> Sarah Blackmun-Eskow wrote: > > What's the difference between a development phenomenon and an economic > > "deal" or phenomenon? > > > > This is a real question, not a rhetorical one. > > S. > Dear all: I did not get all the mails on this topic since our mail server did not work during a few days last week, so I hope I am not repeating what you have said before. I agree that this is a real question. An economic phenomenon can be almost anything related to markets, and therefore transactions. The word "deal" refers to this transaction view. Development, on the other hand, involves a value judgement. A development phenomenon means that something good or desirable has taken place, and different groups may make different value judgements as to the desirability or goodness of a phenomenon or situation. Reaching consensus about whether we have witnessed an economic phenomenon is easy.Reaching consensus about a development phenomenon may not be. Also, development implies moving forward in a desirable direction. Learning is also involved in development. As societies and communities learn (by doing, by interacting, by observing)they change their judgement and values about development. That´s how sustainable development evolved. Keeping this difference in mind helps us help others. The values of "those who have" are different than the values of "those who don´t have". So, who decides what can be considered a development phenomenon towards bridging the digital divide? Hope this helps. Maria Laura
Secretaria de Desarrollo Universitario Instituto Universitario Aeronautico Avda Fuerza Aerea 6500 Cordoba 5010, Argentina Tel:: +54 351 5688832 http:// www.iua.edu.ar _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@digitaldivide.net http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
