Knowledge Networking for Sustainable Development
KnowNet Initiative
Vikas Nath, Innovator, KnowNet Initiative
Inlaks Fellow (2000-1)
London School of Economics.
April 2000
Knowledge once gained casts a light beyond its own immediate boundaries.
John Tyndall (1820-1893), Physicist.
The paper aims to stimulate discussion on knowledge-based networking approach to sustainable development. Knowledge is and will continue to be critical to the social and economic activities that comprise the development process. The cornerstone of this approach is global access to information and human resources, enrichment of information during different steps and an efficient mechanism for collective learning and sharing of knowledge between nations, communities and individuals through bridging of gap between users and sources of information. The paper advocates that pursuit of knowledge networking when supported by vision, leadership and right value framework can secure considerable gains towards sustainable development.
Background
At the eve of the new millennium, people living in developing countries face unprecedented challenges to their growth and overall development brought on by the changing global economy, political changes, environment degradation and demographic pressures. The task of operationalising and sustaining development processes that are rooted on the principles of equity and economic growth that benefit and empower the common man and the disadvantaged, continues to be daunting. Nations and people are however starting to realize that paths of development centered around mere economic growth paradigms are unsustainable and there is a need to play a more pro-active role in the development process. The focus is shifting towards growth with equity, preserving the integrity and the natural resource base of the environment for present and future generations, and generating conditions for everyone to benefit in the overall growth cycle- laying the foundation of the sustainable development process.
Sustainable Development: the concept of information
Information more than ever is becoming a priceless commodity whose value ever increasing with time and is becoming a critical resource for development. Comparative advantages of Nations are now expressed as the ability of countries to acquire, organize, retrieve, disseminate information through communication, information processing technologies and complex information networks to support policy making and development process. It is no irony, that the growing gap between the world's have and have-nots is today more appropriately reflected in the gap between people with access to information and those without. Way back in 1987, the Brundtland Report emphasized upon early access to and deliberate sharing of information and expertise between all nations and actors as a key component to ensuring a sustainable future for the planet. The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (the Earth Summit) in 1992 re-instated the role of information exchange and diffusion in the sustainable development process and as a tool for poverty reduction. Management of information, encompassing the function of information collection, compilation, organizing and dissemination provides the skeletal framework for focusing on sustainable development concerns.
On the other hand, the definition of sustainable development in itself, embodies a belief that people are the foremost, knowledgeable force and should be able to alter and improve their lives in accordance with criteria that take accounts of the needs of others and which protects the planet and future generations. Information exchange is therefore an essential component to sustainable development. Approaching development from an information exchange perspective can improve the quality of people's lives. Information about nutritional values of foodgrains can mean better health, even with those with little to spend on food. Public disclosure of information about industrial pollution can lead to a cleaner and more healthful environments. And microcredit programme can make it possible for poor people to invest in a better future for themselves and their children. In a broad sense, information access gives people greater control over their destinies. The explosion of internet and other interactive technologies have led to a paradigm shift in storage, retrieval, handling and dissemination of information. The decreasing cost of hardware and software elements associated with these technologies and their growing acceptance by wider segments of society as an integral mechanism through which they communicate, collaborate and conduct their business further paves the way for an innovative, yet challenging and far-reaching development process.
Information and Knowledge
Today, information has become a factor sui generis in the societal and economic development. Throughout the world, the information revolution is generating a new industrial revolution already as significant and far-reaching as those of the past. Information now represents the lifeline of the emerging society and constitute the principle resource of a growing economy. The diffusion of information technologies in all areas of souci-economic development may lead to information traveling faster and reaching to the remotest corners of earth but may not necessarily result in creation of a knowledgeable society. Availability of information in itself does not culminate into knowledge but is the essential ingredient to the creation of knowledge.
Information about how to treat a simple disease such as diarrhea has existed for centuries, yet millions of children continue to die from it because information does not get translated into knowledge for the local communities- due to lack of access to information at the right time, inability to customize or adapt the available information to suit local requirements, or the simple lack of capacity to absorb information. Information is a sort of magnitude and it is only when it attains a direction and helps people communicate, participate in decision-making and allows them to make informed choices does the information become knowledge - paving the way for knowledge based networking. Creation of knowledge through step-wise processing, customization and assimilation of available information is akin to creation of an intellectual property - the ultimate value of which is determined by the end users and its producers has little control on its value.
