Impacts of ICT on Low-Income Rural Households

In: Information and communication technologies for development and poverty reduction : the potential of telecommunications, Baltimore, Md, Johns Hopkins University Press, 2006 (Chapter 5)

The development of ICT (information and communication technologies) in rural areas has not been a priority because primary infraestructure and social services -such as roads, electricity, education and health services- are in such demand. For investment in rural ICT to be fully justified, its benefits need to be clearly demonstrated. The impact of ICT on rural households and income distribution is of particular interest for poverty reduction (both in absolute and in relative terms). Nevertheless, establishing a causal link between ICT and rural livelihood is not easy. Studies are scarce and of limited methodological and geographic scope. This chapter continues the analysis of the benefits of ICT, and presents case studies that focus on different aspects of household level ICT acces and use in rural areas of Bangladesh, China, Ghana, Laos and Peru.