Business Readiness Rankings (report) Source: www.ebusinessforum.com/index.asp?layout=rich_story&doc_id=367 http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/eReady_2003.pdf What does it measure? The e-readiness rankings measure the extent to which a market is conducive to Internet-based opportunities, taking into account a wide range of factors, from the quality of IT infrastructure to the ambition of government initiatives and the degree to which the Internet is creating real commercial efficiencies. Nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria are organized into six categories: Connectivity (30%), Business Environment (20%), e-commerce consumer and business adoption (20%), legal and regulatory framework (15%), supporting e-services (10%) and social and cultural infrastructure (5%). Since launching the rankings in 2000, EIU have repeatedly upgraded and refined their methodology. In 2003, the methodology is unchanged from the previous ranking, making direct annual comparison of scores possible for the first time. What result does it produce? The rankings cover the world's 60 largest economies, and suggest areas to focus government policy and funds. They also provide a useful guide for multinationals seeking to invest in technologically innovative countries and tailor their Internet strategies to local conditions. The top sixty economies in the world are rated with an e-readiness score (out of ten), and are ranked from one to sixty. Only three African countries (5%) are included in the EIU rankings: South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria. South Africa's ranking of 31st (equal) place can no doubt be justified in terms of the factors that EIU use to calculate the relative positions, but the reader could be forgiven for thinking that on the basis of this ranking, South Africa is well on the road to achieving e- readiness. Whilst this is true (to a degree) in the major conurbations such as Midrand, the picture elsewhere in the country is far bleaker, where access to ICT is patchy ­ and expensive. So while these reports provide a high-level picture of e-readiness in the countries reviewed, they do not offer an in-depth assessment that can be used in the preparation of e- strategies and action plans. 3.6 Statistical Indicators Benchmarking the Information Society (SIBIS) Source: http://www.sibis-eu.org/sibis/ http://www.empirica.biz/sibis-mirror/files/SIBIS_Indicator-Handbook.pdf SIBIS reports: http://www.sibis-eu.org/sibis/publications/reports.htm See also: Benchmarking the Information Society: eEurope Indicators for European Regions (BISER) Source: http://www.biser-eu.com/resultsdoc/H%20 %20biser_overv%C9w_july_2003.pdf What does it measure? SIBIS measures benchmarking indicators in ten areas: Telecommunication and Access; Internet for Research; Security and Trust; Education; Work, employment and skills; Social inclusion; e-Commerce; e-Government; Health and Transport. What result does it produce? 23 Statistical indicators that measure and monitor the information society, for benchmarking and policy evaluation. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 202 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 3.7 Metric-Net Worldwide IT Benchmarking Report (tool and report)57 Source: http://128.121.222.187/wwbprod.html and http://128.121.222.187/pdf/wwbanl.pdf What does it measure? The Metric-Net Worldwide IT Benchmarking report measures IT performance and productivity by organizations worldwide through survey methodology. It also measures IT spending by industry. What result does it produce? The survey results are analyzed to reveal "priorities" for IT companies. The results enable organizations to self-assess their IT performance, and to better align spending and performance with industry norms. 3.8 World Bank's Knowledge Assessment Methodology (KAM) (report) Source: www1.worldbank.org/gdln/kam.htm and http://info.worldbank.org/etools/kam2004/ What does it measure? The 2002 KAM uses 69 metrics including the "economic and institutional regime," "educated and skilled population," "dynamic information infrastructure," and an "efficient innovation system of firms, research centers, universities, consultants." What result does it produce? A detailed, interactive statistical assessment of how well 100 country economies are prepared for an information economy and society. 3.9 World Times / IDC Information Society Index (ISI) (report) Source: http://worldpaper.com/2001/xjan01/ISI/2001%20Isi%20in%20Brief.html http://www.worldpaper.com/2003/oct02/isi2.html What does it measure? The 2003 ISI report measures countries on four "infrastructure pillars" or sub-indexes: computer use, Internet and e-commerce, telecommunications and social factors, based on 23 indicators. What result does it produce? 53 countries are scored on each variable, and then ranked according to their ability to access and absorb information and IT in the future. It's designed for use by governments, as well as IT, dot-coms, and asset management and telecommunications companies to assess the market potential of the various regions and countries of the world. 3.10 Networked Readiness Index (NRI) in the Global Information Technology Report Source: http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Global+Competitiveness+Programme %5CGlobal+Information+Technology+Report%5CGlobal+Information+Technology+Report+2 002-2003+-+Readiness+for+the+Networked+World The report is prepared by the World Economic Forum (WEF), INSEAD and infoDev. What does it measure? The NRI is defined as "the degree of preparation of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments". The index is a composite of three components: 57This tool does not appear to have been in use since the last tools comparison report (Bridges, 2001) E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 203 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 (i) The environment for ICT offered by a given country or community; (ii) The readiness of the community's key stakeholders (individuals, businesses, and governments) to use ICT; and (iii)The actual use of ICT amongst these stakeholders. These three components are defined further: (i) Environment is defined as 1/3 market + 1/3 political/regulatory factors + 1/3 infrastructure. (ii) Readiness is defined as 1/3 individual readiness + 1/3 business readiness + 1/3 government readiness. (iii)Use of ICT is defined as 1/3 individual use + 1/3 business use + 1/3 government use. (iv)And these subcomponents are based on a set of 64 variables. What result does it produce? Covering 82 countries, the NRI provides a quick and relative benchmark of the overall success of each in participating in and benefiting from ICT. The NRI permits business leaders and public policymakers to investigate the reasons leading to a nation's ranking and relative performance. It captures key factors relating to the environment, and the readiness and usage of the three stakeholders in ICT (individuals, businesses, and governments), and can be used to understand the performance of a nation or even a region with regards to ICT development. The component index and sub-index rankings serve to identify key areas where a nation is under- or over-performing. The Global IT Report was produced in 2001. The report for 2002 ­ 2003 includes 8 African countries (9.7%), and although there is a better representation of developing countries, the focus is on those countries that are more developed. The GITR reports contain a great deal of information, as well as regional analyses and country case studies, and much of this is of value to those involved in planning and the development of strategy. But the country case studies are limited in number, and while the country NRI tables provide a useful snap-shot of the state of ICT development, they do not point to all of the obstacles to growth in the ICT sector. The report also offers insight into the part that ICT can play in development, the need to identify and disseminate best practice for the lessons to be learned by governments and the private sector in terms of choosing appropriate technology as well as the value of education and skills development. The GITR also looks at the impact of ICT on society. In summary it is a useful resource for developing country policy-makers, but it does not provide the answers to the searching issues and challenges that they face in terms of improving e- readiness and meeting basic human needs. 3.11 InfoDev and Pyramid Research's Information Infrastructure Indicators, 1990- 2010 (III) Source: http://www.infoDev.org/projects/internet/375pyramid/ What does it measure? Indicators are based on actual data and "projections for total investment, infrastructure and traffic" for the period 1990-2010. What result does it produce? Pyramid research is developing a set of indicators and defined empirical data to assess the information infrastructure worldwide, with special emphasis on developing countries. The latest data is broken down by region. 3.12 Kenny's Prioritizing Countries for Assistance to Overcome the digital divide (World Bank) Source: http://www.idate.fr/an/publi/revu/num/n41/kenny_a.html E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 204 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 What does it measure? Focusing on "the gap in access to quality information infrastructure", Kenny uses a measure of access that allows for the income per capita of a country, while building on previous econometric studies looking at determinants of information infrastructure penetration "allowing for, but going beyond, income." What does it produce? The report identifies countries that have "both a lower than expected level of ICT provision given their GDP level and a quality and cost of service that is less than satisfactory" according to four indicators of the determinants of access and quality (competition, rural needs, small economies and institutional investor). These are used to prioritize countries for donor intervention. 3.13 AT Kearney/ Foreign Policy Magazine Globalization Index (GI) Source: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=2493 What does it measure? The Index is generated through four over-arching indicators: Political engagement (e.g.: number of memberships in International organizations, foreign embassies hosted and instances of UN Council mission participation); Technology (number of Internet users, hosts and secure servers); Personal contact (International travel and tourism, international telephone traffic and cross-border transfers) and Economic integration (trade, foreign direct investment and portfolio capital flows, and income payments and receipts). What result does it produce? The Globalization Index tracks changes across 62 advanced markets and emerging markets, ranking them for 13 variables within the four indicators listed above. 3.14 World Telecommunication Indicators (WTI) Source: http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/ What does it measure? Telecommunication data is collected from questionnaires sent annually to telecommunication authorities and operating companies. This data is supplemented by annual reports and statistical yearbooks of telecommunication ministries, regulatory agencies, operators and industry associations. The Indicators are also based on data from national broadcasting authorities and other demographic and macroeconomic data. What result does it produce? A comprehensive set of tables for 196 economies, including basic indicators (population, GDP, total telephone subscribers), data on local telephone networks, telephone tariffs, cellular subscribers, ISDN, International telephone traffic, telecommunications revenue, equipment trade, IT, and network growth, among others. 3.15 ITU Digital Access Index (DAI) Source: http://www.itu.int/newsarchive/press_releases/2003/30.html What does it measure? Eight variables, covering five areas (availability of infrastructure, affordability of access, educational level, quality of ICT services and Internet usage), provide overall county scores. The Index is based purely on quantitative indicators. What result does it produce? Countries are classified into one of four categories: high, upper, medium and low. The results point to barriers in ICT adoption, and can be used to identify a country's strengths and weaknesses. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 205 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 3.16 Orbicom's Monitoring the Digital Divide... and beyond Source: http://www.orbicom.uqam.ca/projects/ddi2002/2003_dd_pdf_en.pdf What does it measure? As suggested by the title of their study, Orbicom's research breaks new ground in the realm of global ICT ranking reports by considering the issues from a "digital divide" perspective as opposed to e-readiness as it is traditionally understood. The approach's innovation lies in its inclusion of existing education data and thereby going beyond the usual indicators of ICT use and access. What result does it produce? The emphasis on developing countries is an important shift in focus for such "ranking reports", and results in a resource that is useful in assessing a country's comparative performance, relative strengths and weaknesses and, at a more detailed level, linking the changes to specific initiatives and policies. The measurements are explicit both across countries at a given point in time and within countries over time, in such a way that comparisons are not reduced to changing rankings from year to year. