Information and Communication / Information et communication

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    State of open data
    (African Minds, 2019-05-05) Davies, Tim; Walker, Stephen B.; Rubinstein, Mor; Perini, Fernando
    It’s been ten years since open data first broke onto the global stage. Over the past decade, thousands of programs and projects around the world have worked to open data and use it to address a myriad of social and economic challenges. Meanwhile, issues related to data rights and privacy have moved to the centre of public and political discourse. As the open data movement enters a new phase in its evolution, shifting to target real-world problems and embed open data thinking into other existing or emerging communities of practice, big questions still remain. How will open data initiatives respond to new concerns about privacy, inclusion, and artificial intelligence? And what can we learn from the last decade in order to deliver impact where it is most needed? The State of Open Data brings together over 60 authors from around the world to address these questions and to take stock of the real progress made to date across sectors and around the world, uncovering the issues that will shape the future of open data in the years to come.
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    Shadow libraries : access to knowledge in global higher education
    (MIT Press, 2018-05) Karaganis, Joe
    Shadow Libraries explores the question of access to educational materials in the globalization of higher education and digitization of knowledge, alongside the comparatively slow parallel expansion of legal access to materials. Unauthorized archives like Libgen, Gigapedia, and Sci-Hub are international shadow libraries with massive aggregations of downloadable scholarly materials. Book chapters consider current experiments in access: the Russian samizdat tradition, with its connection to resistance; BiblioFyL, an online archive built by students at the University of Buenos Aires; education policy and practices of students in post-Apartheid South Africa; the politics of access in India; and copy culture in Brazil.
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    Putting knowledge to work : collaborating, influencing and learning for international development
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2017) Mougeot, Luc J.A.
    Funders and beneficiaries are pressing civil society organizations (CSOs) to be more professional and efficient, and more strategic and impactful, but the key role that knowledge plays in the efforts of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) remains often underrated, even by NGOs themselves. “Putting Knowledge to Work” explores how the brains of such organizations function to deliver outcomes and impacts. The book examines how CSOs access, generate, apply, and grow their intelligence, knowledge, and know-how to protect children, improve public security, reduce ethnic discrimination, grow local value chains, expand water resources, and generally make our societies more inclusive and just.
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    Use of mobile phones by the rural poor : gender perspectives from selected Asian countries
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2016) Sylvester, Gerard
    Mobile phones have been shown (though not uniformly) to contribute positively to rural development in many ways, from reducing information asymmetry, to improving functional networks, to increasing access to services and finance. This report uses empirical quantitative surveys and qualitative fieldwork in a cross-section of economies in South and South East Asia (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia [Java only], Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand) to examine the digital gender divide among the poor in rural and urban settings.
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    Linking universities and marginalised communities : South African case studies of innovation focused on livelihoods in informal settings
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2015) Kruss, Glenda; Gastrow, Michael
    The knowledge imperatives of universities are explored in relation to the public good and social justice, as well as the roles of innovation and technology transfer. Case studies provide examples of coherence between teaching, research, innovation and community engagement, and illustrate the enablers and constraints to such interactions. The cases also suggest that a definition of innovation as ‘new products and processes’ may be too limited to capture innovation that is specific to local needs and/ or more related to social systems, than to the technology itself. The contribution of universities to innovation is a key driver of economic and social development.
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    Public access ICT across cultures : diversifying participation in the network society
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2015) Proenza, Francisco J.
    Public access venues – most often Internet café in cities and state-run rural telecenters – are places where people can use computers and the Internet. This volume offers the first systemic assessment of the impact of shared public access in the developing world, with findings from 10 countries in South America (Argentina, Chile, Peru), Asia (China, India, Malaysia, Thailand), and Africa (Cameroon, Jordan, Rwanda). The book documents the impacts of public access, positive and negative, on individuals, on society and networks, and on women, and examines the policy implications of findings.
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    E-government for good governance in developing countries : empirical evidence from the eFez Project [Arabic version]
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2014) Kettani, Driss; Moulin, Bernard
    E-Government for Good Governance in Developing Countries provides practical supporting material on information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D), specifically, e-government implementation. In this book, Kettani and Moulin develop their findings and methods from the eFez Project’s indigenous experimentations into a formal framework for academics, practitioners, and decision makers in developing countries. The volume also reviews, analyzes, and synthesizes the findings of other projects to offer a comparative study of the eFez Project and a number of other e-government frameworks from the growing literature.
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    Developing national systems of innovation : university-industry interactions in the global South
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2015) Albuquerque, Eduardo; Suzigan, Wilson; Kruss, Glenda; Keun Lee
    The book inquires into the similarities and differences in relationships between how universities and public laboratories interact with industry (firms) in developing countries as compared with advanced industrial economies. The book is global in scope, with research based in 12 countries. Existing studies on innovation systems are quantified and further avenues of research suggested. The evolution of Universities, research institutes, and firms, as key parts of any National System of Innovation (NSI) require study; their interplay and interactions change over time, depending on the stage of development of both the acting entities, and the intensity of the links between them.
