From Rural Village to Global Village: Telecommunications for Development in the Information Age examines the role of information and communication technologies (ICTs) on both the macro level--societal, socio-economic, and governmental--and sector level--education, health, agriculture, entrepreneurship--emphasizing rural and developing regions. Author Heather E. Hudson examines the potential impact of ICTs by reviewing the existing research and adding her own findings from extensive fieldwork in ICT planning and evaluation. The volume includes case studies demonstrating innovative applications of ICTs plus chapters on evaluation strategies and appropriate technologies. She also analyzes the policy issues that must be addressed to facilitate affordable ICT access in rural and developing regions. This discussion relates to the larger “digital divide” issue, and the impact that access to communication technology--or the lack of it--has on communities and societies. This comprehensive volume is a valuable resource for scholars, professionals, researchers, and students in telecommunications law and policy, media economics, international communication, and communication and development fields. It is also suitable for use as an advanced-level text in these areas.

The volume examines the role of telecommunications in the development process. While it seems obvious that telecommunications contribute to the efficient operation and productive growth of an economy, telecommunications may be a cause, a consequence, and a manifestation of development. There has been a growing interest among researches in examining the impact of telecommunications in both industrialized and developing societies. The purpose of this volume is to bring together the research in the field in order to make it more widely available, and to put research questions and findings within a development framework.

Telecommunications sector policy-makers and regulators have a wide range of instruments available to them that can be used to increase access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. The paper provides a review of these instruments, evaluating them against a set of criteria. It then goes on to identify a number of them that are worthy of further consideration by policy-makers and regulators while demonstrating that the effectiveness of the identified instruments can be greatly enhanced by the establishment of a conducive legal, regulatory and institutional framework. The paper concludes by confirming that while no single instrument taken in isolation can provide a full solution to universal access, a mix of the measures identified can be devised to achieve specific policy objectives in a particular country environment.

Examines how nacent possibilities of tele-work, distant access to public services and e-commerce offer realistic and innovating perspectives for rural development.

UNESCO pub. Research study of the efficiency of media in promoting rural development, particularly in developing countries - reviews theories on the use of media in development, presents case studies and a critical evaluation of various development projects that used such media, and puts forward proposals for improvements. One-page bibliography, diagrams and references.

Artful Rainwater Design has three main parts: first, the book outlines five amenity-focused goals that might be highlighted in a project: education, recreation, safety, public relations, and aesthetic appeal. Next, it focuses on techniques for ecologically sustainable stormwater management that complement the amenity goals. Finally, it features diverse case studies that show how designers around the country are implementing principles of artful rainwater design.

This book offers a practice-based approach to developing strategies for utilizing broadband telecommunications for rural economic development. Edwards addresses four key questions in the publication: 1) How important is broadband telecommunications in the achievement of rural economic development success in the information-based economy? 2) What are the critical factors in assessing the potential of rural communities to utilize broadband telecommunications for economic development? 3) What policy trends are proposed to assist communities in the advancement of telecommunication-based economic development strategies? And 4) How can local leadership assist in the implementation of broadband for economic development success? By answering these important questions, Edwards provides the reader a step-by-step, practice-oriented framework for implementing a rural economic development planning strategy through the implementation of broadband telecommunications. Broadband connectivity is vital for rural communities to be actively engaged in the global information economy, but being connected is not enough. Utilization of technology is required if communities want to increase their potential for economic development success. Book jacket.