Knowledge- based Networking
Knowledge based networking rest on the strong belief that communities have knowledge and expertise which needs to be synergized with the existing information, in the context of decision-making and initiating judicious action. Just as knowledge gap needs to be bridged between developing and industrial countries, so too there are gaps within the country. Knowledge based bridges the gap between the communities and between development professionals and rural people through initiating interaction and dialogue, new alliances, inter-personal networks, and cross-sectoral links between organizations so that "useful knowledge" is shared and channeled to develop "best management practices" and provide practical decision support.
Knowledge based networking implies that knowledge is acquired not just by creation but also by transfer of knowledge existing elsewhere. Knowledge Networking holds the prospect of an accelerated introduction of state-of-art technologies superseding the step-by-step process of transferring know-how and technologies among users and possesors of information. With the plummeting costs, the transfer of knowledge is becoming cheaper than ever. Networking for knowledge -sharing caters to the global thirst for information, builds up awareness among the change agents or those who can exert external pressure, and encourages informed and active participation of communities and individuals. Further it creates a mechanism which enables articulation and sharing of local knowledge with potential for further enrichment of this information as it passes through the network users. Benefits include more efficient and targeted development intervention, less duplication of activities, low communication costs and global access to information and human resources.
Knowledge- Networking for Sustainable Development
Information is critical to the social and economic activities that comprise the development process. The ability to quickly locate timely and relevant information also holds importance as environmental issues are rapidly transforming into economic issues in a world of increasing awareness and decreasing tolerance to the environment. Often pertinent information is available on issues concerning sustainable development but access to such conventional and non-conventional information is limited. This is due to lack of Organisation of information services which can give appropriate and timely support. Knowledge-networking in such cases enables millions of people to become better informed about decision-making processes in their countries, cities, villages and has helped local communities to improve their standard of living and the environment around them.
Knowledge networking creates both the challenge and the to attack vexing problems of poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation with the potential to achieve unprecedented gains in economic and human development. Such forms of networking gives a voice to the people transforming them from mere information recipients to information providers and decision-makers. Over a period, knowledge based networking strengthens the inherent link between information access, democracy, human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development by providing useful information for problem-solving, for enhancing community participation, for better organization of developmental interventions and for improving the relationships between the various stakeholders in development. Further, it breaks the boundary, which confines the availability of information to a few by bringing together governmental and non-governmental organizations, researchers, business and industrial establishments in a network for information exchange.
Knowledge-networking however need not be confined within the closed boundaries of information flows but has the potential to evolve as an alternative institutional model for development promotion. Networking for influencing decision-making provides strength to the democracy as it enables the decision-making mechanism to perpetuate right below till the roots of the society without being confined by the bureaucratic straitjacket of more formal institutions. Simultaneously, it builds upon institutional memory of past successes and failures to guide towards a more targeted and pragmatic approach to current and emerging challenges concerning sustainable development. Alternative mechanisms to carry out these tasks would take a lot more time, resources and efforts.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
The world is in the midst of an information revolution, complemented by opening up of entirely new vistas in communication technologies. Hundreds of billion of dollars are spent on Information and Communication technologies, reflecting a powerful global belief in the transformatory potential of these technologies. By definition, Information and Communication Technologies are a diverse set of technological tools and resources to create, disseminate, store, and manage information. The Information and Communication Technologies sector is a gamut of industries and service sector- internet services provision, telecommunications equipment and services, media and broadcasting, libraries and document centres, commercial information providers, network-based information services and other related information and communication activities.
Information and Communication Technologies holds the prospect of an accelerated introduction of state-of-art technologies superseding the step-by-step process of transferring know-how and technologies among users and possesors of information. Information and communication technologies are having a profound impact on global economic relationships, social patterns in both developed and developing countries. The explosion of internet and other interactive technologies have led to a paradigm shift in storage, retrieval, handling and dissemination of information. The decreasing cost of hardware and software elements associated with these technologies and their growing acceptance by wider segments of society as an integral mechanism through which they communicate, collaborate and conduct their business further paves the way for an innovative, yet challenging and far-reaching development process.