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    E-gouvernement pour la bonne gouvernance dans les pays en développement : l'expérience du projet eFez
    (CRDI, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2014) Kettani, Driss; Moulin, Bernard
    Les pays en développement accusent encore aujourd’hui beaucoup de retard par rapport aux pays développés concernant l’usage généralisé des technologies de l’information, et en particulier la mise en place de systèmes de gouvernement électronique (e-gouvernement) pour faciliter aux citoyens l’accès aux services gouvernementaux. C’est dans ce contexte que le projet eFez a été conduit entre 2004 3 2009 dans la ville de Fès au Maroc avec l’appui financier du CRDI, le Centre de recherches pour le développement international du Canada. Le but de ce projet était de démontrer qu’un système d’e-gouvernement peut être développé dans le contexte d’une grande ville d’un pays en développement, et utilisé pour soutenir et automatiser les opérations quotidiennes dans un domaine critique : l’état civil. L’équipe du projet eFez a mis au point une approche d’analyse, de développement et d’évaluation structurée des retombées. Le projet eFez a remporté plusieurs prix au niveau marocain (2006), africain (2007) et international (Prix international du Service Public décerné par l’ONU en 2007).
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    E-government for good governance in developing countries : empirical evidence from the eFez Project
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2014) Kettani, Driss; Moulin, Bernard
    E-Government for Good Governance in Developing Countries provides practical supporting material on information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D), specifically, e-government implementation. In this book, Kettani and Moulin develop their findings and methods from the eFez Project’s indigenous experimentations into a formal framework for academics, practitioners, and decision makers in developing countries. The volume also reviews, analyzes, and synthesizes the findings of other projects to offer a comparative study of the eFez Project and a number of other e-government frameworks from the growing literature.
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    Déchets électroniques et informatiques en Afrique : défis et opportunités pour un développement durable au Bénin, au Mali et au Sénégal
    (CRDI, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2014) Diop, Cheikh; Thioune, Ramata Molo
    L’insertion dans la société de l’information doit-elle se réaliser sans évaluer les risques créés par les équipements déversés dans les pays africains ? Quels mécanismes et stratégies ces pays, consommateurs de produits informatiques et électroniques souvent en fin de cycle, doivent-ils mettre en place pour concilier un engagement résolu dans l’économie de l’information et le respect de l’environnement ? Quelles sont les capacités spécifiques nécessaires pour faire face à ce dilemme ? Autant de questions qui interpellent chercheurs, décideurs et acteurs du développement. À partir d’un état des lieux, réalisé dans trois pays d’Afrique de l’Ouest (Bénin, Mali et Sénégal), cet ouvrage montre que les problématiques des déchets électroniques sont encore trop souvent sous estimées par la recherche comme pour les politiques publiques. Rares sont les études et les enquêtes sur ces questions qui permettraient pourtant de prendre les décisions adéquates en vue d’une meilleure gestion et d’une valorisation des déchets. Dans une perspective croisée intégrant l’analyse du contexte institutionnel et juridico-légal, la situation économique et environnementale au Bénin, au Mali et au Sénégal, la recherche pionnière dont est issue cette publication permet une réflexion sur les pratiques actuelles, pour relever les opportunités et les défis que représentent la gestion et une valorisation réelle des déchets électroniques et informatiques. Il offre ainsi une base objective pour l’élaboration de stratégies, de politiques et de programmes visant à assurer un développement durable préservant la santé et l’environnement.
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    ICT pathways to poverty reduction : empirical evidence from East and Southern Africa
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2014) Ofwona Adera, Edith; Waema, Timothy M.; May, Julian; Mascarenhas, Ophelia; Diga, Kathleen
    Information and communication technologies (ICTs) promote economic growth, but do we know that ICTs reduce poverty? In the African context, of the different ICTs, mobile phones and radio contribute much more to improvement in people’s social and economic livelihoods than internet and fixed-line telephones. The overall objective of the book is to provide credible evidence on the impact of ICTs on growth and poverty reduction in Africa, and to influence more effective policy making. Most chapters are drawn from the Poverty and Information and Communications Technology in Urban and Rural Eastern Africa (PICTURE Africa) research project.
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    Accès au savoir en Afrique : le rôle du droit d'auteur
    (CRDI, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Armstrong, Chris; De Beer, J.; Kawooya, D.; Prabhala, A.; Schonwetter, T.
