Thanks for this post Steve. Perhaps some insights from a few "gray beards" on the list are needed from time-to-time. Let me suggest some other issues:
a) The problem with science is that it works, to a certain extent, for the natural environment. As many have pointed out the idea of finding universal laws, programs that can be cloned, etc in social systems, the false notion of western Enlightenment, might be called as in Levin's book, "The Tyranny of Reason" The political philosopher John Gray (not the Mars Venus person) points out similar ideas in his collection, "Heresies". Yet, in the development community hope springs eternal, like the milk horse hoping to catch that elusive carrot held out by the driver b) Natural or human created Tsunamies- weather or changing political and economic acts, across the oceans can change a small village in a small country in Africa at the click of a mouse. Many in the development community keep hoping for such a perfect storm, like the Cargo Cults, unwilling to accept that life is fragile for all creatures on the earth and there is no guarantee that on this planet change will not lead to losses. After all, most development has a strong polyanna element. Triage is not seen as an option. c) we are enamored with technology (things and social technology). Thus the problems between the enfranchised and disenfranchised (in all dimensions) is knowledge- educate and the rising tide will equalize all boats on the seas and raise all ships equally. Hence the problem has been cast as a "digital divide". Instead of the US political cliche, a chicken in every pot, it is now a smart phone in every home. information/knowledge/education, hopefully digitally distributed, is the equivalent of the 6-gun in the US west, the great equalizer. It's the liberal (or progressive) answer to problems created by a conservative past. Esperaremos tom > Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:41:46 -0700 > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [DDN] Google Insights - social networking > > Joe Beckmann's warning about the limits of the "first things first" axiom is > well taken--and it's the danger that the "ecology" metaphor intends to > avoid. There is no necessary linearity in a web of interconnections, and no > obvious starting point. > > Those who have watched developments, or in many cases lack of developments, > in some of the poor countries--who have watched billions of dollars of > well-intentioned "aid" result in no visible betterment of human > conditions--might understandably question the utilty and the accuracy of > such a notion as "an indigenous capacity to succeed." At times, indeed, it > seems as if there is an indigenous capacity to fail. > > The "positive deviants" notions is another usefl idea that can have > disastrous results in practice. Those who the intervener sees as "positive > deviants" might be seen as "negative idiots" by those locals whose > cooperation is crucial to the success of an intervention. > > And even the universally applauded notion of "home grown" and locally > controlled development is often a fiction. Quite often the "positive > deviants" know that the resources and the skills that the community needs to > break out of poverty aren't in the local community: if the local medicine > man could prevent and cure AIDS they wouldn't need non-local doctors and > antiretrovirals. > > So: all the metaphors, and all the formulas, and all of the homilies point > us in important directions, and all of them have to be used with great care. > > Steve Eskow. > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:07 AM, Joe Beckmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > > > My only reservation about an "ecology of need" is an implication that there > > are a sequence of "readiness" opportunities, that it's hard to do "d" > > before > > doing "a," "b," and "c." There is a need/readiness system, and the system > > also includes - almost inevitably but not at all obviously - an indigenous > > capacity to succeed. Social interventions that ignore those "positive > > deviants" where success can be a foundation for further success will almost > > inevitably fail; others, that build on local capacity to enhance locally > > derived strategies for success, are far more sustainable because they have > > local sponsors, invested in expanding their efficacy. > > > > One of the more interesting approaches is a formal evaluation of that > > "positive deviance" adapted by the Institute of Positive Deviance at Tufts. > > http://www.positivedeviance.org/ The Institute of Positive Deviance has > > begun to ramp up a variety of programs in a variety of social services to > > demonstrate this approach. In education, for example, there is > > http://www.teacherdrivenchange.org/teacherdrivenchange/2008/07/index.html. > > Their model is a slightly more academic spin on the older organizers' > > strategies framed by people like Saul Alinsky (well represented here > > http://www.itvs.org/democraticpromise/alinsky.html). > > > > In short, this is anti-imperialism: solutions don't come from one place and > > get dropped on another; they've got to be home grown, nursed, and with > > local > > support. > > > > For the Digital Divide this means well documented local change has the > > greatest transportability, since others can see what people went through in > > creating their own solutions. It is the process that can be transferred, > > not > > it's product. > > > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 8:46 AM, Jaevion Nelson <[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >wrote: > > > > > Thanks, this is very useful. I really like the last idea of the ecology > > of > > > need. I beleive it is one of the things that are preventing the > > > sustainability for nmany social interventions and programmes across the > > > world and in the Caribbean. For example in Jamaica, several persons enter > > a > > > community provide persons with the opportunity but illiteracy, poverty, > > > culture, etc prevents the programme from making that exponential impact > > that > > > it