Title:	FIAIFM: A MODEL TOWARDS BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE
Author(s):	Maha Mohamed Saleh , Elli Georgiadou
ISBN:	978-972-8924-55-3
Editors:	Piet Kommers and Pedro Isaías
Year:	2008
Edition:	Single
Keywords:	Digital Divide; State Initiatives; Social Integration
Type:	Full Paper
First Page:	35
Last Page:	46
Language:	English
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Full Contents:	click to dowload
Paper Abstract:	The size of the economic transformation brought about by the ICT revolution is not evenly distributed across the globe and the expected benefits will therefore not be equally shared unless urgent action is embarked on to change existing trends. The “Digital Divide” (DD) is an issue that has recently caught the attention of policymakers around the world, both at the national and international levels. There is a clear consensus that there are large differences in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) between the developing and developed countries as well as within countries. A large number of initiatives are being launched to address the digital divide issue but there is little agreement as to how it would be possible to bridge the digital divide (DD) The level of complexity of the DD problem guided this research towards an in-depth literature review to study the DD phenomenon, and identify the reasons behind it, the successes and failures aiming to provide suggestions and mechanisms for reducing the gap. In this context, this investigation is an opportunity to take a step back and review the arguments, assumptions and solutions being put forward by various actors within the international development community and different developing countries. The purpose of this research is to study the DD issue, investigate its causes with relation to the developing world, and propose a structured approach towards understanding and the causes of the DD. For this purpose three surveys were conducted in Egypt, which in this case represents one of the developing countries that strives to meet its technological needs. The aim of these surveys was to find out who uses technology, why some people still do not use it, how much they know about it and the reasons behind the DD. In addition, an evaluation of the state initiatives is included to establish whether the government has helped in stimulating people’s usage to ICT or not. The FIAIFM (Feasibility for Initiatives Adoption, Implementation, Feedback, Modification) model was developed together with guidelines which can be used to help reduce the divided FIAIFM provides the mechanism for identifying areas needing improvement and provides guidelines that could be followed at national, regional and organisational level.
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