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 206 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 e-Readiness tools comparison tables Assessment Tool's Level of Detail KAM ISI NRI III Kenny GI WTI SIBISMetric- Net SISA ASEAN Technology Infrastructure ­ Network, Tele- 3 3 3 3 3 2 3 2 3 3 3 density 1 1 2 3 3 0 1 3 3 2 2 Pricing 1 0 2 3 2 0 3 1 3 2 1 Speed and Quality 2 2 3 3 1 1 3 1 3 3 1 Other Technology Issues Economy 0 1 3 3 1 0 3 3 1 3 2 Use within Businesses 0 1 3 1 2 1 3 3 0 2 3 E-Commerce 1 0 3 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 Market Competition / Privatization 2 0 0 2 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 Export Trade, Foreign Investment 3 0 3 0 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 Other Economic or Business Factors Policy (Privacy, Trade, Intellectual Government Property, Electronic Signatures) 2 1 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 0 Regulations 0 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 0 2 3 E-Government Political Openness, Democracy 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 207 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Education 0 2 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 Use in Schools 2 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 1 Tech Training in Schools 3 1 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 2 Availability of Trained workforce Social 1 0 3 0 0 0 3 1 1 2 1 Use of ICT in Everyday life Utilization of Technology throughout 2 0 3 0 3 0 3 0 1 2 1 Society (Inequality) Basic Literacy, Poverty, Other Social 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 Factors 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 0 Locally relevant Content 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 Consumer Trust Unique Political, Business, Social 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 1 History Assessment Tool's Level of Detail CSPP CID APEC WITSA MI C & R CIDCM Mosaic USAID EIU DAI Orbicom Technology Infrastructure ­ Network, Tele- 2 3 3 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 2 3 density 0 2 3 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 Pricing 2 2 3 0 2 0 1 2 0 1 2 3 Speed and Quality Other Technology Issues 0 3 3 0 1 0 2 2 3 2 1 2 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 208 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Economy 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 1 2 Use within Businesses 3 1 0 1 2 3 3 1 0 0 1 3 E-Commerce 2 0 0 2 0 3 1 2 0 2 3 2 Market Competition / Privatization 2 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 2 2 2 2 Export Trade, Foreign Investment 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 1 0 2 2 3 Other Economic or Business Factors 3 0 1 Policy (Privacy, Trade, Intellectual Government Property, 1 2 3 2 3 0 3 2 3 Electronic Signatures) Regulations 3 0 0 E-Government 1 2 1 0 2 0 1 1 3 1 0 0 Political Openness, Democracy 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 Education 1 2 2 0 2 0 1 1 1 Use in Schools 1 1 1 Tech Training in Schools 1 2 2 0 2 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 Availability of Trained workforce 1 0 2 3 2 0 1 1 1 3 1 2 Social 1 2 2 0 2 2 1 2 0 Use of ICT in Everyday life 1 2 2 Utilization of Technology throughout Society 1 2 1 0 2 2 1 2 0 (Inequality) 0 1 1 Basic Literacy, Poverty, Other Social 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 0 Factors 0 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 Locally relevant Content 0 0 0 Consumer Trust 1 1 0 3 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 Unique Political, Business, Social 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 3 2 History 0 0 0 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 209 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Average level of detail in assessment tools Technology Infrastructure ­ Network, Tele-density 2.57 Pricing 1.48 Speed and Quality 1.57 Other Technology Issues 1.83 Economy Use within Businesses 1.52 E-Commerce 1.52 Market Competition / Privatization 1.17 Export Trade, Foreign Investment 1 Other Economic or Business Factors 1.39 Government Policy (Privacy, Trade, Intellectual Property, Electronic Signatures) Regulations 1.35 E-Government 1 Political Openness, Democracy 0.48 Education Use in Schools 1 Tech Training in Schools 0.96 Availability of Trained workforce 1.3 Social Use of ICT in Everyday life 1.26 Utilization of Technology throughout Society (Inequality) 1.22 Basic Literacy, Poverty, Other Social Factors 0.65 Locally relevant Content 0.48 Consumer Trust 0.61 Unique Political, Business, Social History 0.87 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 210 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 4. Beyond e-readiness: digital divide assessments 58 E-readiness assessments usually concentrate on measures such as ICT infrastructure, and the use of ICT in the economy, while some look at the use of ICT in government and education. The assessment tools comparison table above shows that very few focus on those whose marginalization for whatever reason (socio-economic status, gender, age, geographic location, level of education etc) renders them unlikely to have access to ICT. Digital divides mirror existing inequities both between and within countries. This annex briefly outlines what is understood about the digital divide, and explains what digital divide assessments are, and how they are different from e-readiness assessments. The Real Access / Real Impact approach to digital divide assessments is described, together with an example of a study conducted at the city level using this methodology. Ideas for extending the reach of the tool to the national level are offered. Digital divide assessments are presented as more appropriate than their e-readiness counterparts for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The digital divide59 Real disparities exist in access to and the use of ICT between countries (the international digital divide) and between groups within countries (the domestic digital divide). There is a wealth of real and anecdotal evidence to support this statement. The volume of statistics is impressive and persuasive: "With more than 13 percent of the world's population, Africa accounts for only 0.2 percent of the world's total international Internet capacity" (Goldstein, 2004). "More than half of the world's population is technically or financially out of reach of a telephone, and over two-thirds of the human race have had no experience of the Internet" (CTO, 2004). "The US has more computers than the rest of the world combined" (Nielsen, 2001). Underlying trends are often lost in the heated debate over how to define the problem, but a pattern emerges from within the statistics: · There is an overall trend of growing ICT disparities between and within countries; · In highly developed countries a different process appears to be occurring, but upon further examination, it is the same pattern of growing ICT disparities; · Underneath the apparent widening and narrowing of the ICT divides, the underlying trend is that privileged groups acquire and use technology more effectively, and because the technology benefits them in an exponential way, they become even more privileged. The digital divide is not a simple concept, but a multi-faceted and complicated network of varying levels of ICT access, basic ICT use, and ICT applications among countries and peoples. Information "have-nots" are increasingly excluded from jobs, participation in government processes, and public discourse on the issues that affect their lives, leaving them politically and economically powerless. Moreover the infusion of ICT can intensify existing disparities based on location (such as urban-rural), gender, ethnicity, physical disability, age, and, especially, income level and socio-economic position. ICT alone is not enough to solve long-standing imbalances, and can make inequalities worse if they are not applied wisely. However, countries and communities face the threat of being left further behind if they do not address the growing digital divides (bridges.org, 2002). 58NB: The information provided in this Annex is based on intellectual property previously developed by bridges.org and previously published under an open content license by bridges.org. This derivative work remains the copyrighted material of bridges.org. 59This section draws heavily from Bridges.org (2001) Spanning the Digital divide. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 211 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 What makes digital divide assessments different from e-readiness assessments? In keeping with the findings of the e-readiness assessment tools comparison study, the difference between e-readiness and digital divide assessments is essentially a function of varying definitions and understandings of what constitutes "e-readiness". A country's digital divide hampers its overall e-readiness, and thus needs to be a focus of any e-readiness assessment work. It is important to ensure that those areas with relatively high levels of e- readiness do not detract the attention of policy-makers and program planners from those areas where e-readiness is low. The discussion of how to bring the opportunities offered by ICT to the people who need it most has similarly been muddled by arguments over exactly how to define the problem: is it about insufficient access to personal computers (PCs)? Training? Local content? Poverty? There are many perspectives on the digital divide with different connotations and focus. Some argue that computers, connections and training will solve the problem, but there is disagreement about whether they should be provided by government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or the private sector, or if the market will solve the physical access problem on its own. Others contend that government action (or inaction) hinders the development and use of ICT, and until policies are changed, the digital divide cannot be solved. Many see beyond the physical access problem and focus on lost opportunity for people that are unable to effectively use ICT because they do not know how to use it or they do not understand how it can be relevant to their lives. Underlying social issues like basic literacy, poverty, and healthcare also loom large, and some question whether and how technology can become part of the solution to these critical problems. The digital divide is a complex problem that manifests itself in different ways in different countries. It presents both practical and policy challenges. Moreover, it is apparent that solutions that work in the developed countries cannot simply be transplanted to developing country environments: solutions must be based on an understanding of local needs and conditions, and this is what digital divide assessments seek to initiate. Digital divide assessments are different from e-readiness assessments in that measuring the access to ICT a community/city/province/country has is only the first step. They go further than e- readiness assessments by focusing on those sectors of society without access to ICT. Most digital divide assessments seek to assess and understand the factors contributing to divides in order to narrow them. The Real Access approach to digital divide assessments Inherent in undertaking an e-readiness assessment is a commitment to create and implement a strategy. A country establishes its e-readiness, designs steps towards improving this, and then implements them. However, in much of the literature available, the focus is on the assessment rather than the action. Little effort has been expended in developing relevant indicators for closely monitoring the implementation of e-strategies and action plans that follow e-readiness assessments (UN, 2003). Digital divide assessments tackle the issues head-on, by conferring with and engaging stakeholders from all sectors of the population. By examining the complex interrelated issues around ICT beyond just those of access to technology, digital divide assessments begin promoting e-readiness as they set about conducting the assessment. An example of such a study is bridges.org's (2002) Digital Divide Assessment of the City of Cape Town, which was unique because it reached out to people in small organizations and some of the poorest communities in Cape Town to gain an understanding of their particular experiences and desires, as well as to alert them to the issues at stake. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 212 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Digital divide assessment of the City of Cape Town National-level assessments study e-readiness by compiling information from government agencies, big companies, business associations, and other secondary sources. The Cape Town study started with that approach as a first step. It then went further to collect direct input from communities, small businesses, and community organizations, to gauge the need for ICT services among the public and depict the real-life constraints -­ and opportunities -­ that people and institutions face as they work to harness technology. While the aim was not to ascertain the precise status of ICT across the entire population of Cape Town, the study took a wide-angle view of the issues, and focused on a sample of communities and organizations to paint a mosaic of the overall ICT landscape in Cape Town. At the same time, the study assessed the interest and capacity of the City's communities, businesses, academic institutions, and government agencies to assist in bridging the divide. This method allowed the study to look ahead, so that practical options and recommendations could be framed to guide the City Council as it moves forward with its own plans in this area. The broad approach used to frame the assessment is summed up by the concept of Real Access to ICT, as explained in the methodology section of this evaluation report. Gauging the number of computers and connections that the people of Cape Town had was relatively easy, but measuring the level of effective use of ICT was far more difficult. For instance, there were many examples of ground level initiatives that provided technology access in underserved communities, but it is factors like training, affordability and locally relevant content that determined whether people used ICT successfully. The concept of Real Access / Real Impact offers a holistic framework for examining whether people could use ICT and whether they actually are using it, including looking at the underlying factors that affect whether they do (or do not) and why. Cape Town in South Africa was the first city to conduct a digital divide assessment at this level in an attempt to understand the problems faced by its population and identify ways of narrowing the divide within and between parts of the city and its communities. Many lessons were learned, and the city has embarked on a long-term program to follow the recommendations that were made at the end of the assessment. But perhaps the most significant lesson was that while tackling a problem at country level may be impossible for many developing countries because of the enormous cost involved, tackling the problem at city level has a greater chance of success because cities are small enough units to work in and bring about change, but large enough for projects conducted at this level to make a real impact. Municipal governments (be they at the city or community-level) are an important, often overlooked, partner in such efforts. For this reason alone, digital divide assessments should be considered as an alternative to e- readiness assessments, not to mention cost ­ they are generally less expensive to conduct. And it is important to remember that this will benefit urban communities first. The lessons learned should be used to develop programs to create rural access so that existing urban/rural divides are not exacerbated. E-readiness assessments are expensive and time- consuming, and rely heavily on quantitative input. They provide a benchmark for e-readiness at the national level, and they are a useful but not mandatory first step in understanding the problem at provincial and city level. Digital divide assessments take us to the next level of granularity, and if properly implemented and researched can offer solutions to some of the problems and challenges faced in the developing world. