Can Technology End Poverty?
"Many development experts promote information and communication technology (ICT) as a way to relieve global poverty. They should pay more attention to the human beings who use it." -- Kentaro Toyama kentaro has a great piece on technology and poverty at http://www.bostonreview.net/BR35.6/ndf_technology.php. make sure to read the responses from nicholas negroponte, nathan eagle, dean karlan, jenny aker, archon fung, christine zhenwei qiang, evgeny morozov and ignacio mas.
*"Yes, ICT can end world poverty if implemented as a Social Business" -- Abhishek Prateek* Thought inspired from Muhammad Yunus's book: *"Creating a World Without Poverty: Social Business and the Future of Capitalism" by Muhammad Yunus* http://www.amazon.com/Creating-World-Without-Poverty-Capitalism/dp/158648493... *I totally agree with Yunus that "Social Business" is the future of Capitalism that would serve humanity's most pressing needs.* * If you don't feel so, don't worry. When 30 years ago Yunus said "Microfinance" is going to improve millions of lives in the developing regions, everybody laughed at him. Prominent bankers and economists around him said, "If the poor are really poor, how can they pay back loans?" And then 30 years later they end up giving him a Nobel Prize for "Microfinance"* *So it might as well take another 30 years for people to understand the true power of "Social Business".* *Just keep deploying the good ICTD projects as Social Businesses and we'll eradicate poverty from this world!!! With microfinance, Yunus just reinforced the truth in Mahatma Gandhi's statement,** "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win!” **WE need to do it again with his idea of "Social Business"!* Cheers! Abhishek On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 12:12 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@gmail.com> wrote:
"Many development experts promote information and communication technology (ICT) as a way to relieve global poverty. They should pay more attention to the human beings who use it." -- Kentaro Toyama
kentaro has a great piece on technology and poverty at http://www.bostonreview.net/BR35.6/ndf_technology.php. make sure to read the responses from nicholas negroponte, nathan eagle, dean karlan, jenny aker, archon fung, christine zhenwei qiang, evgeny morozov and ignacio mas. _______________________________________________ change mailing list change@change.washington.edu http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change
Thanks for this, Yaw. Kentaro's piece really was great. It reminds me of Phil Agre's "Building an Internet Culture," which is here for any interested: http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9711/msg00026.html Sam On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 12:12 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@gmail.com> wrote:
"Many development experts promote information and communication technology (ICT) as a way to relieve global poverty. They should pay more attention to the human beings who use it." -- Kentaro Toyama
kentaro has a great piece on technology and poverty at http://www.bostonreview.net/BR35.6/ndf_technology.php. make sure to read the responses from nicholas negroponte, nathan eagle, dean karlan, jenny aker, archon fung, christine zhenwei qiang, evgeny morozov and ignacio mas. _______________________________________________ change mailing list change@change.washington.edu http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change
“When you hand over some technology, some money or any other aid to help someone, there is an implicit assumption that the receiver has the knowledge about how to wisely use this technology, money or aid for her betterment. If this wisdom is missing in the receiver, then the aid is not only at the very least useless but potentially harmful” – Abhishek Prateek Even Internet has the the power to eradicate poverty provided people know how to use it wisely for that purpose. *For example, here is how I am using "Facebook" to make people in this world "Wiser"!!* http://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=100603493346950&id=87824... http://www.facebook.com/#!/abhishek.prateek/posts/160036534035418?notif_t=fe... *If you like my thoughts, please feel free to send me a friend request on Facebook. I regularly share my (somewhat wise) thougths with people via Facebook.* http://www.facebook.com/#!/abhishek.prateek Cheers! Abhishek On Wed, Nov 10, 2010 at 8:16 AM, Sam Kaufman <kaufmans@cs.washington.edu>wrote:
Thanks for this, Yaw. Kentaro's piece really was great. It reminds me of Phil Agre's "Building an Internet Culture," which is here for any interested:
http://www.nettime.org/Lists-Archives/nettime-l-9711/msg00026.html
Sam
On Tue, Nov 9, 2010 at 12:12 PM, Yaw Anokwa <yanokwa@gmail.com> wrote:
"Many development experts promote information and communication technology (ICT) as a way to relieve global poverty. They should pay more attention to the human beings who use it." -- Kentaro Toyama
kentaro has a great piece on technology and poverty at http://www.bostonreview.net/BR35.6/ndf_technology.php. make sure to read the responses from nicholas negroponte, nathan eagle, dean karlan, jenny aker, archon fung, christine zhenwei qiang, evgeny morozov and ignacio mas. _______________________________________________ change mailing list change@change.washington.edu http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change
_______________________________________________ change mailing list change@change.washington.edu http://changemm.cs.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/change
participants (3)
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Abhishek Prateek
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Sam Kaufman
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Yaw Anokwa