Can the capabilities approach help us frame technology injustice?
If you think this question is only of “academic interest” then read on. At the Human Development and Capability Association conference in Den Haag, The Netherlands I put this question before a group of donors, practitioners, and academics. I wanted to start a conversation about how we can move away from the traditional ways of thinking about development and economies. How do we address the twin issues of sustainability and inter-generational equity?
Sen[i] writes about social injustice and challenges much of the conventional approach to economics with his emphasis on well-being and capabilities.
Practical Action has had a focus on the use of technology to challenge poverty for the past 40 years, inspired by the vision of the economist Schumacher[ii] and based on the notion of intermediate technology. Currently Practical Action is considering how it can best use the idea of technology justice to form a campaign and movement for change. How can the capabilities approach help us to frame technology injustice?
Here are four practical advantages of using a capabilities approach to frame (and/or communicate) the idea of technology justice:
- It would allow us to challenge the assumptions of economic growth as a driver for human development.
- We could identify unanticipated outcomes (both positive and negative) of our interventions.
- It is a values based approach that promotes transparency.
- By using a process based approach we can learn about injustice that results from the negative impact of technologies.
Overall a capabilities approach is normative which fits in with the notion of developing a movement against technology injustices in the world. Let’s keep the conversation going…
[i] Sen, A. (2009) The Idea of Justice, Allen Lane: London.
[ii] Scumacher, E.F. (1973) Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, Abacus Press: London.
Why is Kenya an Innovation Hub?
Knowledge and resources…is the answer being given at the Global Forum on Innovation. At the i-hub in Nairobi people were given mobile phones and created amongst other things m-farm. A sisal rope machine was developed in East Africa by a local person who is now been given some capacity building to develop his innovation to scale.
Is this an example of technology justice? This raises the issue of who might drive technology justice. Is there a role for intermediary organisations? The i-hub and m:lab in Kenya are places where innovation happens…where people can be exposed to non-traditional environments that positively encourages new things.
No Comments » | Add your commentGlobal Innovation and the Poor
The World Bank Group is this week hosting the fourth global forum on innovation in Helsinki. It is attended by over 600 people from 90 countries. The discussion at the donor meeting was around the successes and challenges of using ICT to facilitate innovation. The climate innovation centres were recounted as a key to promoting local innovation. Practical Action in Kenya has participated in workshops with the first climate innovation centre in Nairobi.
Such linkages to local groups is essential to a sustainable approach without which we often have seen a failure of appropriate technology to reach poor people. Indeed one of the key challenges of innovating with ICTs is to ensure that we don’t increase poverty by creating yet another technology elite. So it is vital to have inclusive dialogues and to capture the innate innovative capability of local people to solve their own problems.
No Comments » | Add your commentChinese robots building development
I have just read an inspiring article on BBC News about a Chinese farmer who for decades was ridiculed by his neighbours for his obsession with building robots out of bits of broken farm machinery and other material he had to hand. Then he entered and won a competition for entrepreneurs, got backing for his business and now employs 50 people making custom build robots. His neighbours are impressed.
I loved the story because its great example of how ingenuity can be found everywhere, people have dreams they want to make their lives better and for some people at least all they lack is opportunity.
The people Practical Action works with are keen to work for a better future for themselves and their families. Often new ideas come from the communities sometimes from Practical Action – simple ideas can make a huge difference – zeer pot fridges, low smoke cook stoves, gravity ropeways cutting trecherous journeys from hours to a few minutes and a particular favourite technology of mine, hibiscus pickers (a simple way to protect the value of your crop). Like the robot man in China we too see lives transformed.
Let’s celebrate ingenuity!
No Comments » | Add your commentGadgets old and new unite old and young
What do robots, 3D gaming, BBC computers, podcasting, zeer pots and cooking stoves have in common? Judging by the evidence, albeit anecdotal, at the gadget show live in Birmingham today the answer is there is something about technology that either interests you or it doesn’t. This doesn’t depend on the age of the technology or the person. Technology is of interest to a wide group of people, albeit that most were “dads and lads”. It became clear that a person’s interest in gadgets also gave them insights into the challenges and opportunities posed by introducing technologies into developing countries. My pre-show scepticism appeared to be unfounded…it was a really worthwhile day: from a personal point of view in terms of the rich conversations I had; and from a professional point of view in terms of the contacts I made. This is ample demonstration that an organisation like Practical Action sometimes needs to take well judged risks in order to reach audiences that have hitherto appeared uninterested, or unaware of our work.
Our special 3D glasses were a big hit with kids and all agreed that they gave a 3D view without the aid of electricity – an interesting juxtaposition with the nVidia stand across the aisle where people had to wear special (hi-tech) glasses to see the screen in 3D. The cooking stove was a big hit with visitors from Nigeria and neighbouring Cameroon amongst others. All were deeply touched by the health hazards from smoke in the home. The humble mp3 player coupled with a solar charger captured many people’s imagination. Most people guessed the function of the zeer pot and instantly appreciated the way in which such technologies could be adopted locally. Those interested in camping wanted a solar lantern for their tent.
The show was the start of a conversation with a group of people who are fascinated by technology. Many visitors wanted to take the short questionnaire to determine what kind of geek they are: social, work, collector or uber – if you are interested in joining the geek club more information can be found by following the link. We need to continue that conversation to ensure that all of humanity can have a choice about the technology they use. Please join us in that conversation…
No Comments » | Add your commentGadgets for you or for all?