The Information and Communication Technologies include the Internet multi-media capabilities, electronic mails, or using a combination of CD-ROM and the Internet, depending on the specific situations. The Internet's multi-media capabilities facilitate the development, sharing, storage, retrieval and dissemination of a range of information and supports communication in many forms such as discussion lists, chat forums, online databases, streaming news etc.
ICT: As a tool for Knowledge Networking
The emergence and convergence of information and communication technologies remain at the centre of global social and economic development and are becoming indispensable to realize the global information and the global knowledge society. Information and Communication Technologies are becoming indispensable to realize the global information and the global knowledge society. As UNDP's 1999 Human Development Report points out "The past decade has proven the tremendous potential of global communications to provide information, enable empowerment and raise productivity.
Information and Communication Technologies holds the prospect of an accelerated introduction of state-of-art technologies superseding the step-by-step process of transferring know-how and technologies among users and possesors of information. It allows faster delivery and a more adapted content of technical assistance in sectors ranging from long-distance education, telemedicine, environmental management to strengthening of participatory approaches and the creation of new livelihoods. In the process they affect all areas of economic, social, cultural and political process." Thus, Information and Communication Technologies are not only a significant factor in the performance and growth of economies - the importance of which is continuously growing, but they also represent a novel and effective tool to help advance sustainable human development.
Information and Communication Technologies allows faster delivery and a more adapted content of technical assistance in sectors ranging from long-distance education, telemedicine, environmental management to strengthening of participatory approaches and the creation of new livelihoods. It allows access to information worldwide, promote networking transcended borders, languages and cultures, foster empowerment of communities and help spread knowledge about "best practices" and experiences. As generic technologies, Information and Communication Technologies permeate and cut across all social institutions, perceptions and thought processes. Further, the new technology greatly facilitates the acquisition and absorption of knowledge, offering developing countries unprecedented opportunities to enhance educational systems, improve policy formation and execution, and widen the range of opportunities for business and the poor (World Bank 1998).
ICT and Developing Nations
The information revolution has progressed much from the time the Maitland Commission (1984) published its much-cited findings of the shocking discrepnacy in accessibility and equality of telecommunications between developed and developing nations summing up the void between many nations with the now ubiquitous and outdated phrase, "Tokyo has more telephone lines than Africa". The last decade and a half has seen the explosion of a number of new information technologies - some of which have perpetuated to a large extent in the developing nations. Yet, the global information gap is still widening.
Developing nations are one of the last frontiers for the spread and application of information technology. Nowhere is the power of knowledge as relevant today at it is for the two-thirds of the world's people who live in the countries of the South. The knowledge gap has to be bridged urgently if the developing nations are to "leap-frog" on the fast path to development because capital and other resources are increasingly flowing into countries which have a wider knowledge base. Developing nations are however still not fully equipped to benefit from Information and Communication Technologies. Developing country governments need greater guidance on how to deal with the potentials of information and communication technologies - infrastructure development and policy modifications are required to harness the fullest potential of Information and Communication Technologies in bringing about a sustained change in improving the qualilty of life of people
The IT situation vis-a-vis developing nations not only revolves around questions of how to apply information technology to their concerns, but also around the mere existence of information technologies in these countries at all. Comparative advantages of nations are now expressed as the ability of countries to acquire, organise, retrieve, disseminate information through communication, information processing technologies and complex information networks to support policy making and development process.
Developing countries, especially the Least Developing Countries (LDCs) are unable to reap equal benefits in the information revolution, as they lack:
- Technologies and infrastructure to access information resources
- Capacity to build, operate, manage and service the technologies involved.
- Trained workforce to develop, maintain and provide the value added products and services.
- Conducive policies that promote equitable public participation in the information society as both producers an consumers of information and knowledge.
- Absence of a replicable precedence of a successful ICT project.
Role of Intermediary Organizations
The starting point for any successful networking approach is the development of relationships that make it easy for people to talk about their needs, share information, and work together. This entails an initial scooping process to define the nature of the system under consideration, the needs and opportunities facing the different interest groups that may be involved, who should be involved, what can or should be changed, etc. This is where the intermediary organizations can provide a platform for people to voice their issues and concerns, and foster the active involvement of the right people within the process.
Later in the process, these organizations play a significant role in managing the rapidly growing body of knowledge about development, and in building capacities of the local communities to transform information and knowledge into ingredients of empowerment and equitable development through outreach and training of direct beneficiaries.