There is no human culture which has never learned anything from another. Learning from other cultures is a natural phenomenon. There is nothing wrong with it. However, when foreign influence is overwhelming, beyond the control of the receiving country, psychological delicate problems emerge. This paper holds the view that the extremely rapid…

Although e-medicine, just as with all information technology (IT), was developed and piloted in developed countries, it has not been successfully applied to address pressing medical problems in SSA (Mbarika & Okoli, 2003; Maher, et al., 2010). There is a lot of research that has been conducted in the last decade on telemedicine in sub-Saharan…

Information technology (IT) professionals face markedly different kinds of challenges in developing countries from the ones in developed countries. Based on the research literature and our fourteen years of fieldwork in Iringa, Tanzania, we have identified eight groups of technical characteristics of IT work that significantly affect the work of…

Examines the implications of technology transfer in the area of computer and communications technology to the Asian third world. Benefits of and deterrents to technology transfer are explored, and experiences are discussed on a country by country basis. (19 references) (Author/MES)

Examines ethical considerations involved in the transfer of appropriate information technology to less developed countries. Approaches to technology are considered; two philosophical frameworks for studying ethical considerations are discussed, i.e., the Kantian approach and the utilitarian perspective by John Stuart Mill; and integration of the…

This journal special issue contains the following articles on the role of information and communications Technology (ICT) in development in the countries of the South: (1) "Digitally Empowered Development" (Allen L. Hammond); (2) "Global E-Commerce Policies Seen from the South" (Somkiat Tangkitvanich); (3) "Building…

Discussion of the diffusion of information technology focuses on telecommunications in developing countries, television systems, and personal computers. Examples and statistics from the United States and other countries are provided. (eight references) (MES)

The Bayh-Dole Act has been remarkably successful in promoting the transfer of technology in the USA from federally funded research labs to the private sector. Although other governments are now looking to Bayh-Dole as a model, most of this interest has been limited to developed countries. This article examines the potential benefits of the…

Analyzes the conditions and possibilities for technological learning about information technology infrastructure in developing countries; distinguishes between local, contextual learning and institutional or technological infrastructure for learning. Provides examples from Mongolian and South African health care to illustrate the need for learning…

Analyzes the origins of the myth of an information and knowledge gap between developed countries and those of sub-Sahara Africa, and examines the present day reality of this gap. An approach to technology transfer is outlined which would reduce the gap and provide a means for capturing, repackaging and preserving African knowledge. (nine…

Argues that the underdevelopment of national information sectors is a major factor acting against developing nations and lists a number of problems for which developing nations must provide effective solutions if their respective information sectors are to support national development. An agenda of activities for the 1990s to address this…

Argues that the proposals regarding patenting which are included in the international Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will strengthen existing trade monopolies and adversely influence technology diffusion between the northern and southern hemisphere. Notes that such an outcome could diminish market…

For over 30 years the installation of information systems has been promoted in developing nations by international organizations and international consultancies in order to transfer technical expertise from the industrialized countries to the Third World. While some have questioned the value of indiscriminately transferring scientific and…

This study was performed to discern the feasibility of a Pan-African Network of Social Science Information and Documentation Centres and Services that would serve the regions covered by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Economic Commission for Western Asia (ECWA). This report on the study outlines the various forms networking can…

A theoretical foundation for a proposed discipline of development information science is discussed. Topics covered include an overview of theories in all disciplines, perceptions of information science theory in the Western world, domains and models in development information science, related disciplines, and the relevance of information…