Date: 25 Jan 2003 00:08:38 -0000
Message-ID: <1043453318.229.92559.m11@yahoogroups.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
From: Yahoo! Groups Notification <wsisyouthasia-accept-B=Nz5Q2UKucRCm2m@yahoogroups.com>
Reply-To: wsisyouthasia-accept-B=Nz5Q2UKucRCm2m@yahoogroups.com
To: wsisyouthasia-owner@yahoogroups.com
Subject: MODERATE -- kevinysli@yahoo.com posted to wsisyouthasia 
Content-Type: multipart/mixed;
  boundary="-----007175876900727251280041459797"

-------007175876900727251280041459797
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit


Hello,

A message has been sent to the wsisyouthasia group from

  kevinysli@yahoo.com 

The message summary:
--------------------
FROM: kevinysli@yahoo.com 
DATE: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 00:08:05 -0000 
SUBJECT: Why the poor don't need Internet access 

Dear folks, 

I would like to share with you a good reflection article. 

Kevin ----- South China Morning Post Saturday, January 25, 
2003 

Why the poor don't need Internet access 

CHARLES KENNY 
--------------------

A complete copy of this message has been attached for your convenience.

This message requires your approval for one of the following reasons:
* Your group is set to moderate all messages from this user, OR
* Your group is set to moderate messages from all users

To approve or reject this messages using the web, please visit

<A HREF="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wsisyouthasia/pending?view=1&msg=72">http://groups.yahoo.com/group/wsisyouthasia/pending?view=1&msg=72</A> 

To approve this message using email, reply to this message. You do not 
need to attach the original message, just reply and send.

To reject this message using email, forward this message to

wsisyouthasia-reject-B=Nz5Q2UKucRCm2m@yahoogroups.com 

Thank you for choosing Yahoo! Groups as your email group
service for the wsisyouthasia group.

Regards,

Yahoo! Groups Customer Care

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to <A HREF="http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/">http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/</A>
 

-------007175876900727251280041459797
Content-Type: message/rfc822

Return-Path: <kevinysli@yahoo.com>
X-Sender: kevinysli@yahoo.com
X-Apparently-To: wsisyouthasia@yahoogroups.com
Received: (EGP: mail-8_2_3_0); 25 Jan 2003 00:08:38 -0000
Received: (qmail 91321 invoked from network); 25 Jan 2003 00:08:08 -0000
Received: from unknown (66.218.66.217)
  by m11.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 25 Jan 2003 00:08:08 -0000
Received: from unknown (HELO n5.grp.scd.yahoo.com) (66.218.66.89)
  by mta2.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 25 Jan 2003 00:08:08 -0000
Received: from [66.218.67.189] by n5.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 25 Jan 2003 00:08:07 -0000
Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 00:08:05 -0000
To: wsisyouthasia@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Why the poor don't need Internet access
Message-ID: <b0skh5+ses3@eGroups.com>
User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
Content-Length: 6547
X-Mailer: Yahoo Groups Message Poster
From: "kevinysli <kevinysli@yahoo.com>" <kevinysli@yahoo.com>
X-Originating-IP: 202.180.171.46
X-Yahoo-Group-Post: member; u=70457622
X-Yahoo-Profile: kevinysli

Dear folks,

I would like to share with you a good reflection article.

Kevin
-----
South China Morning Post
Saturday, January 25, 2003

Why the poor don't need Internet access

CHARLES KENNY

Politicians, businesspeople, donors and the press have all proclaimed=20
the digital divide between the poor in the developing world and the=20
wealthy West as one of the century's most significant development=20
challenges. In Africa and South Asia, 99.6 per cent of the=20
populations did not use the Internet in 2000. "The digital divide=20
threatens to further marginalise the economies and peoples of many=20
developing countries," concluded the UN General Assembly in June last=20
year.=20

The Group of Eight industrialised nations declared in Okinawa in 2000=20
that "everyone should be able to enjoy access to information and=20
communications networks".=20

The best of motives may drive a concern to equalise global Internet=20
access, but not the strongest of logic. True, tools of communication=20
are important to the world's poorest, and one can also find many=20
examples of effective Internet use in developing countries. For=20
instance, the Internet has been used to inform farmers of crop prices=20
in Argentina, to register deeds in India, to educate children in=20
rural Uganda, and to sell woodcarvings and sandals in Kenya.=20

