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If the State provided free computer literacy, would it find takers? Evidence and propositions from the Akshaya project in India

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  • Joyojeet Pal

    (University of Washington)

Abstract

The Akshaya project from Kerala has been a much discussed case for the community of practitioners and scholars working on technology and development. A unique feature of the project is its state-wide e-literacy goal in which one member of every household was trained in the telecenters set up under Akshaya at public expense. Using a survey of 1,750 households in the experimental area of Malappuram and a comparison group of neighbouring Kozhikode, this work investigates the extent of e-literacy and discusses the performance of service delivery using telecenters. While the question of whether public funds should be spent on projects such as telecenters or e-literacy continues to be an ongoing debate, the evidence here is that even though structural factors such as service delivery mechanisms and publicity make an impact on technology adoption, the overall participation in free e-literacy services among poor households remains low.

Suggested Citation

  • Joyojeet Pal, 2009. "If the State provided free computer literacy, would it find takers? Evidence and propositions from the Akshaya project in India," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 11(2), pages 105-116, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v:11:y:2009:i:2:d:10.1007_s10796-009-9173-0
    DOI: 10.1007/s10796-009-9173-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Bjorn Wellenius, 2003. "Sustainable Telecenters : A Guide for Government Policy," World Bank Publications - Reports 11330, The World Bank Group.
    2. Richa Kumar, 2004. "eChoupals: A Study on the Financial Sustainability of Village Internet Centers in Rural Madhya Pradesh," Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press, vol. 2(1), pages 45-73.
    3. Raul Roman, 2003. "Diffusion of Innovations as a Theoretical Framework for Telecenters," Information Technologies and International Development, MIT Press, vol. 1(2), pages 53-66, January.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ashutosh Jha & Debashis Saha, 2019. "Examining categorization of Telecom Circles in India using unsupervised k-means clustering on techno-economic indicators," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 46(4), pages 365-383, December.
    2. Chulhwan Chris Bang, 2015. "Information systems frontiers: Keyword analysis and classification," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 217-237, February.
    3. Srinuan, Chalita & Bohlin, Erik, 2011. "Understanding the digital divide: A literature survey and ways forward," 22nd European Regional ITS Conference, Budapest 2011: Innovative ICT Applications - Emerging Regulatory, Economic and Policy Issues 52191, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    4. Rishikesan Parthiban & Israr Qureshi & Somprakash Bandyopadhyay & Babita Bhatt & Saravana Jaikumar, 2020. "Leveraging ICT to Overcome Complementary Institutional Voids: Insights from Institutional Work by a Social Enterprise to Help Marginalized," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 633-653, June.

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