Metaphors, while compelling, can be misleading and ultimately destructive. A chunk of the billions of dollars of "aid" goes to Western "experts" and consultants: the aid establishment, looking out for its own financial interests. Another goes to the corrupt indigenlous politicians and government functionaries who skim money off the top in order to achieve the affluence that their positions require. How much is actually used for the benefit of poor people is not known.
In addition, "locally controlled development" often needs Western expert help to succeed, but is reluctant to accepting Western help because of centuries of abuse from the West. There is no good metaphor to express this situation in all of its raw power and destructiveness. Perhaps a non-metaphorical expression is needed. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Steve Eskow Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2008 9:42 AM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group 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=&cm > pt=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 > > Michelangelo> > 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. _______________________________________________ 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.