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 213 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Extending the tool's reach: assessing national digital divides Governments considering the use of digital divide assessments, as opposed to those measuring one or other definition of e-readiness, may need to consider expanding the reach of such an assessment beyond the city, as was the focus in the above-mentioned report. Country size is a determinant factor in shaping possibilities for the tool's reach, as it would be more difficult to garner stakeholder input in a large country, and wide-ranging qualitative participatory research is likely to be prohibitively expensive. However, in countries where most of the economic activity centers around one major city, assessing this city would achieve much in measuring the positive use of ICT and engaging with stakeholders. And work conducted in the surrounding rural areas would be tackling the issues as they are experienced by people without much access to, information about or capacity to use most ICT. Digital divide assessments enable swifter transformation, in that many of the issues usually addressed only in the implementation stage of e-readiness assessments -- stakeholder engagement, raising awareness, identification of best-practice ground level and policy initiatives --are essential elements of the study methodology. The methodology goes beyond collecting national statistical data. In digital divide assessments, this consideration is only an initial step at outlining the picture. While these point to digital divide assessments' superior efficacy, they would also mean incremental increased cost if scaled up to the national level. The methodology would work effectively at the provincial level, but where the scope extends nationally, it is suggested for large countries that the more resource-intense and in-depth aspects of the work is carried out at various strategically relevant areas representative of a range of typical settings in a country. While each area of a country is unique, the translation of best practice to areas with similar conditions has proven effective. In-depth understanding of the issues as they affect communities generates information that has usefulness for similar communities within a country that far outweighs a superficial, statistically engendered national overview of positive use. Digital divide assessments essentially plot the course for bridging digital divides by highlighting what needs to be done for achieving real access to ICT. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 214 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 5. E-readiness assessments: Who's done what, and where? 60 The following represents the results of a bridges.org survey on where e-readiness assessments have been conducted and with which tool. Bridges.org first published this survey in March 2002, and it was most recently updated in January 2005. Once again, the data shows that significant duplication of effort has occurred in some countries, while others are devoid of useful data. However, there are four caveats. First, not all of the assessments that have been conducted are included here, since many are not publicly available or are not known about. Second, no two assessments are exactly alike; each has a different goal and measures different data. Third, global competitiveness reports, that rank numerous countries, have been included. These are not country-specific e-readiness assessments conducted as the basis for e- strategies, although they are useful for strategy in that countries can learn from those ranked both higher and alongside themselves in specific areas contributing to e-readiness. Finally, some of the assessments have been repeated intentionally, with a baseline study being replicated over time to map progress. In compiling the data on e-readiness assessments, the goal is not to judge one assessment over another, or to diminish the value of work that has already been done. Rather it is to provide a resource to policy-makers and others who want to use e-readiness assessment results to plan for the integration ICT in society, and to organizations that are considering new assessments. It is hoped that this information will have the effect of eliminating duplication, making better use of scarce resources and helping decision-makers to move beyond assessment to planned action. The survey is presented in six tables below: Africa; Asia and Pacific; Central and Eastern Europe, and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Latin and South America, and Caribbean; Middle East; and North America. 60NB: The information provided in this Annex is based on intellectual property previously developed by bridges.org and previously published under an open content license by bridges.org. This derivative work remains the copyrighted material of bridges.org. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 215 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Africa E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 216 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Asia and Pacific E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 217 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Central and Eastern Europe, and Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 218 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Latin and South America, and Caribbean E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 219 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Middle East North America E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 220 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 6. Background on Y2K and e-readiness The transition from the year 1999 to 2000 incited worldwide panic as all the governments, companies, institutions, organizations and individuals reliant on interconnected business systems and technological equipment anticipated them crashing or operating incorrectly. In this annex, the "Y2K problem" will be unpacked. As this discussion is primarily concerned with the issue of e-readiness, those activities that came to be of value to the topic at hand will be highlighted. A concise description of the problem, how it was tackled, and what the outcomes were, will be followed by a discussion exploring the benefits that the various Y2K initiatives held for e-readiness. What was the Y2K problem? Owing to the cost of disk storage space in the 60's and 70's, programmers formatted dates with two digits for the year. For example, the two digits "80" were used to indicate the year 1980, and so on. Dates are the most common type of information stored, and this system for recording dates has been replicated many times over. As a result most computers, date embedded systems and software packages would display and interpret the year 2000 as "00", which would also mean 1900. This, along with the fact that the Year 2000 was a leap year, while 1900 was not, brought the expectation that all the computer or date embedded microchips with dates attached to them would fail (World Bank, 1999). How was it tackled? The Y2K problem was addressed through various programs at the levels of region, country, sector and organization. As disruption at any location in today's networked world would have far-reaching effects, stakeholders joined forces in preparing the world for the first global challenge caused by Information Technologies (IT). The World Bank's infoDev program and the United Nations Development Program's (UNDP), along with governments and other multilateral and bilateral aid mechanisms, set about establishing programs and structures through which the world could adequately prepare for the date change. Other partners involved in infoDev's initiatives included International Telecommunications Union, Intelsat, International sectoral organizations and associations and various NGOs. A meeting in December 1998 brought together representatives from 120 countries, and regional working groups were formed. In 1999, the International Y2K Cooperation Center (IY2KCC) was established to "promote increased strategic cooperation and action among governments, peoples and the private sector to minimize adverse Y2K effects on the global society and economy (IY2KCC, 2000)." The IY2KCC supported the Regional Coordinators, who helped to collate information and grant requests for multinational reporting efforts and assistance programs for infoDev. Similar coordinators from both the International assistance efforts and the private sector were established for important sectors that needed specific attention. These included Finance, Energy, Nuclear Power, Health, Telecommunications, Aviation, Maritime Shipping, Chemicals, Customs, Government Services, Education and Utilities. These coordinators were assisted by the IYCC and infoDev to leverage the work already being done, and engage providers in their countries as part of the national and global Y2K effort. The IYCC and infoDev also worked together in providing sector experts directly to national coordinators (IY2KCC, 2000). E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 221 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 InfoDev's overall Y2K strategy focused on the following issues to help governments in developing countries and transition economies manage and develop contingency plans for the Y2K problem: Providing grants. The infoDev Y2K assistance program administered over $40 million to over 70 countries in the developing world (infoDev, 2003). Although modest when compared with the estimated $200 billion spent worldwide in the Private Sector (IY2KCC, 2000), these planning grants, to support the development or improvement of Y2K National Action Plans, and Implementation Grants, to support the implementation of National Action Plans for remediation, testing and evaluation, ensured that the problem could be addressed in governments' most critical systems. $25.7 million was allocated to co-finance the planning and implementation of national remediation efforts. Ninety-four countries received infoDev grants, beginning as early as August 1998 (infoDev). Raising awareness. High-level national and regional awareness seminars were held to promote understanding, foster support, share information, create regional networks, and assist in accessing funding. Regional and Global conferences, including the UN Global Y2K Meetings in New York and the International Meetings of the Y2K Steering Committee, were effective in establishing cooperation among national Y2K coordinators. InfoDev sent National and Sector Y2K Coordinators from more than 150 countries to 25 international conferences (infoDev). Providing relevant information and technical assistance. Information of the nature and scale of the Y2K problem, its potential effects on society and the economy, and ways to address these were disseminated in the following manner: o InfoDev's toolkit was a resource for Governments to assess the risks and develop strategies for managing them. The toolkit included outlines for action, including developing a national action plan and establishing a Year 2000 organization. The toolkit also provided resources for conducting inventories, risk assessments, contingency planning, vendor management, check lists and references to other relevant sources of information (infoDev, 1998). o A website (www.worldbank.org/y2k) that was accessible in five languages, a list-serve and the dissemination of publications ensured that quality information was available. o InfoDev spent $2.9 million on technical assistance for cross-border issues, economic sector risks and contingency planning. 51 expert missions, that were sector- or country-specific according to needs, evaluated and improved contingency plans (infoDev, date a). A methodology for country level Y2K risk assessments. infoDev's Y2K risk assessment methodology, with its aim towards achieving a degree of consistency across countries to promote ease in information sharing, identified three main tasks: (1) To prioritize those sectors, functions or activities within a country which are critical to the country's operation. The principle adopted for prioritizing was country self- assessment, as a country's political, governmental, administration and socioeconomic infrastructures are clearly best placed to evaluate what is important critical to their operation. (2) To conduct a Y2K risk assessment. InfoDev's methodology statement was designed for implementation by personnel without a detailed technical knowledge, or even comprehensive understanding of the Y2K problem. Risk is measured by the potential impact of the risk on the sector or entity under examination, and the probability or likelihood of the risk happening. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 222 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 (3) To utilize contingency planning templates to begin national contingency planning processes. The objective of business continuity planning was to have plans available to counteract disruption in governmental/business activities. "The possibility of power failures, security breaches, interrupted communications, system malfunction/shutdown, system performance degradation, transport and distribution failure and much more" needed to be anticipated, and plans for addressing these had to be made (World Bank, 1999). Outcomes and lessons learned As the most critical aspects of Y2K were addressed, the full threat posed by the date change is unknown. As the year moved from 1999 to 2000, there was very little disturbance, and while this could have been a result of the remediation efforts, there were countries where little preparation had been executed who were barely affected. In a report to the Bank's President's office on Y2K activities in operations, these countries are said to have benefited from the lessons learned in the leading countries in terms of Y2K efforts, particularly regarding decreased public anxiety as noted in the second semester of 1999. The report explains that "if the threat of the bug had been ignored by all, we could have witnessed much more dramatic speculative movements in 1999 with significant economic and social costs for our clients" (infoDev, 2000). The great expenditure of money and effort across the globe in preparing for Y2K seems excessive in light of the minor problems experienced by those who did not disburse much in preparing for the date change. However, there were many important lessons learned, and much of the structures and processes implemented for Y2K readiness have laid the groundwork for national efforts in e-readiness. (infoDev, 2001) Networking, Co-operation and Transparency The interdependency among nations brought about co-operative efforts in addressing Y2K. Deepened understanding of the mechanisms of cooperation between multiple stakeholders meant that any future problems could be addressed more easily Universally successful Public-private partnerships, with International organizations, governments and private companies working together to mobilize appropriate resources and tackle technical solutions verified the usefulness of cross sector collaboration. The regional networks of Y2K coordinators facilitated communication between countries and with international bodies. These channels promoted information sharing and improved international public relations. Large effort was expended in reassuring the public that Y2K problems were under control, and the importance of the role of public information was a significant lesson learnt (IY2KCC, 2000). Benefits of leapfrogging Although the cost per line of business mainframe software code to make Y2K repairs was expected to rise owing to a shortage of skilled programmers, it actually fell exponentially owing to the accuracy and efficiency of automated Y2K tools Late starters could bypass the unnecessary work conducted by those who had tested every system and address only those known to require attention (IY2KCC, 2000). The sharing of information on an unprecedented scale and at an unprecedented speed not only reduced the cost of fixing bugs but also allowed late starters to leapfrog ahead in terms of solutions. