Attacking the right problem
riptari filter: Bridging the Financial Divide
Peter Thomas, points out that the main problem is not a Digital Divide, but rather a financial divide. Or more precisely that the Digital Divide is merely the results of a financial divide, the point being that even in real terms internet access charges in many developing nations are higher than those here in Europe (where they are still significantly higher than in the US). And that's without factoring in the massive differences in per capita income.
And of course that's right on the mark. That is the main cause for any digital, health-care, educational divide. Things are more expensive and they make less money. it's really that simple.
He goes on to say:
Subsidizing telecommunications through development projects doesn't directly address these sorts of issues, it only temporarily masks their reality. "Temporarily" meaning, of course, as long as the aid money lasts.
Again I agree, and that is why I belive development funding shouldn't be going into 'subsidizing', but rather into coming up with innovative solutions to real problems.
It's shouldn't be about the west financing health care, education, communication and what-not, up to a western standard. It should be about some more of all the brilliant minds in the world (west, east, south and north) applying their brilliance in coming up with workable solutions to problems, new technologies, new medicines, new business-models.
For example, applying wireless technologies, in some countries, and some situations may be a solution to exactly the problem of the high telco costs. Instead of subsidizing expensive telecommunications, let's see if we can come up with technologies and business-models that are more suitable to solving the communications problems in specific countries. And do the same in education, health care and other areas.
One of my favourite projects, ThinkCycle is all about this. The challenge of identifying real design problems in the developing world, and getting people to apply their minds to coming up with innovative solutions. I had the fortune of meeting Nitin Sahwney, who's ph.d. project ThinkCycle is. It's a great project and has already come up with a number of innovative solutions to real world problems. These solutions include a new approach to choloera treatment, a cheap passive incubator for prematurely born babies, as well as a wind-up power system.
Maybe that is the approach we should be mimicking?