had intended to. The result is that within months the programme fails > > and > > > is forced to withdraw from the community. The designers then go back to > > the > > > drawing board. To be able to understand the ecology of need we cannot > > just > > > recognise a problem in a handful of persons and beleive then that it > > > warrants intervention. Proper research must be done at phase one to > > > determine the needs of the individuals living wthin a specific area - the > > > truth is these programs really need a wholistic approach. You may be > > going > > > to reduce illiteracy but you will have to include poverty reduction > > > components such as school feeding programmes, uniform allowances, travel > > > stipend, etc. > > > > > > Regards, > > > Jaevion Nelson > > > Marketing & Partnerships Coordinator > > > Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network > > > www.jamaicayouthadvocacynetwork.org > > > > > > Asst. Programmes Officer > > > Violence Prevention Alliance > > > www.vpajamaica.com > > > > > > > > > Jaevion Nelson (Jae) > > > > > > > Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2008 10:36:26 -0700> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: > > > [email protected]> Subject: Re: [DDN] Google Insights - > > > social networking> > The intervener--all of us who want to help--studies > > the > > > culture and the need> before choosing a path. Before choosing a > > technology.> > > > > Where there is a "digital divide" there are often--usually--other > > > divides.> For example: there may be no Internet in the area to be served. > > Or > > > there may> be Internet but many of the intended beneficiaries have no > > > electricity.> > Or they cannot read. Cannot read what is on the computer > > > screen, whether it> is in English or Twi.> > That is: there is an > > "ecology > > > of need." If the good-hearted social> entrepreneur does not have a > > complete > > > map of the territory of need, it is> almost certain that he or she will > > > blunder.> > Steve Eskow> > > > On Wed, Aug 13, 2008 at 4:57 AM, Taran > > > Rampersad <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:> > > This post from the Trinidad > > and > > > Tobago Computing list may be of interest> > to some. It demonstrates > > > geographical distribution of social network> > use. It is a nice > > datapoint, > > > I think.> >> > Richard Jobity wrote:> > > > > > ********************************************************************> > > > > > Computing - General Discussion on Computing in Trinidad and Tobago> > >> > > > > > > > ********************************************************************> > > > > > http://royal.pingdom.com/?p=336> > >> > > With the help of Google data, > > we > > > have looked at 12 of the top social> > > networks to answer a simple, but > > > highly interesting question:> > >> > > Where are they the most popular?> > > > > > > >> > > The social networks we included in this survey were MySpace, > > > Facebook,> > > Hi5, Friendster, LinkedIn, Orkut, Last.fm, LiveJournal, > > > Xanga, Bebo,> > > Imeem and Twitter.> > > Popularity by country (how we > > got > > > the data)> > >> > > Google Insights for Search makes this quite easy for > > > you. For a search> > > term (for example "MySpace"), it will highlight > > the > > > regions where that> > > search term is the most popular. Google calls > > this > > > "regional interest".> > >> > > This "regional interest" should give a > > good > > > indication of which regions> > > (in this case countries) a social > > network > > > is most popular in.> > >> > > Google also provides a nice heat map of the > > > results. We have included> > > the heapmaps for all the social networks > > > below.> > >> > >> > > > > > > http://www.google.com/insights/search/#cat=&q=imeem&geo=&date=&clp=&cmpt=q > > > > > > > >> > >> > > > > > > http://www.google.com/insights/search/#cat=&q=facebook&geo=&date=&clp=&cmpt=q > > > > > > > >> >> > --> > Taran Rampersad> > Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad> > > > > > > [EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> > http://www.knowprose.com> > > > > http://www.your2ndplace.com> >> > Pictures: > > > http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/> >> > "Criticize by creating." — > > > Michelangelo> > "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really > > > worked, is mine." -> > Nikola Tesla> >> > > > > _______________________________________________> > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing > > > list> > [email protected]> > > > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide> > To > > unsubscribe, > > > send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word > > > UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.> >> > > > _______________________________________________> DIGITALDIVIDE mailing > > list> > > > [email protected]> > > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide> To unsubscribe, > > > send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word > > > UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > > News, entertainment and everything you care about at Live.com. Get it > > now! > > > http://www.live.com/getstarted.aspx > > > _______________________________________________ > > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > > To unsubscribe, send a message to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the > > body of the message. > > > > > > > > > > > -- > > Joe Beckmann > > 22 Stone Avenue > > Somerville, MA 02143 > > 617-625-9369 > > _______________________________________________ > > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] the word UNSUBSCRIBE in > > the body of the message. > > > _______________________________________________ > DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list > [email protected] > http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide > To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE > in the body of the message. _________________________________________________________________ Got Game? 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