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 223 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Those countries with large installed infrastructures were required to address such issues as systems that manage the telephone wires to each household, while developing countries with smaller infrastructures could adopt alternate technologies such as wireless to avoid the need to actually "fix" any systems; that is, they simply added new ones. Sharing of best practices for creating a national Y2K office, for managing the program of Y2K assessment, repair, testing and for preparing and exercising contingency plans meant that late starters could benefit from the knowledge of the leaders, being able to efficiently and cost effectively "catch up" (infoDev). Effective program design InfoDev designed its Y2K program with the capacity to expand as resources and needs required. Beginning with surveys determining the level of awareness and preparation, the program grew to include seminars, information resources, grants and technical assistance as further funding was provided by donors. The needs assessments continued throughout the process, ensuring that individual countries received that financial and technical assistance required most. This flexible and responsive process proved most effective. E-readiness National IT coordination agencies were established to (a) deal with IT policies, regulations and infrastructure planning and procurement and (b) to create awareness of the usefulness of a reliable IT infrastructure in improving government, business and other organizations' functions. Several countries transformed their National Y2K Centers into National IT Centers, "taking advantage of the human and physical resources, networking capacity, knowledge and wealth of data gathered during the Y2K exercise (infoDev, 2001)." This focused awareness of ICT and its usefulness and effects brought about new learning and skills, infrastructure and planning, and engaged thinking about ICT in a more encompassing manner. Gearing up for Y2K meant that countries' e-readiness were enhanced at the turn of the new millennium. Infrastructure: Many countries developed inventories of their IT systems for the first time. This information is very useful for e-readiness assessments, and is a resource for assessing and planning. Policy: Regulations and policies that hindered the remediation effort, and could continue to obstruct future efforts to upgrade public services were identified. The mapping of the IT supply chain was useful for improving understanding and management of IT systems and procedures. Additionally, the understanding that successful remediation required the highest political prioritization was an important lesson for future work in this field (IY2KCC, 2000). Human Resources: Nations sent excellent people, in many cases their best managers, to form what became the global Y2K team. These people learned a great deal in working on the Y2K problem, and the skills and understanding which developed through their work in 1999 stood them in good stead to work effectively with IT issues in following years (infoDev). How is Y2K related to e-readiness assessment? Although most of what is remembered of the "Y2K problem" is the great hype which in the end seemed unfounded, something useful and positive actually came of it. Despite the very technical nature of the work carried out to address the Y2K problem, the infrastructure, human resources, procedures and processes all proved to be useful assets for addressing e- readiness. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 224 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 In addressing the "problem", countries were forced to better consider issues around infrastructure, human resources, how systems are managed, and procurement, among others. The development of National Plans to address the problem was useful in that it lead to more holistic thinking about ICT. Engaging stakeholders in e-readiness assessments and action plans is powerful. While many of the lessons harnessed from Y2K operations have been discussed above, there are two additional factors that ensured that countries were better equipped for the date change which are yet to be fully leveraged for e-readiness work: (1) The global network of programs, organizations and governments achieved a great deal within a very specific and definite timeframe. A great deal was achieved, with the focus on action in preparation for 0h00 on the 31 December 1999. Countries and working groups addressing e-readiness need to develop more of a sense of urgency, with more focus on action plans, than expending too many resources on assessments which don't lead to or result in anything concrete. (2) "The central lesson Y2K taught the world was that relationships are at the heart of success. Relationships between individuals, organizations, and countries, must be strong enough to support the requirements of the challenges they face." Y2K Lessons and the Roadmap to the Future, John Smith, Kenya Y2K Team (IY2KCC, 2000). E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 225 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 7. RFP for infoDev e-readiness assessment grants The Information for Development (infoDev) Program is pleased to announce a Call for Proposals for grants to fund assessments of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Infrastructure and E-readiness in developing and transition countries. This initiative will build upon earlier efforts by infoDev (such as the Y2K initiative) to help developing countries evaluate their information infrastructures. Grant-funded activities should be completed within six to eight months of the awarding of the grant. The Internet provides unprecedented opportunities and challenges to the private sector, the public sector, and civil society in developing countries. However, the ability to take advantage of these opportunities and meet these challenges depends on the readiness of the country, its infrastructure and its institutions - "E- readiness". Many groups have approached the measurement of E-readiness (http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness/methodology.htm). The best approach depends on circumstances: what kind of assessment is needed and for what purposes? What is already known, and which assessment process is most appropriate? Certainly E-readiness depends on the connectivity of the information infrastructure and the readiness of policy and regulatory framework to utilize the infrastructure. Another issue that is important in this context is the adequacy of human resources for ICT activities in the country. For most purposes, assessments must also include the readiness of the policy environment to facilitate the needed increase in connectivity and utilization. As a guideline, infoDev suggests that the ICT Infrastructure and E- readiness Assessment effort should: · Be carried out by a government organization or its designee with the ability to facilitate communications among all relevant ministries with responsibility for ICT policy, planning, and implementation; · Be conducted using methods jointly agreed upon with infoDev and the Facilitation Center; · Involve a coordinating group within the government to promote consistent and coordinated policies across government; · Involve all key stakeholders, both public and private, with industry and civil society participants to advise the government on appropriate policies and programs to promote ICT development; · Result in an assessment using an appropriate methodology that is tailored to identify strategic opportunities for progress and key obstacles/bottlenecks that must be removed, with special attention to the policy framework and the availability of qualified human resources. A Readiness assessment should serve to develop an Action Plan which addresses the opportunities and bottlenecks identified. The geographic focus of an assessment should be national, although an assessment for multi-national regions or regions within large nations may be considered. Similarly, an assessment could be multi-sectoral, or could focus on a critical area such as E-Commerce or E-Government. Grantees may be invited to present their work at infoDev sponsored events. Further information on preparing a Grant Proposal is available online at: http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness/ You should review this site periodically as it will be updated as new information becomes available. Submitting a Proposal A Proposal Outline is attached. Each Proposal must be submitted following the outline. The proposal should be presented in English, French, or Spanish. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 226 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Proposals may be submitted at any time until program funds are exhausted. The website will be periodically updated with the status of grant funding. If a Grant Proposal is unsuccessful in its first review, infoDev may request that the proposal be substantially revised and resubmitted. Please submit your Proposal electronically in MS Word or Word Perfect, formatted for Windows, by email to: ereadiness@worldbank.org Alternatively, Proposals may be mailed in either of the two above formats on a 3.5 inch disk to: The infoDev Program The World Bank 1818 H St. NW Room F5P - 156 Washington, DC 20433 For further information on the infoDev ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessment Initiative you may contact: email: ereadiness@worldbank.org phone: (202) 473-7005 fax: (202) 522-3186 web page: http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness Proposal Evaluation Criteria The following criteria will be used in evaluating the Proposal for funding: 1. Quality of the plan for the ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment: This would include the appropriateness of the Assessment, the purposes it is to serve, capacity to coordinate such Assessments; skills and background of key participants, and approach to managing the transparency and objectivity of the Assessment. 2. Demonstrated support from key constituents, especially the government, the private sector and non- profit organizations. Support from other partners such as donors would be considered. Support can be demonstrated by letters of commitment, proceedings of preparatory meetings, memoranda of understanding, etc. Matching funds will be considered a strong demonstration of support. 3. The likely impact of a successful ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment on social and economic development: Does the Assessment meet real needs for information? Is the policy environment conducive to efforts to enhance ICT applications and E-readiness and to build commercial, governmental and other applications of information and communication technologies? 4. Sustainability: Priority will be given to proposals which are likely to result in a timely understanding of e-readiness in their countries, and from organizations that have the ability to utilize this knowledge effectively in promoting social and economic development on a continuing basis. infoDev reserves the right to select proposals to achieve a geographically balanced portfolio. Preference will be given to proposals from poorer countries, especially IDA countries. Proposals identifying matching funds from sources other than infoDev are preferred. Past performance and diligence on previous infoDev grant funded activities, such as Y2K related grants, will be given due consideration. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 227 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Proposal Review Process This initiative will accept proposals until funds are exhausted. infoDev expects to fund about 20-30 proposals with an average of about $50,000 per grant. Grant funding will be negotiated for successful proposals on the basis of the proposed budget and its review. A highly expedited panel review process will be used for the evaluation of these proposals. The panel is expected to review proposals on a bi-weekly basis. Notification of successful proponents should be made soon thereafter. Grants should be awarded within 30 days of notification of the results. Proposals will generally be rated as "acceptable" or "not acceptable." In a few cases, the Review Panel may defer decision on a proposal in order to obtain information clarifying a critical issue; in such cases the Panel will reconsider the proposal in its first meeting after the required information has been received. As long as funds are available, infoDev will initiate grants for all acceptable proposals as soon as each proposal review has been completed. Grant funds should not be committed by the Proponent before the execution of the Grant Agreement. Proposal Content A Grant Proposal should address the following issues: · The scope and purpose of the ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment; · The existing information on ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness in the country and specifically in the area being proposed; · The method to be used in assessments and the rationale (if already selected), and if and how you would modify that method to better meet your assessment needs (in collaboration with the Facilitation Center); (http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness/methodology.htm) · Evidence of support from key constituents; · The likely impact of a successful ICT infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment on social and economic development; and · How the efforts initiated under the proposed grant will be sustained after the infoDev funds are fully utilized. Proposal Outline 1. Title Page. Should include the name of the recipient entity, and the name of the contact person and an alternate, with complete contact information (email address, phone number, fax number and mailing address). Identify collaborating organizations, if any. 2. Discussion of the ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment The Proposal should clarify the role that the Assessment will have for the country or region. What purpose(s) will it fill? What assessments already exist, and what is now known about E-readiness? 