ICTs and Gender

I have finished going through a whole stack full of journal articles on consumer spending and anything related to ICT system expenditure. There is not too much information available on ICT spending here in East Africa but I have found how most researchers have attempted to manipulate household surveys in order to understand the changes in people's spending habits to buy ICTs.

News: An article on the Daily star that it will be the mobile phone which is going to make the internet growth explosion happen... Read more...

As a break from the economics of it all, I have started to read work on ICTs and Gender. The UN is doing a web-seminar on March 5, 2007 called, "The Role of ICT Policy in Empowering and Protecting the Rights of the Girl Child".

Here are a list of Basic Gender information:

Naila Kabeer. 2003. Gender Mainstreaming in Poverty Eradication and the Millennium Development Goals: A Handbook for Policy-makers and Other Stakeholders. IDRC/CIDA

Hazel Reeves and Sally Baden. “Gender and Development: Concepts and Definitions.” BRIDGE Report, 2000.

World Bank. Engendering Development. Summary. (26 pages) World Bank Policy Report. Oxford University Press. 2001.

R. Charli Carpente. Gender Theory In World Politics: Contributions of a Non-Feminist Standpoint; University of Oregon-Department of Political Science

): Jane L. Parpart, M. Patricia Connelly, and V. Eudine Barriteau. Eds. Theoretical Perspectives on Gender and Development. Chapter Two.

Cash will no longer exist...

This week's Economist titled, "End of the Cash Era" with dinosaurs on the front cover holds a story on the incredible phenomenon of paper cash to mere electronic transactions. The tools to finally transfer money from one country to another through an SMS is happening as we speak. What does that mean for the poor? Those with relatives abroad will be seeking these mobile devices if they do not have them already and they no longer have to deal with time and transport in order to access much needed funds.