David J. GrimshawBourton on Dunsmore, Warwickshire CV23 9, UK, Bourton on Dunsmore
April 12th, 2011
The gadget show live at the NEC is expecting 100,000 visitors. All, no doubt excited by the prospect of ever newer faster, smarter, smaller gadgets that will transform our daily lives. Or will they? To truly transform our lives there would have to be some quantum leap in functionality that the gadget could deliver. But this is unlikely to be the case with most of the gadgets at the show. Most of the visitors will, I imagine, already have a digital camera, a music player, and a mobile phone. So will the newly acquired gadget simply be a fashion accessory?
What would a gadget do for someone living in poverty in a rural area of Nepal or Zimbabwe without access to electricity? Here a gadget may enable a family to access clean drinking water, irrigate their crops or cook dinner without creating smoke that would damage their health. The key difference between “them and us” is that for “them” there is often no choice. There is either no money to buy a gadget or no gadget available. For “us” the choice is almost too much…overwhelming amounts of gadgets, with varied prices and functions.
My hope is that those who take an interest in gadgets will pause to think about “them” and ask “how can we make technology choices open to all in the world?”
No Comments » | Add your commentSocial Media Club (If you get it, share it)
On visiting iHub Nairobi’s Innovation Hub there were many reasons to be impressed. Not only was the office layout, clean, open and free of the uncreative structures of the modern office environment but there was also a definite and unpremeditated energy of enterprise, entrepreneurship and development.
Positioned on a raised seating and stage area of the office (where shoes were definitely not welcome attire) sat one of my favourite pub games – the unrivalled table football. What caught my eye though was not the game and table itself but a sticker reading the slogan;
‘Social Media Club, if you get it, share it.
In terms of my visit to Kenya and the work of Practical Answers as the knowledge sharing function of Practical Action this phrase is so, so relevant. We as Practical Action do get why, how and when ‘technology’ is an appropriate function of development. In fact it is exactly what we have been doing for over 40 years.
The Social Media Club referred to on the sticker takes you to socialmediaclub.org and locally to Nairobi, socialmediaclub.org/chapter/nairobi
‘Social Media Club Nairobi, where innovators from Kenya will meet for monthly events to share, engage and collaborate with the community on the issues of social media and technology.’
Questions we may want to ask at this stage are,
Who is driving Innovation in International Development?
What place could iHub play in creating change through Innovation?
Why is this connected to development in Kenya?
Where should we start to innovate?
When can we achieve results?
&
Ultimately…
How can Digital Innovation aid the cause of Practical Action?
These questions need to be amplified within the development agenda, particularly within Kenya and East Africa.
The rise of the mobile phone over the last 5 years and the need to be connected to both mobile, internet and social networks 24hrs a day is clearly a priority for a large % of Kenyans in 2011.
I am not going to begin to answer how, when or in what shape digital ‘Innovation’ will play it’s part in the development of East Africa and indeed International Development Globally, but it is fundamentally clear and simple to see that we need many more iHub’s in the world to begin to start on solving the major world issues that we have today.
In consortium with the World Wide Web Foundation, please check out iHub and indeed m:lab and support the work that they are doing in encouraging the rise of Innovation, Investment and creativity within Kenya and East Africa.
iHub – www.ihub.co.ke
m:lab – www.mlab.co.ke
1 Comment » | Add your commentThe bare necessities of life! (what do we need to feel alive?)
Following a meeting on our second day in Nairobi a conversation really resonated with me.
Traditionally the most valued basic needs were;
WATER
FOOD
SHELTER
Now in 2011 these needs are only the basic bare necessities of life, there is a hunger for, a want, and a very real need for Information.
Information, Knowledge, Communication, Interation….
These are all now as important as the basic needs for all.
How will we as the modern world deal with this as a need?
On meeting Alin a dynamic Kenyan organisation who connect communities with knowledge throughout Eastern Africa it is clear that knowledge is now key, in fact knowledge is freedom and power.
Alin works to disseminate knowledge and feed that knowledge into communities that need it.
What is clear is that we need to value knowledge as important as air. Knowledge is the 21st century fourth component, the way of life.
Life as we know it has now changed and we need to embrace that change.
This is where Practical Action and Practical Answers is so important!
Check out www.practicalanswers.org
Enjoy!
Comments Off | Comments OffUsing Local Voice to Share Knowledge in Rural Zimbabwe: Digital Extension
Our work on podcasting in Zimbabwe has just received global recognition. The Finalists in the prestigious Stockholm Challenge have been announced today, 1 December 2010. Our project has been selected by a panel of independent international judges. More details about our entry can be found on the Stockholm Challenge 2010 website or on the Practical Action site. Many congratulations to the team in Zimbabwe led by Lawrence Gudza.
No Comments » | Add your commentHas science failed (the poor)?
This was a question I was asked after a talk given at Chatham House on Monday. The talk was part of a two day conference on: Investing in Science – Securing future prosperity. Although I had been critical of science for not directing effort towards the global grand challenges of energy poverty, water scarsity, and food security I do not believe that science has failed. Rather, as a (dismal) scientist might say; science is a necessary but not sufficient condition for development.
My argument was that “how” we engage science and scientists with development challenges needs to change. We need to include wider stakeholder groups such as local (developing country) scientists with global scientists; we need to engage local business with local business; and importantly we need innovation in business models.
Many people at the well attended event came to talk with me afterwards to say that they agreed with what I said. Clearly that statement is not based on scientific evidence but it is encouraging nontheless.
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