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MISTICA: "Toward a strategy for universal access"

From: Roberto Roggiero ([email protected])
Date: Tue Sep 10 2002 - 23:24:46 AST

To: [email protected]

de ELDIS ICT REPORTER: 

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TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION SERVICES FOR
THE POOR: TOWARD A STRATEGY FOR UNIVERSAL ACCESS

Author(s): Navas-Sabater, J.; Dymond, A.;  Juntunen, N.

Produced by: World Bank Publications (2002)

This discussion paper looks at ways of expanding access to
ICTs and so bridging the digital divide.

The authors state that communications technologies affect
poverty reduction through three primary mechanisms:
* increasing the efficiency and global competitiveness of
the economy as a whole with positive impacts on growth and
development
* enabling better delivery of public services such as health
and education
* creating new sources of income and employment for poor
populations.

General trends in ICT access are discussed, such as the
development of new technologies like satellite, as well as
the trend towards community access. Approaches for closing
both the 'market efficiency gap and the access gap' are
discussed. The authors define these gaps as follows:
* the market efficiency gap denotes the
difference between the current level of service penetration
and the level achievable in a liberalized market, under a
stable regulatory environment
* the access gap, on the other hand,
denotes those situations where a gap between urban and
rural areas continues to exist even under efficient market
conditions, since a proportion of the population
(relatively large in
developing countries), cannot afford the market prices at
which the service is offered.

The report notes that most World Bank projects have focused
on policy and investment aimed at closing the market
efficiency gap. It advocates a greater focus on universal
access programmes aiming to bridge the access gap, which
would have specific pro-poor aims.

Available online at:
http://www-wds.worldbank.org/servlet/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2002/05/03//00
0094946_02041804225061/Rendered/PDF/multi0page.pdf

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