3. Statement of Objectives of the ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment Grant The Proposal should provide a clear and brief statement of the objectives of the proposed grant activity. What needs would the assessment fulfill? 4. Activities for the Grant Resources The Proposal should identify those Assessment activities necessary to achieve the objectives. Products (Deliverables) to be produced with Grant funds should be specified. The Proposal should identify critical E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 228 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 constraints to producing those products that are to be solved with Grant resources. The Proposal should include a time line, identify the participants and the responsibilities of the senior personnel. It should describe how the assessment is to be managed. Include a one page biography of each key project official in an Annex. 5. Qualifications of the Proponents The proposal should identify the qualifications of the proponent organizations. If the proponents have already produced an earlier ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness assessment, please describe that work in an appendix to the Proposal. 6. Budget and Budget Justification The Proposal should itemize the infoDev funds and counterpart funds separately. Categorize the budget presentation into Salaries (list by title and % effort. infoDev funds may not be used for granting honoraria to government employees.); Materials; Travel; Transportation and Per Diem (justify purpose, and give location, timing and duration in the Budget Justification); Consultation (justify purpose, and specify duration, source, amount, and rate in the Budget Justification); and Other Costs. 7. Evaluation Plan As part of each Proposal there should be an evaluation plan. It should define indicators such as the utilization of the Assessment, the completeness and accuracy of the Assessment, evidence of consultation efforts during the Assessment. Where possible these indicators should be quantitative. The Proposal should specify how you will measure these indicators and when the evaluation results will be reported. Deliverables We suggest deliverables such as the following: · A report identifying the organizational structure of the initiative's Coordinating Group and a description of its main duties. · A document presenting the final methodology to be used in performing the Assessment. · The E-Readiness Assessment report outlining the critical issues that need to be addressed. · An Action Plan for follow-up and use of the Assessment along with proposed strategies/next steps in addressing these issues. · A report providing the evaluation results. · A final report on grant activities, in conformance with the template to be developed by the Facilitation Center. · Presentation, if requested, of the Assessment process, findings, and Action Plan. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 229 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 8. RFP for the infoDev e-readiness Facilitation Center The Information for Development (infoDev) Program invites Proposals for establishing and maintaining a Facilitation Center to provide coordination, organizational, and technical support to developing and transition countries that receive infoDev grants for assessment of ICT infrastructure and E-readiness. The Facilitation Center is expected to begin initial operation in March 2001 and work under infoDev's overall guidance in providing such support for a period of one year to the estimated 20-30 grant recipients for country level assessments. Description of the ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessment Initiative to be Supported by the Facilitation Center infoDev seeks to promote the dissemination of information and communication technologies for social and economic development, especially that benefiting the poor. Its programs are described on its web site: http://www.infodev.org Among its special initiatives was a program conducted in the late 1990's to encourage developing countries to plan to deal with the Y2K problem. Another recent initiative provides grants to assist developing countries to plan Country Development Gateways. We are now offering grants to countries interested in conducting ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessments. These assessments should provide the basic information for development of policies and programs to improve the infrastructure and E-readiness, as well as establish a baseline for the evaluation of such programs. The guidelines for submitting proposals for such grants are available on our website (http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness/rfp1.htm) In summary, these ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment efforts funded for country assessment activities will: · Be carried out by a government organization or designated agency with the ability to facilitate communications among all relevant ministries with responsibility for ICT policy, planning, and implementation; · Be conducted using methods jointly agreed upon with infoDev and the Facilitation Center; · Involve a coordinating group within government to promote consistent and coordinated policies across government; · Involve all key stakeholders, both public and private, with industry and civil society participants to advise the government on appropriate policies and programs to promote ICT development; · Result in an assessment using an appropriate methodology that is tailored in advance to identify strategic opportunities for progress and key obstacles/bottlenecks that must be removed; · Lead to the development of an Action Plan that will address the opportunities and bottlenecks identified in the readiness assessment to further the objectives of the country, as stated in the Grant proposal. This invitation is for proposals for a Center to provide support and assistance to the grantees as discussed above. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 230 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Description of the Facilitation Center Functions: The purposes of the Facilitation Center will be to: · Help grantees in the Assessment program to conduct sound and useful studies, and to conduct those Assessments in such a manner as to maximize the probability of positive future impact; · Coordinate the assessment efforts of various grantees; · Make available to them the best practices in the assessment and planning of ICT infrastructure. The coordination effort should assist the grantees in mastering Assessment methodology, and enable grantees to document findings in comparable formats which facilitate sharing of information and lessons learned. To aviod conflict of interest, the recipient of the Facilitation Center grant should neither solicit nor receive subcontracts from the country grants. · The specific purposes of the Facilitation Center are to: · Develop and disseminate a toolkit that would include a taxonomy of existing assessment methodologies, showing strengths and weaknesses of each to address varying needs and situations, an indicative outline of the process to be followed, and templates of reports; · Develop "best practices" on coordination and partnerships, based on experience of in a variety of countries in conducting similar Assessments (and ultimately amplifying the understanding of best practices from the experience of the infoDev Assessment grantees); · Share these "best practices" and successes, especially focusing on solutions to improve national IT infrastructure as relates to e-government, e-commerce, and e-learning; · Assist grantees in mastering assessment methodologies and in development of ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Action Plans; · Develop an outline of what elements need to be addressed in a typical National ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Action Plan. infoDev suggests that in order to meet the Center's objectives, the following types of activities will be appropriate: (1) Develop an Assessment Toolkit; (2) Develop a "Best Practice Guide" on the conduct of Assessments; (3) Maintain an electronic mail list of ICT focal points from Bank member countries; (4) Provide technical assistance and guidance to country recipients in the conduct of their Assessments; (5) Organize and lead regional and global assessment workshops at start of program in which participants from grant receiving countries can be trained on assessment methodologies and development of Action Plans; (6) Create and maintain dynamic, interactive web pages covering information on current projects, development of best practices, lessons learned, and other related information; (7) Propose and facilitate discussion among the Assessment grantees on a list-serve or other electronic bulletin board; (8) Disseminate information and translate significant postings to the web page and mail list into English, French and Spanish; (9) Develop a template for the Final Report to be prepared by recipients of country assessment grants; E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 231 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 (10)Prepare a report, summarizing the experiences of countries that will avail of the infoDev grants, highlighting results and achievements of grant recipients as well as other relevant E-readiness assessment reports available. Further information on preparing a Grant Proposal is available online at: http://www.infodev.org/ereadiness/ You should review this site periodically as it will be updated as new information becomes available. Submitting a Proposal How to Submit a Proposal A Proposal Outline is attached. Each Proposal must be submitted following the outline. The proposal should be presented in English, French, or Spanish. Proposals are due by the close of business, March 1, 2001. Please submit your Proposal electronically in MS Word or Word Perfect, formatted for Windows, by email to: ereadiness@worldbank.org Alternatively, the Proposal may be mailed, in either of the two above formats on a 3.5 inch disk to: The infoDev Program The World Bank 1818 H St. NW Room F5P - 156 Washington, DC 20433 For further information on the infoDev ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessment Initiative you may contact Mr. Vivek Chaudhry at infoDev email: vchaudhry1@worldbank.org phone: (202) 473-3880 fax: (202) 522-3186 Proposal Evaluation Criteria A. Quality of the plan for the Facilitation Center: Factors involved in this judgment would include the appropriateness of the proposed activities, and approach to support the assessment initiative. B. Demonstrated capacity to support the Initiative: Relevant work in this area, and the skills and background of key participants, command of the literature on E-Readiness Assessments (especially that pertaining to developing countries), etc. C. A demonstrated understanding of the technical, policy and regulatory issues: in order to provide assistance in such areas to grant recipients. D. Management Effectiveness: The quality of the plan for providing assistance to the Assessment Grantees in a timely and useful fashion. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 232 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 E. Cost: The proposed effort which offers adequate support to meet the needs of the Assessment Grantees at least cost will be funded. Proposal Review Process This initiative will accept proposals until March 1, 2001. A highly expedited panel review process will be used for the evaluation of these proposals. Funding will be negotiated for a successful proposal on the basis of the proposed budget and its review. In principle, infoDev intends to allocate no more than $250,000 for the Facilitation Center. The successful proponent will be notified by March 8, 2001 and is expected to be able to begin support to the Initiative by March 15, 2001. Contract funds should not be committed by the Proponent before the execution of the Grant Agreement. Proposal Outline A Contract Proposal should address the issues highlighted in the Call For Proposals and include the following: 1. Title Page: should include the name of the recipient entity, and the name of the contact person and alternate, with complete contact information (email address, phone number, fax number and mailing address); 2. Objectives: The Proposal should provide a clear and brief statement of the objectives of the proposed facility; 3. Background: The proposal should discuss methodology for ICT Infrastructure and E-Readiness Assessments, identifying existing "best practice" studies, and should consider briefly the issues in the conduct of such assessments; 4. Activities: The Proposal should clarify the role of the Facilitation Center and propose a timeframe for the activities necessary to achieve the objectives; 5. Deliverables: A description of the deliverables to be provided under the grant; 6. Qualifications of the Proponents: The proposal should identify the qualifications of the proponent organizations. If the proponents have been involved in similar work, please describe that work in an appendix to the proposal; 7. Budget and Budget Justification: The Proposals should itemize the infoDev funds and provide justification for the cost categories under Services, Materials, Travel, and Other Costs. All budgeted items must be directly related to activities in support of the Initiative. 8. Management Plan: Describe how the effort will be managed to provide assistance to 20 to 30 Assessment teams in different countries, in order to assure that the Center will maintain contact with all teams regularly, and provide needed help in a timely and effective manner. 9. Evaluation Plan: As part of each Proposal there should be an evaluation plan. It should define indicators such as the utilization of the assessment, the expected completeness and accuracy of the assessment, evidence of consultation efforts with all stakeholders during the assessment. Where possible these indicators should be quantitative. The Proposal should specify how these indicators will be measured and when the evaluation results will be reported. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 233 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Deliverables We suggest deliverables such as the following: · A Toolkit for implementing the assessments; · A draft "best practices" manual; · Assessment workshops for training country recipients; · A brief monthly status report on the network membership and activities to infoDev; · A maintained list of current network members and contact information for dissemination; · A final Best Practices Manual; · A status report on the Center's activities at the next annual infoDev symposium in Oct/Nov 2001. · A Final Report on the activities and recommendations, at the end of the first year of operation. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 234 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 9. Study questionnaire for grantee countries Completed by e-readiness assessment teams as part of the study of infoDev's e- readiness initiative 1. Respondent's details Name: Position: Organization: Phone number: Address: Email address: Date: 2. General Project Information 2.1 Project title: 2.2 Grant recipient organization: 2.3 Other participating organizations, if any: 2.4 Grant period: From ___________to _____________ 2.5 Date report was published: 2.6 Project team members: Mailing address, Name Position and name of institution telephone, fax, web Role in the project and e-mail address 3. Background 3.1 How do you define "e-readiness"? 3.2 What were the overall objectives in conducting this assessment? 3.3 Who were the key stakeholders in the e-readiness process? (Please be sure to include government, constituencies, private sector, academic centers, NGOs and any other group that had a key interest in the execution and results of your study). Is there anyone else that should have been included? 3.4 Which stakeholders were more actively involved in the assessment? 3.5 What challenges did the stakeholders encounter, and were there any conflicts of interest between them? (e.g. government departments with different agendas and priorities for ICT) 3.5.1 What other e-readiness assessments have been conducted in your country? 3.5.2 Who conducted them? 3.5.3 Who funded them? 3.5.4 What methodologies did they use? E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 235 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Methodology 3.6 What assessment tool -- or combination of tools -- were used? 3.7 What were the main criteria for selecting this approach? 3.8 Were there benefits to using this assessment tool? If so, what were they? 3.9 Were there any disadvantages to using this assessment tool? If so, what were they? 3.10 In retrospect, if you could do the assessment again, what, if anything, would you do differently? 3.11 Were steps were taken as part of the study to assess the inclusion, participation, readiness and access to information of different communities and groups of people, particularly those traditionally excluded on the basis of socio-economic status, gender, age, race or religion? If not, why? If yes, which steps, and which groups? 4. e-Readiness and the Broader Enabling Environment infoDev and bridges.org61 recognize that ICT can only have a substantial developmental impact if access to ICT is supported by a broader enabling environment. The following questions are designed to better understand the broader enabling environment including the linkages between policy, regulation, government capacity, the balance of public and private investment, and related issues of social capital and government-civil society cooperation in creating information-rich societies and economies. Please rate the extent to which each of the following issues were considered in the assessment, and provide a short explanation. 0 = not at all 1= mentioned once 2 = measured at a basic level 3 = measured adequately 4 = measured properly 5 = measured extensively 4.1 Available infrastructure and physical access to it Most e-readiness assessments measure elements of access to ICT. How thoroughly was access to different ICT in different contexts measured in the assessment? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.2 Costs and affordability of technology People will use ICT only when it is affordable. Was the cost of ICT and its use considered in the assessment? Was this compared with the average household income or some such indicator to establish how affordable the use of and access to ICT is for the general population? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.3 Appropriateness of technology to local needs and conditions Information and communication needs and wants vary across different contexts. 61These twelve questions are based on bridges.org's Real Access criteria. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 236 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Did the assessment consider whether the ICT that is available is appropriate to how people need and want to put it to use, and whether it fits within the reality of their daily lives? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.4 Capacity and training Often people are limited in their use of ICT because they lack training. Did the assessment include indicators for the capacity of the population (and the various groups that comprise this) to use ICT, and did it explore whether the training people need is available? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.5 Locally relevant content and services People and organizations need to access relevant content that meets their everyday information needs. To what extent was the availability of locally relevant content and services, especially in terms of language, considered? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.6 Integration into people's daily lives People are unlikely to use ICT if it adds further burden to their daily routine. Did the assessment consider the extent to which ICT is integrated into people's daily lives? Did it explore whether the population considers ICT easily accessible and useful or a further burden? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.7 Socio-cultural factors that inhibit ICT use The digital divide mirrors other inequalities. People must not be limited in their use of ICT because of their gender, race, age or other socio-cultural factors. Did the assessment consider the use of ICT by people of different genders, races, income groups, ages, religions and other socio-economic/cultural factors? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.8 Trust in the use of ICT People need to have confidence in and understand the implications of the ICT they use. Did the assessment measure whether people trust ICT and feel confident and informed about things like electronic privacy, data security and cybercrime? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.9 Legal and regulatory environment The legal and regulatory frameworks that govern a country can either foster or hinder technology use, depending on the principles that shape them and how they are implemented. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 237 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Did the assessment deal with the laws and regulations that govern ICT use? Did it include recommendations for creating an environment that fosters the use of ICT? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.10 Local economic environment and sustainability The local economic situation will determine the level and frequency of technology use. It needs to support and sustain ICT use over the long-term. Did the assessment consider the various local economic environments across the country, and how this impacts on the use of ICT? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.11 Macro economic environment The national economic policy must be conducive to widespread ICT use. Did the assessment report deal with the macro economic environment, and explore how this impacts on the use of ICT in the country? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.12 Public support for technology use and political will to drive change National governments can play a fundamental role in creating an environment that will foster the use of ICT, but they must have the political will to drive change and need strong public support. Did the assessment report explore the government's political will for promoting the use of ICT across the country? Rating: 0 1 2 3 4 5 Explanation: 4.13 Do you think these 12 "Real Access" criteria are relevant for consideration in e-readiness assessments? Why? 4.14 Which, if any, do you think are most relevant for considering your country's e-readiness? 5. Findings In this section we wish to learn about the conclusions and results of the assessment. Feel free to annex any additional documentation. 5.1What were the key findings of the assessment? 5.2What were the key recommendations made in the assessment? (Feel free to provide additional documentation). 6. Outputs This section requires input regarding the concrete deliverables produced. 6.1Describe the main dissemination activities for making the assessment results widely known. If the results were not disseminated, please explain why. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 238 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 6.2Was a website established to share information, methodology and assessment reports? If so, what was the overall impact of the website? Please provide any statistics on its usage and the web address. 6.3Were any tangible products (books, reports, seminars, etc.) produced? Please provide quantitative information such as distribution or participation in numbers. 7. Outcomes By "outcomes" we mean the things that happened as a result of the findings. 7.1 Did the assessment change the behavior of any of the stakeholders; produce new policies; organizational structure; laws; norms or practices? If so, please briefly describe the most important outcomes. 7.2 To date, how has the Assessment Report been received by government? To what extent have the findings been adopted and used? 7.3 To your knowledge, have any policy documents been informed by the findings of the report? (Please tick all those applicable and provide a reference/URL): Action plan/ e ­strategy Ref: P Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) Ref: P National development strategy Ref: P Sector-specific development strategy e.g.: Education, Health, Agriculture etc. (please specify) Sector: Ref: Other (please specify) Policy doc: Ref: 8. Evaluation of report and process 8.1 Were the project team's efforts evaluated, and if so by whom? Please provide a brief summary of the results. 8.2 Please comment on the assistance the project team received from infoDev. Please tick the box that most closely reflects your experience. (This excludes financial support) 8.2.1 InfoDev's overall level of support was: Too involved, too top-down or too heavy handed. They prevented us from conducting the assessment in our own way Just right and was a balance between offering support and affording us independence in our process Useful at times but they were not always available They did not provide sufficient support E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 239 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 8.2.2 In preparing the assessment report, infoDev gave us: A great deal of useful support Adequate support Very little support 8.2.3 In preparing the action plan, infoDev gave us: A great deal of useful support Adequate support Very little support No support 8.3 Did you use infoDev's outline in preparing your report? If so, why? Was it useful? And if not, why not? 8.4 Did you use infoDev's outlines for generating the assessment report? If so, why? Was it useful? And if not, why not? 8.5 Please describe any positive effects of infoDev's input. 8.6 Were there any negative aspects of their input? If so, please explain. 8.7 How useful were the toolkit and facilitation center? How often did you refer to these resources? What was most useful? What was least useful? 8.8 What were the key internal and external challenges faced in conducting the assessment? How were they addressed? 9. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and e-readiness The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are concrete targets agreed upon by 147 heads of states and governments in September 2000. The Goals commit the international community to work together, developing a global partnership for development (goal number 8) in addressing specific aspects of poverty (goals 1-7). Information and Communications Technology (ICT) is increasingly viewed as tools to employ in the global campaign to reach the Goals. The Millennium Development Goals are: (i) Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty (ii) Achieve universal primary education (iii) Promote gender equity and empower women (iv) Reduce child mortality (v) Improve maternal health (vi) Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases (vii) Ensure environmental sustainability (viii) Build a global partnership for development 9.1 Have you come across the MDGs in your work at all? If so, in what context? 9.2 Do you know anything about the programs your country is implementing towards reaching the MDGs? If so, please describe briefly. 9.3 Has your country set about aligning its ICT policies with poverty reduction? If so, please explain what is being done. E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 240 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 9.4 What, in your opinion, are the priorities for development in your country in the context of the MDGs? 9.5 How do you think ICT can be harnessed to address these priorities? 9.6 Do you think that being "e-ready" is beneficial for reaching the MDGs? Please explain your answer. (A country is "e-ready" when it meets the requirements for "e-readiness" - please use the definition of e-readiness you provided above when answering this question.) 9.7 If you were given more resources for continuing the e-readiness activity, what would be the priority areas for further action? 