    L’émergence d’Internet et de l’univers numérique a transformé la façon dont on produit et met en commun l’information et le savoir et dont on y accède. Malgré tout, les populations d’Afrique éprouvent de grandes difficultés à accéder aux revues et aux ouvrages savants de même qu’au matériel didactique en général. Au coeur de ces défis, et de leur solution, se trouvent le droit d’auteur, la branche des droits de propriété intellectuelle relative aux oeuvres écrites et autres. Ce livre permet de mieux saisir les enjeux juridiques et pratiques que pose le droit d’auteur pour l’accès au matériel didactique en Afrique et cerne les leçons apprises, les politiques et les pratiques susceptible d’améliorer cet accès. L’ouvrage s’inspire des travaux du projet Droit d’auteur et accès au savoir en Afrique (D2ASA), un réseau de recherche lancé vers la fin de 2007 qui réunit des chercheurs soucieux d’explorer les liens entre le droit d’auteur et l’accès au savoir dans huit pays d’Afrique, à savoir l’Afrique du Sud, l’Égypte, le Ghana, le Kenya, le Maroc, le Mozambique, l'Ouganda et le Sénégal.
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    Boîte à outils sur l'application des connaissances
    (CRDI, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Bennett, Gavin; Jessani, Nasreen
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    Strengthening resilience in post-disaster situations : stories, experience and lessons from South Asia
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Gonsalves, Julian; Mohan, Priyanka
    The studies carried out under this project show how it is possible to convert calamities into opportunities for strengthening the coping capacity of local communities in relation to tsunamis, coastal storms, cyclones and other natural disasters. Four themes intertwine the papers: Coastal threats and challenges; Disaster risk reduction; Building capacities and community resilience; and, Risk reduction experiences from the field. The book provides guidelines towards creating resilient communities capable of adapting to new situations, and stresses the importance of bioshield development in Sri Lanka and India based on both mangrove and non-mangrove species.
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    Access contested : security, identity, and resistance in Asian cyberspace
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Deibert, Ronald; Palfrey, John; Rohozinski, Rafal; Zittrain, Jonathan
    The book focuses primarily on “regional” cyberspace contests playing out in Asia. At the epicenter is China — home to the world’s largest Internet population, and also the world’s most advanced Internet surveillance regime. The drama of security, identity, and resistance evident in China is played out across Asia, in a form unique to each country’s national context. Filtering practices and policies vary widely among the countries studied. “Access controlled” characterizes the current period, during which states have emphasized regulatory approaches that function as filters or blocks. Just as West Coast Californian culture motivated the first generation of Internet practices and principles, the next phase is expected to reflect the Asian experience.
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    Langues africaines à l'ère du numérique : défis et opportunités de l'informatisation des langues autochtones
    (CRDI, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Osborn, Don
    Étant donné le nombre croissant d’ordinateurs et la pénétration accrue d’Internet sur la planète, la localisation des technologies et des contenus dans la multiplicité des langues parlées est un sujet de débat et un domaine d’intervention de plus en plus important. En peu de mots, la localisation englobe la traduction et l’adaptation culturelle des interfaces avec l’utilisateur et des applications logicielles, ainsi que la création et la traduction de contenus Web dans diverses langues. Elle est essentielle si l’on veut que les populations des pays les plus pauvres aient un meilleur accès aux technologies de l’information et de la communication, que ces technologies correspondent davantage aux vies, aux besoins et aux aspirations de ces populations et, en bout de ligne, que soit réduit le « fossé numérique ». La localisation est un champ de recherche nouveau et en expansion. Cet ouvrage cerne les enjeux, les sujets de préoccupation, les priorités et les orientations de la recherche et se veut une étude de référence définissant la localisation dans le contexte africain et son importance pour le développement et l’éducation à long terme
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    Confronting female genital mutilation : the role of youth and ICTs in changing Africa
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Mottin-Sylla, Marie-Hélène; Palmieri, Joëlle
    This book reports on a research and action project amongst girls and boys in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal to explore whether young people's use of information technology can contribute to the abandonment of female genital mutilation (FGM) practices. It shows how, in the era of 'globalised citizenship,’ a vision that puts young people and gender at the centre of development can produce real changes. The project opened a new avenue of research that looks at both the public and private social roles of women, and how they move between these spheres in order to assume their socially productive/reproductive lives.
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    Knowledge translation toolkit : bridging the know-do gap; a resource for researchers
    (IDRC, Ottawa, ON, CA, 2011) Bennett, Gavin; Jessani, Nasreen
    The Knowledge Translation Toolkit provides a thorough overview of knowledge translation (KT) and how to use it to bridge the "know-do" gap between research, policy, practice, and people. Drawing from health systems research, this toolkit builds upon KT theory and literature; its evolution, strategies, and challenges. The book covers an array of crucial KT enablers - from context mapping to evaluative thinking - supported by practical examples, implementation guides, and references. The KT Toolkit aims to enhance the capacity and motivation of researchers to use KT and to use it well.