Title: Complementary uses of Information Systems in Decision Making, Planning and Democracy: An Example in the Education Sector
Author: Felix Alvarado
Pages: 12 pp.
ISSN: 1554-2262
Source: Journal of Education for International Development 4:2, December 2009
Publisher: Educational Quality Improvement Program (EQUIP)and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
Date (published): 24/12/2009
Date (accessed): 28/01/2010
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
This paper describes the ongoing implementation of web intelligence tools in public education and other policy sectors in Guatemala. In the case described, software tools first developed for use in business were adopted for planning and decision making in public institutions. Easy online access to the outputs of these tools as web documents suggested their use to foster transparency, accountability and social oversight. This paper summarizes the salient aspects of the experience so far of implementing and expanding what has been called the “Platform for Integrated Social Information,” It discusses the issues this Platform raises as a resource for improved public decision making, policy analysis and especially, as a promising but challenging tool for democracy in the education sector.

Title: Technology for employability in Latin America: Research with at‐risk youth & people with disabilities
Authors: Joyojeet Pal, Jay Freistadt, Michele Frix, and Phil Neff
Pages: 94 pp.
Publisher: Technology & Social Change Group, University of Washington
Date (published): 06/11/2009
Date (accessed): 20/11/2009
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (pdf)
Abstract:
Since the early 1990s, there has been an increasing interest in technology training centers to build employability options of socially excluded groups in Latin America. This study examines the recent investment into computer centers providing basic technology training for people with disabilities and at‐risk youth. Using primary research in five countries: Brazil, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Venezuela, we discuss the ways in which technology training impacts the employability concerns of two populations with diverse needs and histories of social and economic exclusion from formal labor markets. The goal of this report is to provide scholars and policy‐makers an expansive survey of the landscape of issues around technology employability for socially excluded populations. Our findings are broadly divided into three segments. We first examine the environmental factors that impact such projects including the aspirational environment and the discourse of technology. We then discuss the short‐term impacts of these programs including the creation of pathways to employment, community‐building, as well as impacts on selfesteem and stigmatization and the potential of mismatched employment expectations from access to these programs. We finally turn to factors that influence the success of such programs including cost, certification, and accessible technology.

Title: Economic Development and Inclusion through Local Broadband Access Networks
Editor: Jaime García Alba
Authors: Stefano Migliorisi, Alessandra Balletti, Karl Edwards, Roberto Donà, David Mendoza, Ugo Silva Dias, Miguel Collado di Franco, Luis Deza
Pages: 145 pp.
Publisher: Multilateral Investment Fund, Inter-American Development Bank
Date (published): August 2009
Date (accessed): 28/08/2009
Type of information: research paper
Language: English
On-line access: yes (HTML, PDF)
Abstract:
The theme of the study is the recent experience of community-based initiatives driven by municipal governments, community organizations, local entrepreneurs associations, NGOs that have deployed sustainable local broadband connectivity services. This report provides a detailed mapping of best practice for the implementation of sustainable local broadband access networks and an analysis of the situation in Brazil, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Peru.