10. Final comments Do you have anything further that you would like to share with us? Many thanks for your time in completing this questionnaire E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 241 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 10: Study interview questions and discussion points For country workshops (accompanying the written questionnaire) (1) How have things changed in the field of e-readiness in since the report was produced? · Has your understanding/definition of e-readiness changed at all from the definition used for the assessment? · Please provide a broad overview of where the country is in terms of e-readiness, and how this is impacting on its socio-economic development? · Please tell us about some of the main initiatives in the country that are addressing the digital divide/ issues raised in the assessment report. · According to our updated "Who What Where" report, has been assessed times. What do you think is the value in having more than one e-readiness assessment, with updated information and different methodologies applied? (2) To what extent do the digital divide issues in this country have political will backing efforts to address them? What are some of the major governmental efforts (both policy and implementation) in this area? (3) What value can the Real Access/ Real Impact criteria offer for thinking about e-readiness in ? (4) What is the value of assessing/ addressing 's e-readiness within the framework of the MDGs? Are you aware of major efforts (again, policy and implementation) addressing the MDGs in ? Which MDGs are most pressing for ? Do you think that ICT can be harnessed to address them? What kinds of indicators can you think of that could measure this kind of impact? Do you think that assessments looking at progress towards the MDGs through the lens of ICT for development would be useful in this country? (5) How was the overall experience of conducting the assessment and producing the assessment report? · What was the grant period for your assessment? Did you complete the assessment within the expected time? How long did the assessment process take in total (including assessment and drafting of the report)? When was the report published? (Has it been published yet?) · What were the greatest challenges you faced in conducting the assessment and/or drafting the report? · What were the most positive aspects of the assessment process? What was the easiest part? · What were the most negative aspects of the assessment process? What was the most E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 242 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 difficult part? · What would you do differently if you were to do the assessment again? · What lessons have you learned about e-readiness assessments? What would you recommend to others who are about to embark on an e-readiness assessment process? (6) Which e-readiness assessment tool did you use for this assessment? · Did you develop it yourself (or in-country)? Why did you choose this particular assessment tool? Were you aware of others? How did you find the assessment tool you chose / developed? · What were the most relevant features of the assessment tool? The least relevant? · Did you encounter any problems in using the tool, in terms of its usefulness or applicability to your country's situation? · Did you change anything about this tool when you used it? Would you recommend changes in the tool? Would you use this tool again? · What was the best or most useful feature of this particular assessment tool? The worst or least useful? (7) What were the key findings and recommendations of the assessment? · Were the findings consistent with what you expected to see? What were surprise findings? What was already expected and then confirmed? · Are there any further recommendations you would make now, in addition to those in the report? · What is the most important information related to ICT use in your country that can be gleaned from the assessment? Lessons? How can this be put to use in your country? · What is your overall impression of the role of ICT for development in your country? How "ready" do you think your country is to adopt ICT and put it to effective use in business, government and civil society? · Where are your country's greatest advantages in the ICT area? Greatest weaknesses or obstacles? (8) What outcomes followed publication of the report and plan of action? · How it has been presented/ disseminated to other policy-makers? · Have any changes/ developments in policy occurred as a result of the findings and recommendations presented in the report? · How could the results of the assessment be put to the greatest use? How could the effect of the report be maximized? Do you think the report could be used in other ways? What would be needed to make this happen? · Is there any potential for the use of the report outside of the current channels? (If it is a government process, is there any way to get it used by other government agencies, or the private sector? Civil society?) (9) Please describe your experiences working with infoDev in this project. · How did infoDev support your work (besides funding)? · How was infoDev most helpful to your assessment process? Were they available to help? What was infoDev's greatest contribution to the assessment process? · What has been your experience with the infoDev e-readiness assessment Facilitation Center and the infoDev toolkit materials? Did you make use of them as part of your assessment process? Were they helpful? · How were your interactions with infoDev during the assessment process? Were you E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 243 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 assigned to an infoDev staff member? Was infoDev responsive to your needs? Did they communicate effectively with you regarding your grant? Your assessment? · How could infoDev improve its work with in-country grantees? E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 244 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 11: MDG targets and indicators Goal Target Indicators 1. Eradicate extreme poverty and Halve, between 1990 and Proportion of population below $1 a day hunger 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less National poverty headcount ratio *62 than $1 a day Halve, between 1990 and Poverty gap ratio at $1 a day 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from Share of poorest quintile in national hunger consumption Prevalence of underweight in children under 5 years of age Proportion of population below min level of dietary energy consumption 2. Achieve universal primary Ensure that, by 2015, children Net enrolment ratio in primary education education everywhere, boys and girls Proportion of pupils starting grade 1 who alike, will be able to complete reach grade 5. a full course of primary Primary completion rate * schooling Literacy rate of 15 to 24-year-olds. 3. Promote gender equality and Eliminate gender disparity in Ratio of girls to boys in primary, secondary empower women primary and secondary and tertiary education education preferably by 2005 Ratio of literate females to males among 15- and in all levels of education to 24-year-olds no later than 2015. Share of women in wage employment in the nonagricultural sector Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament 4. Reduce child mortality Reduce by two-thirds, Under-give mortality rate between 1990 and 2015, the Infant mortality rate under-five mortality rate Proportion of one-year old children immunized against measles 5. Improve maternal health Reduce by three-quarters, Maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015, the Proportion of births attended by skilled health maternal mortality ratio personnel 6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and Have halted by 2015 and HIV prevalence among 15- to 24-year-old pregnant other diseases begun to reverse the spread women of HIV/AIDS Condom use rate of the contraceptive prevalence rate * Condom use at last high-risk sex Percentage of population aged 15-24 with comprehensive correct knowledge of HIV/AIDS* Contraceptive prevalence rate Ratio of school attendance of orphans to school attendance on non-orphans aged 10-14 Have halted by 2015 and Prevalence and death rates associated with malaria begun to reverse the Proportion of population in malaria-risk areas using incidence of malaria and other effective malaria prevention and treatment measures diseases Prevalence and death rates associated with tuberculosis Proportion of tuberculosis cases detected and cured under directly observed treatment short course (DOTS) 7. Ensure environmental Integrate the principles of Proportion of land area covered by forest sustainability sustainable development into country policies and program Ratio of area protected to maintain biological diversity to surface area and reverse the loss of Energy use per unit of GDP environmental resources Carbon dioxide emissions (per capita) and consumption of ozone-depleting chlorofluorocarbons 62These have been proposed as additional MDG indicators, but are yet to be adopted E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 245 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Proportion of population using solid fuels * Halve, by 2015, the Proportion of population with sustainable access to proportion of people without an improved water source, urban and rural sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic Proportion of population with access to improved sanitation sanitation Have achieved, by 2020, a Proportion of households with with access to secure significant improvement in the tenure lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers 8. Develop a global partnership for Develop further an open, rule- Net ODA total and to least developed countries, as a development based, predictable, percentage of OECD/DAC donors' gross income nondiscriminatory trading and Proportion of bilateral, sector-allocable ODA of financial system (includes a OECD/DAC donors for basic social services (basic commitment to good education, primary health care, nutrition, safe water, governance, development, and sanitation) and poverty reduction--both nationally and internationally) Address the special needs of Proportion of bilateral ODA of OECD/DAC the least developed countries donors that is untied (includes tariff-and quota-free access for exports enhanced ODA received in landlocked countries as program of debt relief for proportion of their GNI HIPC and cancellation of official bilateral debt, and ODA received in small island developing states as more generous ODA for proportion of their GNI countries committed to poverty reduction) Address the special needs of Proportion of total developed country imports landlocked countries and (excluding arms) from developing countries and least small island developing states developed countries admitted free of duties (through the Program of Average tariffs imposed by developed countries on Action for the Sustainable agricultural products and clothing from developing Development of Small Island countries Developing States and 22nd Agricultural support estimate for OECD countries as General Assembly provisions) a percentage of their GDP Proportion of ODA provided to help build trade capacity Deal comprehensively with Total number of countries that have reached their the debt problems of HIPC decision points and completion points developing countries through (cumulative) national and international Debt relief committed under HIPC initiative, US$ measures in order to make Debt service as a percentage of exports of goods and debt sustainable in the long services term In cooperation with Unemployment rate of 15- to 24-year-olds, male and developing countries, develop female and total and implement strategies for decent and productive work for youth In cooperation with Proportion of population with access to affordable, pharmaceutical companies, essential drugs on a sustainable basis provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries In cooperation with the Telephone lines and cellular subscribers per 100 private sector, make available population the benefits of new Personal computers in use per 100 population technologies, especially information and communications Internet users per 100 population E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 246 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Annex 12: List of references on e-readiness and MDGs E-readiness and general A co-operative effort to implement the Information Society in Europe: Action Plan, prepared by the Candidate Countries with the assistance of the European Commission, June 2001 "Social Policy in Brazil: Targeting the Poor" The Economist, Vol.268 No. 8337, 16 August 2003, pages 31-33 Bui TX, Sebastian IM, Jones W, Naklada S, E-Commerce Readiness in East Asian APEC Countries ­ A precursor to determine HRD requirements and capacity-building, APEC, http://www.apec.org/apec/apec_groups/other_apec_groups/new_economy_-_e- apec.downloadlinks.0006.LinkURL.Download.ver5.1.9 DOI, Creating a Development Dynamic: Final report of the Digital Opportunity Initiative, 2001 Dymond A, Oestmann S, A Rural ICT Toolkit for Africa, African Connection: Center for Strategic Planning Intelecon Research & Consultancy http://www.infodev.org/projects/telecommunications/351africa/RuralICT/Toolkit.pdf, also at www.inteleconresearch.com ECA, E-Strategies: National, sectoral and regional ICT policies, plans and strategies, Sub- committee on Information and Communication Technology: ICT and Governance. Third meeting of the Committee on Development Information (CODI) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 10 17 May 2003 EC, eEurope+ Action Plan: A co-operative effort to implement the Information Society in Europe, 2003, prepared by the candidate countries with the assistance of the European Commission EIU, "2002 e-readiness rankings: A white paper from the Economist Intelligence Unit", The Economist, http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN010005.pdf EIU, "2003 e-readiness rankings: A white paper from the Economist Intelligence Unit", The Economist, http://graphics.eiu.com/files/ad_pdfs/eReady_2003.pdf bridges.org, "E-Readiness as a tool for ICT development", infoDev Annual Report 2001, 2001a bridges.org, Spanning the Digital Divide: Understanding and tackling the issues, 2001b, http://www.bridges.org/spanning/report.html bridges.org, Taking Stock and Looking Ahead: Digital divide assessment of the City of Cape Town, 2002, http://www.bridges.org/capetown/cpt_digital_divide_report_9_june_2003.pdf bridges.org, "Environmental Information Network of Ghana", Case Study, 2003, http://www.bridges.org/iicd_casestudies/ein/ bridges.org, Gender mainstreaming in ICT policy and related capacity-building, 2003 bridges.org, "Better, Faster, Cheaper: Developing and Leveraging World Class ICT Networks for Social and Economic Advancement", World Economic Forum, 2002 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 247 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 bridges.org, World Economic Forum-NEPAD E-Readiness Policy Program: Building capacity to narrow the digital divide in Africa from within, 2003 Chen W, Wellman B, Charting and Bridging Digital Divides: Comparing socio-economic, gender, life stage and rural-urban Internet access and use in eight countries, 2003, AMD Global Consumer Advisory Board CID, Readiness for the Networked World: A guide for developing countries, http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/readinessguide/guide.pdf CSPP, The CSPP Guide to Global Electronic Commerce Readiness, http://www.cspp.org/projects/cspp_gec/index2.html Development Gateway, ICT as a Tool for Mitigating and Preventing HIV/AIDS, 2003, http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/dghighlights/highlight?high_id=7727&red irect=0 DFID, Marker P, McNamara K, Wallace L, The significance of information and communication technologies for reducing poverty, January 2002, http://www1.oecd.org/dac/ictcd/docs/matrixdocs/GBR_paper1.pdf, last accessed 13 January 2005 Dasgupta S, Lall S, Wheeler D, Policy Reform, Economic Growth and the Digital divide: an econometric