Is ICT4D Dooming Poor People to Greater Income Inequality?

Is ICT4D Dooming Poor People to Greater Income Inequality?

Published on: Jul 15 2015 by Wayan Vota - 6 Comments
I firmly believe in Kentaro Toyama’s maxim that technology magnifies human intent (read his book Geek Heresy?), and since I am an optimist, I therefore believe that information and communication technology can improve...
3 Reasons Why Your Next Online Community Idea Will Fail

3 Reasons Why Your Next Online Community Idea Will Fail

Published on: Jul 13 2015 by Wayan Vota - 10 Comments
As the initiator of three successful websites, EduTechDebate, OLPC News, and ICTworks, I am often asked to help others create online communities. Now they can be communities of practice, user communities, or constituent...
Stop Reinventing the Flat Tire with Custom Software Development

Stop Reinventing the Flat Tire with Custom Software Development

Published on: Jul 10 2015 by Guest Writer - 9 Comments
News flash: most nonprofits are terrible at software development, open-sourcing is not a sustainability plan, and constantly re-inventing the wheel is a poor way to spend limited resources. So why don’t international development...
The ICT4D Opportunities and Challenges in Child-Centric Development

The ICT4D Opportunities and Challenges in Child-Centric Development

Published on: Jul 08 2015 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
Children, ICT and Development, a report for the UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti, by the ICT4D Centre at Royal Holloway, University of London and Jigsaw Consult, explores the ways in which information and communication...
3 Ways to Build Successful Partnerships with Mobile Network Operators

3 Ways to Build Successful Partnerships with Mobile Network Operators

Published on: Jul 06 2015 by Guest Writer - Comments Off on 3 Ways to Build Successful Partnerships with Mobile Network Operators
It can seem obvious, but mobile network operators (MNOs) are businesses that, at the end of the day, are motivated by their need to generate revenue. Yet a relationship between a development implementer and MNO can lead...
Why BIG Data Matters for Lower Mekong Countries

Why BIG Data Matters for Lower Mekong Countries

Published on: Jul 03 2015 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
While big data represents a new era of computing, what does it mean for civil society organizations in Southeast Asia? How can nations in the Lower Mekong harvest the power of big data? These were the questions discussed...
3 Steps to Implement USAID Open Data Policy ADS 579

3 Steps to Implement USAID Open Data Policy ADS 579

Published on: Jul 01 2015 by Siobhan Green - 7 Comments
As promised, here is an overview of the steps needed to create an open data plan in order to be compliant with USAID’s new Open Data Policy It is really easy to get lost in the weeds on this stuff, so I am only outlining...
Does Technology Make Monitoring and Evaluation More or Less Efficient?

Does Technology Make Monitoring and Evaluation More or Less Efficient?

Published on: Jun 29 2015 by Guest Writer - 1 Comment
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify...
3 Systematic Reasons Why M&E Technology Projects Fail

3 Systematic Reasons Why M&E Technology Projects Fail

Published on: Jun 26 2015 by Guest Writer - 2 Comments
Having worked for ten years in tech-enabled monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL), I think we need to address three systemic issues: complexity, interoperability and affordability. This is important because money and...