Video gallery…
Photo gallery…
IICD supported project: Factors Shaping Successful Public/Private Partnerships
Document Actions
Summary
Identifying and informing public and private sector policy makers of the factors shaping successful information society partnerships between business, government, the public sector and civil society.
Introduction
*** Research Overview ***
1. Technical Problem Statement
To empower poor people culturally, economically and socially via ICT
they must have access to the technology and be enabled to create and
receive appropriate content through it. To achieve this policies are
needed which successfully stimulate investment in: appropriate
infrastructure, the provision of affordable, sustainable services and
effective human resource development. Such pro-poor policies are often
difficult to design, implement and sustain because, on the one hand,
the large investment needed for widespread ICT access is beyond the
capacity of most agencies with poverty alleviation agendas while, on
the other, market-driven strategies tend to focus on the most
profitable areas of investment. As a result, equitable access to
infrastructure and content is most likely to be achieved through
partnerships between regional, national and local government
departments, public sector organisations, CBOs, NGOs, the
communications industry and other private sector actors with an
interest in developing widespread ICT networks accessible to poor
people. Although this approach is widely accepted and often attempted
experience suggests that a balance of objectives and outcomes is often
difficult to achieve and maintain in these partnerships for reasons
including hasty formation to a lack of mutual understanding of aims,
constraints and working methods.
2. Literature review and Key reference documents
Mansell and Wehn refer to the need for better understanding of this
type of joint venture and give sources of other studies in the field
in: Knowledge Societies - OUP 1998 ( eg p57). The DFID Imfundo Project
and the G8's Digital Opportunity Task Force both rely on public/private
partnership. The Global Knowledge Partnership GK II Action Plan calls
for 'effective private sector involvement in extending and creating
access to ICTs.' Keith Yeomans' paper for the GKP on public/private
partnership is attached.
3. What is the evidence of demand for this research?
Most of the ICT strategies and projects reviewed by the proposer (see
CV) have attempted to use public/private partnership. Partnership is
now paradigmatic in ICT access strategies but the range of models is
wide and evaluation still scant. As many developing countries and
development agencies are now focusing on ICT for poverty alleviation
there will be a strong need for informed guidance over the next few
years. The G8, GKP, Commonwealth Heads of Government and the UN
Secretary-General are among those calling for better ways of bridging
the digital divide.
4. How has a poverty focus been incorporated into the research?
Poverty alleviation indicators relating old and new forms of ICT to the
International Development Targets and to the Poverty Reduction
Strategies for the countries involved would be developed in the
inception phase from desk research and through fieldwork carried out by
partner institutions with poor people in urban and rural communities.
Care would be taken to ensure that poor people's needs and views were
reflected both in the country research and in the report. Meeting these
needs would be a key criterion for the evaluation of partnership
success.
5. Which cross cutting themes (i.e.: gender, environment,
sustainability) will be addressed by this project
and how?
Gender would be addressed through the inclusion of specific
gender-related indicators, ICT provision and practices in the research
design. Sustainability is a central theme of the research in that
models of public/private partnership which include mid/long term income
streams are usually offered as justifications of a partnership approach
and would, therefore, be a key element in evaluation. It would also be
addressed in relation to changing user needs. Environmental issues
would be addressed both as contextual factors shaping effective ICT
access, for example, the availability of power sources, use and
location of transmitters and, where relevant, as areas in which ICT can
be used in pro-poor intervention: the use of GIS in crop management and
disaster control, for example. These cross-cutting themes would form
strands in the evaluative grid used to gauge the effectiveness of
partnership planning and evaluation.
*** Research Approach ***
1. Operational level
The inception phase would examine the features of partnerships in
relation to their effectiveness in delivering pro-poor ICT provision at
both micro (local/community) and macro (national/regional) levels. A
range of the actual partnerships at both levels identified would be
chosen for closer analysis in the second phase.
2. Collaborators
The research would be conducted in association with the Commonwealth
Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) whose membership network,
technological expertise, overall links with the communications industry
and collective experience in partnership-based ICT policy would be
available to the project.
3. Research team competency
Keith Yeomans has over 10 years' experience in reviewing, coordinating
and promoting ICT partnerships and, through his work with the British
Council and Commonwealth agencies, access to a wide network of key
actors in this area in the public, private and civil society sectors in
Africa, South. He was commissioned by the British Council to write a
paper on this topic for the Global Knowledge London conference in 1998
(attached). The Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit has, through its Head,
both access to IGO and member government policy makers at a high level.
This, together with its policy focus and impartiality add strength to
its role as lead organisation in this project. The CTO's research
capability is based on its widespread network of government, private
sector and other partners in 35 Commonwealth countries, together with
the core expertise of HQ personnel in telecoms policy, regulation,
technology and internet.
4. Building research capacity in developing countries
Research institutions in target countries would be closely involved in
all stages at the inception phase. Members of these, local regulators
and telcos, would form the constituency addressed in the dissemination
strategy, a key aim of which would be to build their capacity to
research further and intervene successfully in policy formation in
their own countries and internationally.
*** Research Implementation ***
1. Research methods
The inception phase would consist of: desk research into the range and
impact of partnerships in target and other developing countries;
interviews with and participatory observation of poor people using old
and new ICT in partnership initiatives and with representatives of
partner organisations at micro and macro level; the development of
evaluative tools from this data; and the preparation of a report
setting out these findings and a research framework. In the second
phase, these tools would be applied within the framework to micro and
macro level partnerships identified earlier, the results analysed,
presented in a report and disseminated.
2. What are the intended impacts of the research?
a) On benefiting groups
The research would equip agencies and networks working with and for
target groups to make informed and well-founded interventions in ICT
policy and strategy formation on their behalf. It would also enable
companies and other actors to form partnerships which deliver pro-poor
outcomes effectively.
b) Negative impacts
No negative impacts on target groups can be foreseen.
c) On the environment, both in carrying out, and implementing the
findings of the project
The research should identify environmental factors affecting the
implementation of partnership-based ICT strategies which its
dissemination will enable planners and practitioners to take into
account. It would also highlight ways in which these strategies can be
applied to environmental problems.
3. Dissemination strategy
Desk research for this phase would include opportunities for wider
participation through list serves and through existing web sites, the
first phase bringing its purpose and methods to governments, the
development community, civil society networks and companies. The report
would be made available in a similar way, as well as forming the basis
of contributions to national and international forums on ICT in
development. Second phase outputs, in addition to a final report, would
include workshops based on the research and its inclusion in the CPSU's
and CTO's ongoing policy advice and training with governments and
companies. Local partners would be involved in these activities.
Objectives
To identify and inform public and private sector policy makers of the factors shaping successful information society partnerships between business, government, the public sector and civil society
Planned outputs
The identification of criteria by which the value of old and new ICT to poor people can be assessed and of those by which the nature and function of various types of micro and macro partnership in providing this technology on an affordable and sustainable basis can be determined. The development of research tools to analyse the success of these partnerships in the second phase.
Development Impacts
The research would equip agencies and networks working with and for target groups to make informed and well-founded interventions in ICT policy and strategy formation on their behalf. It would also enable companies and other actors to form partnerships which deliver pro-poor outcomes effectively.
Results
Final report can be accessed at http://www.cpsu.org.uk/projects/IT.HTM
Lessons learned
Final report can be reached at http://www.cpsu.org.uk/projects/IT.HTM
Project Owner : Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit
Project Partners : CTO, UK,
Information Society Development, UK
Contact Organisation :
Project Contact : Richard Bourne