But it is a large leap to conclude that global Internet access is a=20
sensible goal. Uplifting anecdotes are not enough to justify the high=20
costs of universal Internet access, costs that would be at their=20
highest in the least developed countries.=20

One reason for the high cost of providing widespread Internet access=20
to low-income countries is that about 69 per cent of their population=20
is rural. Providing networked services like electricity and=20
telephones to rural areas is expensive - and because rural people are=20
largely poor, it is hard to justify that cost in terms of potential=20
revenues.=20

Solar power and satellite connections are a potential alternative,=20
but such technology further increases the cost of Internet access. In=20
one telecentre in Costa Rica, it cost US$10,000 (HK$78,000) to hook=20
up each computer to the Internet. By comparison, the average person=20
living on US$1 a day (and there are 1.5 billion such people=20
worldwide) spends about US$10 per year on communications when they=20
have access to it.=20

Subsidised public access is one answer. The subsidies would have to=20
be large, however. Ensuring one hour a week of access at a telecentre=20
such as the one in Costa Rica might cost as much as US$50 per year=20
per capita - or about 10 times public spending per capita on health=20
in low-income countries and 10 times discretionary spending per=20
primary student.=20

On this basis, the worldwide subsidy for everyone living on US$1 a=20
day to get one hour of access a week might reach US$75 billion -=20
considerably more than the global total of aid flows each year. Given=20
that providing widespread Internet access will be complex and=20
expensive, attempting to provide service everywhere will be a costly=20
mistake.=20

Some argue that access could be provided more cheaply - perhaps at=20
levels that only equal average health expenditures in low-income=20
countries. Nonetheless, costs of access would probably still outweigh=20
benefits because the digital divide encompasses far more than a=20
physical lack of access; it also relates to deficits in skills and=20
the broader economic environment.=20

Lack of education is a major barrier to productive Internet use, for=20
example. In Ethiopia, 98 per cent of Internet users in 1998 had a=20
university degree, yet 64.5 per cent of the overall population is=20
illiterate.=20

Worldwide, most people living on US$1 a day are illiterate. Further,=20
they usually speak a minority language in their own country - few=20
speak a major global language. For example, about 17 million people=20
in Nigeria speak Igbo.=20

My search for Web pages in Igbo turned up only five sites: a=20
translation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a=20
translation of a document called "The Four Spiritual Laws"=20
(theological provenance undetermined), a translation of the food=20
pyramid, a two-page Igbo phrase book and a prayer manual.=20

There is not an Igbo translation service on the Web, so an Igbo=20
speaker would be limited to these five. None involved sound or video,=20
so the illiterate Igbo speaker would gain nothing.=20

Bridging the gaps in language and technical skills as well as basic=20
literacy will be difficult, considering the small per-student=20
spending available in the poorest countries' primary schools.=20

Even if poor people are lucky enough to be literate and conversant in=20
a major world language, their use of the Web for activities such as e-
commerce is likely to be limited by their lack of credit cards, not=20
to mention the challenge of persuading Federal Express and UPS to=20
start delivery services in their neighbourhoods.=20

Limitations in the relevant content and the ability to use that=20
content perhaps best explain why only 2.2 per cent of India's=20
Internet users have ever engaged in buying or selling over the Web.=20
Similarly, a survey of Tanzanian firms found that among the 30 per=20
cent of companies with access to the Internet, less than half use it=20
frequently and only 9 per cent rated it as a very effective tool for=20
promoting products.=20

Communications matter to the poor. A system of well-regulated,=20
competitive communications services will reduce costs and extend=20
access. In many cases, it may well be worth extending access to=20
telephony with limited, targeted, carefully designed subsidy=20
programmes.=20

But pursuing universal access to the Internet would be a=20
misallocation of considerable resources. To draw an analogy, another=20
technology boasts a 70-fold difference in access rates between the=20
United States and India, and economists link that technology to=20
increased productivity as well. But no one is setting up a UN=20
taskforce to overcome the Air Conditioner Divide.=20

Poor countries face many serious divides, including those in=20
education, health care and transport. The relevant question for the=20
poorest is, does the lack of access to a particular good provide a=20
significant barrier to becoming more wealthy? The answer is yes for=20
the tools of communication in general but no for the Internet in=20
particular.=20

Charles Kenny is an economist at the World Bank. This article first=20
appeared in Foreign Policy magazine. The views expressed are his own.=20

Published in the South China Morning Post. Copyright =A9 2003. All=20
rights reserved.=20


-------007175876900727251280041459797--