analysis, Development Research Group, World Bank, 2000 Economic Commission for Africa, E-Strategies: National, Sectoral and Regional ICT Policies, Plans and Strategies Sub-committee on Information and Communication Technology, 2003 Fink C, Kenny CJ, W(h)ither the digital divide?, 2003, http://www.developmentgateway.org/download/232800/W_h_ither_DD__Jan_.pdf Gerster R, Zimmerman S, Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and Poverty Reduction in Sub Saharan Africa, A learning study (synthesis), Gerster Consulting, Switzerland, 2003 Government of Pakistan (Ministry of IT), Draft Mobile Cellular Sector Policy, 2003, http://66.102.9.104/search?q=cache:ZwtwhloV9hAJ:pakistan.gov.pk/itandtelecom- division/informationandservices/draftmobilepolicy24122003.pdf+cellular+policy+pakistan&hl =en&ie=UTF-8 Sciadas G, Monitoring Digital Divide and beyond: Global Digital Divide Initiative Steering Committee on Policies and Strategies, 2003 Hanmer L, Hendrie B, "Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA): common themes and issues arising from five pilot studies", Prepared for the Joint World Bank/IMF/DFID PSIA Workshop 15-17 October 2002, http://poverty.worldbank.org/files/13992_dfid_psia_issuesnote.pdf Hanna N, "Mainstreaming E-Development: Integrating ICT into a comprehensive development agenda", Development Gateway (Interview with Dr Hanna of World Bank), 2003, http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=840917 Hanna N, Why National Strategies are needed for ICT-enabled Development, Information Solution Group, 2003 Hautamaki A, The Finnish Model of Information Society, Finland, 2002, http://e.finland.fi/netcomm/news/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=9989 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 248 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Hilkka Pietilä, "Nordic Welfare Society: A strategy to eradicate poverty and build up equality", Paper presented at Re-inventing Globalization, 2002, Ninth International AWID Forum, Guadalajara, Mexico Hoffman DL, Novak TP, Schlosser AE, The Evolution of the Digital Divide: How gaps in Internet access may impact electronic commerce, 2000, http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol5/issue3/hoffman.html infoDev Rafael, "Global Y2K Awareness and International Cooperation" Y2K-Summary Report infoDev, InfoDev Y2K toolkit: How to develop a national plan for the Y2K problem, 1998 infoDev, Report to the President's office on Y2K Activities in Operations, 2000 infoDev, Annual Report, 2001 infoDev, Y2K Initiative Report, 2001 infoDev, Annual Report, 2002 infoDev, Y2K Initiative Final Report, 2003 ITU, World Telecommunication Development Report 2003: Access Indicators for the Information Society, http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/publications/wtdr_03/index.html McConnell International, Risk E-Business: Seizing the opportunity of global e-readiness, 2000, http://www.mcconnellinternational.com/ereadiness/ereadiness.pdf McConnell International, The Global E-Government Outlook, http://www.mcconnellinternational.com/ereadiness/The_Global_E-Government_Outlook.pdf McNamara K, "Information and Communication Technologies, Poverty and Development: Learning from experience": Background paper for the infoDev Annual Symposium Geneva, Switzerland 9-10 December, 2003 Millennium Project, Background Paper of the Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation, 2003 Minges M, "Measuring Business Access to Information & Communication Technology" UNCTAD Expert Meeting on Measuring Electronic Commerce as an Instrument for the Development of the Digital Economy, Geneva, 8-10 September, 2003 Miller Esselaar and Associates, A Country ICT survey for Tanzania Final Report, November, 2001 NEPAD, "Bringing the Benefits of ICT to Africa", NEPAD Dialogue (6) NEPAD/AU", 2003, http://www.schoolnetafrica.net/fileadmin/resources/Bringing_the_benefits_of_ICT_to_Africa. pdf OECD, "Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in Development Programs", OECD Observer: Poverty Brief, 2003 OECD, "Information and Communication Technology in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as of January 2003", OECD Global Forum on Knowledge Economy, 2003b http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/53/54/2499909.doc OECD, "Information and Communication Technology in Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) as of August 2003", OECD Global Forum on Knowledge Economy, 2003c E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 249 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Orbicom, Monitoring the Digital Divide ... and beyond, 2003 Oxfam, Donorship' to Ownership?: Moving towards PRSP round two, Oxfam International, 2004 Paija L, ICT Cluster: The Engine of Knowledge-Driven Growth in Finland, Keskusteluaiheita The Research Institute of the Finnish Economy, Helsinki, 2000, http://www.etla.fi/finnish/research/publications/searchengine/pdf/dp/dp733.pdf Paternostro S, Beddies S, An Approach to Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA) World Bank, 2002, http://www.worldbank.org/poverty/strategies/events/attackpov/oct02_5a.pdf Robinson K, Crenshaw E, Globalization and the Digital Divide: The roles of structural conduciveness and global connection in Internet diffusion, 2003 Rodriguez F, Wilson EJ Are Poor Countries Losing the Information Revolution?, University of Maryland at College Park, 2000, http://www.infoDev.org/library/working.htm Ruddy T, Reducing Society's Need for Material Input EMPA, 2003 http://www.developmentgateway.org/node/133831/sdm/docview?docid=569545 Dutta S, Lanvin B & Paua F, The Global Information Technology Report, 2003­2004: Towards an Equitable Information Society Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation, Background paper of the Task Force on S, T & I Millennium Project: UN Secretary General and UN Development Group, 2003 Tipson FS, Frittelli C, Global Digital Opportunities: National Strategies of ICT for Development Markle Foundation, 2003 UN, "Guidelines for Panels" Africa Conference, Republic of Mozambique, 2003c http://www.infopol.gov.mz/africa_conference/africa_conference_documents/general_docume nts/guidelines_panels.html UNDP, Harnessing Digital Opportunities for Development Bureau for Development Policy ICT for Development Special Initiative, 2003a UNECA Africa Conference on e-Strategies for Development Maputo Declaration on e- Strategies for Development, 1-4 September 2003, Maputo http://www.uneca.org/aisi/bamako2002/MaputoDeclarationFinal.doc WEF, Global Governance Initiative: Executive Summary, 2004, http://www.weforum.org/pdf/Initiatives/GGI%20summary%20010604.pdf WEF, infoDev, INSEAD, The Global Information Technology Report, 2003-2004 Wiggell-Ryynanen B, "The Information Society as a Continuous Identity Project" Scandinavian Public Library Quarterly35 (4) 2002 http://www.splq.info/issues/vol35_4/01.htm World Bank, Methodology for Year, 2000 Risk Analysis and Contingency Planning in Developing Countries, 1999a, http://www.worldbank.org/infoDev/y2k/cp/english.htm World Bank, Knowledge for Development: World Development Report, 1998- 1999, 1999b World Bank World Bank Development Report, 2002 WSIS World Summit on the Information Society: Plan of Action. Geneva, 2003, http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-s/md/03/wsis/doc/S03-WSIS-DOC-0005!!PDF-E.pdf E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 250 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Millennium Development Goals Annan K, We the peoples: The role of the United Nations in the 21st century, 2000 http://www.un.org/millennium/sg/report/full.htm BBC World Service, Trust 2015-Where will we be? 2003, http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/trust/projectsindepth/story/2003/09/030909_mdgswhere willwebe.shtml Casely-Hayford L, Lynch P, A Review of Good Practice in ICT and Special Educational Needs for Africa, Imfundo Knowledge Bank, 2003, http://imfundo.digitalbrain.com/imfundo/web/papers/SEN/SENPHASE1FINAL.pdf CDF, Getting Serious About Meeting the Millennium Development Goals: A Comprehensive Development Framework progress report, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/CDFINTRANET/Resources/MDGReport.pdf Daly J, Information and Communications Technology and the Eradication of Hunger, 2003, http://www.developmentgateway.org/download/212039/hunger.pdf Daly J, Information and Communication Technology and Ensuring Environmental Sustainability, 2003b, http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF- 8&oe=UTF-8& IMF, World Bank, Achieving the MDGs and Related Outcomes: A framework for monitoring policies and actions 2003, http://siteresources.worldbank.org/DEVCOMMINT/Resources/Document/DC2003-0003- Add.1all.pdf IMF, World Bank, OECD, UN, A Better World for All: Progress towards the international development goals, 2000, http://www.paris21.org/betterworld/pdf/bwa_e.pdf infoDev, ICT for Development: Contributing to the Millennium Development Goals, 2003b, infoDev, 2003c Annual Report infoDev, ICT for Development: Contributing to the Millennium Development Goals: Lessons learned from seventeen infoDev projects, 2003b Isaacs S, "ICTs in African Schools: A Multi-Media Approach for Enhanced Learning and Teaching" TechKnowLogia, January-March, 2002 Koomson, "Telemedicine in Rural Uganda", Africa Recovery Online, Vol 13 (4), UN, 1999, http://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol13no4/26musoke.htm Michael Minges, "ICTs MDGs Information and Communication Technologies & the Millennium Development Goals" Inter-agency and Expert Meeting on Millennium Development Goal Indicators Geneva, Switzerland 10-13 November, 2003 Musoke MGN, "Maternal Health Care in Rural Uganda", IK Notes: No. 40 World Bank, 2002 OECD, Integrating Information and Communication Technologies in Development Programs, 2003 Qiang, Pitt, Ayers, ICT and MDGs: A World Bank Group Perspective, World Bank, Washington DC, 2003 E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 251 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Seattle Initiative for Global Development, Building a Better World: A new global development strategy to end extreme poverty A Policy Brief, 2004 South African Department of Education Draft White Paper on e-Education: Transforming Learning and Teaching through ICT, 2003, http://www.bridges.org/e- policy/sa/submissions/e_education.pdf Tikly L, Lowe J, Crossley M, Dachi H, Garrett R, Mukabaranga B, Globalization and Skills Development in Rwanda and Tanzania, DFID, 2003 UN, Resolution adopted by the General Assembly: United Nations Millennium Declaration, September 2000, http://www.un.org/millennium/declaration/ares552e.pdf UN, Road map towards the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, September 2001, http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N01/526/07/PDF/N0152607.pdf?OpenElement UN, Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration: Report of the Secretary- General, August 2004, http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N04/465/40/PDF/N0446540.pdf?OpenElement UN Millennium Project, Investing in Development: A practical plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, 2004, http://unmp.forumone.com/eng_full_report/MainReportComplete- lowres.pdf UN, Millennium Development Goals: Progress Report, 2004, http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/mdg2004chart.pdf UNDP, "Millennium Development Goals: A compact among nations to end human poverty", Human Development Report 2003b, http://www.undp.org/hdr2003/ UNITeS, Radio Sagarmatha Nepal, 2003a http://www.unites.org/cfapps/WSIS/story.cfm?Sid=11 UNITeS, Virtual Volunteer Program - Africa, 2003b, http://www.unites.org/cfapps/WSIS/story.cfm?Sid=13 Vandermoortele J, Are the MDGs Feasible? UNDP Bureau for Development Policy, 2002, New York http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/Attachments/Are+MDGs/$File/feasible.pdf World Bank, Millennium Development Goals, 2003a, http://www.developmentgoals.org/Goals.htm World Health Organization, Maternal Mortality, 1998, http://www.who.int/archives/whday/en/pages1998/whd98_01.html WSIS Civil Society Plenary, Shaping Information Societies for Human Needs: Civil society Declaration to the World Summit on Information Society, 8 December 2003, Geneva E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 252 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 Case Studies Reference List Belarus Mikhail Doroshevich, "Belarusian ICT infrastructure and e-readiness assessments", May, 2003, http://www.e-belarus.org/news/200306261.html Bolivia Rodrigo Arce Jofré, "Consolidated E-readiness Assessment Report for Bolivia", October, 2002 Bulgaria Dinka Dinkova (ARC Fund) et al, "Bulgaria: ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Assessment", May, 2002 Costa Rica Ricardo Monge, Federico Chacón, "Bridging The Digital Divide in Costa Rica Access to and Use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs)", 2002 Estonia Andre Krull, "ICT Infrastructure and E-readiness Assessment Report: ESTONIA PRAXIS Center for Policy Studies", 2002-03 Jamaica Central IT Office (CITO), "Jamaica's e-Readiness Assessment", 2002 Kenya Department of Finance and Planning, "Kenya ICT Infrastructure and E- Readiness Assessment", October, 2002 Kyrgyzstan Maxim Kan and and Murat Rakhimov, "Kyrgyzstan ICT Infrastructure And E-Readiness Assessment Report", 2002 India Department of Information Technology, National council of Applied Economic Research, Indian Market Research Bureau, "INDIA: E-Readiness Assessment", April, 2003 Indonesia Ministry of Communication and Information Republic of Indonesia, "ICT Infrastructure and E- Readiness Assessment: Empowering the Province and District's through the use of Information Technology", April, 2003 Pakistan No reports. Panama Secretaria Nacional De Ciencia, Tecnologia e Inovacion (SENACYT), "Panama Readiness for the Networked World Project", the report is yet to be published. Philippines Dr. Aldaba from Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) and Gmelina Guiang, "Macro and Micro ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Report", the report is yet to be published Romania E-Ready for What? E-Readiness in Developing Countries and the MDGs 253 bridges.org, 11 May 2005 The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, "eReadiness Assessment of Romania", 2003 Russia Sergey Shaposhnik et al, "Russia e-Readiness Assessment: ICT Infrastructure and E- readiness Assessment Project", 2003 Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH), "ICT Infrastructure and e-Readiness Assessments for Tanzania", the report is yet to be published Trinidad and Tobago The Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBT&T), "E-Readiness Assessment ­ Trinidad and Tobago", April, 2002 Uganda Ashwin Shankar and Rajeev Agarwal from consulting firm Techno Brain, "E-Readiness Assessment Abridged Report", the report is yet to be published but the copy has been available since January, 2004