The ITU has released a report on "Multipurpose community telecentres: Lessons learned". It is a good development. After years of telecentre work, we need to understand the impact of access to ICT in poverty eradication and social empowerment. There is a need for deeper analysis of telecentre activities beyond anecdotal statements. Don't get me wrong. I have a passion for ICT in development... perhaps what is required is more evidence to push this movement to the next level.
Unfortunately, ITU's report doesn't go far enough... its mostly about what we know already.
In part, "...the study suggests that the social rate of return from access to information is likely to be very high, and ignoring it for the sake of cost-revenue balance would be self-defeating. It concludes that access to information should be considered as an investment that has an overarching impact on all the activities of an economy, and should not be constricted by requiring a monetary return in the short run.
See more: http://www.itu.int/net/itunews/issues/2010/05/30.aspx
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