Tag Archive for 'International Development Research Centre'


Call for Papers: Infrastructure Regulation: What works, Why, and How do we know?
Deadline: 05 December 2008.




A world free from 9/11s and tsunamis?

Exactly seven years from yesterday (still today to some), early in the morning on September 11, 2001, nineteen hijackers took control of four commercial airliners en route to San Francisco and Los Angeles from Boston, Newark, and Washington, D.C. The hijackers flew two of the airliners, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the North and South Towers of the World Trade Center. Another group of hijackers flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. A fourth flight, United Airlines Flight 93, whose ultimate target was either the United States Capitol or White House, crashed near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The rest, as we say, is history.

What 9/11 was to the West, ‘the’ tsunami was to the South. Caught unaware, more than 225,000 lives…

LIRNEasia at GK3: on disaster warning and ICTs becoming invisible

IDRC interviewed me at GK3.   The voice cut is below.

Rohan Samarajiva: International Development Research Centre

Rohan Samarajiva, executive director of LIRNEasia, describes how its pioneering research work is helping make communities more resilient in the face of disasters like tsunamis and cyclones.

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LIRNEasia book launch: 16 December 07, IIT, Chennai

book-pic-small.jpg

LIRNEasia’s first book, ICT Infrastructure in Emerging Asia: Policy and Regulatory Roadblocks, edited by Rohan Samarajiva and Ayesha Zainudeen will be launched on December 16 2007.

The Chief guests at the event will be Shri K.Sridhara, Member (Technology) & Ex-Officio Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications & IT, and Prof. Ashok Jhunjhunwala, Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, IIT Madras.

The book looks at the policy and regulatory barriers to the expansion of information and communication technology infrastructure in emerging markets, based on Asian experience and is co-published by SAGE Publications and the International Development Research Centre. More information available at http://www.lirneasia.net/projects/ict-infrastructure-in-emerging-asia/

Documentary film highlights telephone revolution in Asia’s emerging markets

A new documentary film, titled Teleuse@BOP,  recently produced by TVE Asia Pacific (TVEAP) and based on LIRNEasia’s  study on Teleuse at the Bottom of the Pyramid, highlights a communication revolution happening in Asia’s emerging telecommunication markets.

When it comes to using phones, the film says, people at the bottom of the income pyramid are no different from anyone else; they value the enhanced personal security, including emergency communications, and social networking benefits. Increasingly, poor people are not content with just using public phones or shared access phones (belonging friends or family). They see a utility and social value of having their own phones.

IDRC internships

The Communication Initiative - Funding - IDRC Internship Awards

The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Internship programme is for candidates who have shown interest in the creation and utilisation of knowledge from an international perspective and provides hands-on learning experiences in research programme management. Candidates can be Canadians, permanent residents, or citizens of developing countries, who are either currently registered in a Master’s Programme or have completed a Master’s Degree. The 14 awards provide exposure to research for international development through a programme of training in research management and grant administration under the guidance of IDRC programme staff.

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WDR Expert Forum, March 2-3, 2007, Singapore

The World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR) Expert Forum on Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector and Regulatory Performance Indicators will be held from March 2-3, 2007 at the Changi Village Hotel, Singapore. The event is organized by the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), in partnership with LIRNEasia and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada.

The forum will bring together National Regulatory Agencies (NRAs), National Statistical Organizations (NSOs) and leading operators from the SAARC and ASEAN countries, and will focus on assessing telecommunications regulatory performance and establishing a sustainable system for measuring and benchmarking ICT sector indicators in developing Asia.

For more information about this event, email asia@lirne.net

“Living in the Information Society” - NCPAG Conference in Philippines (April 2007)

The Philippine ICT Researchers Network through the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) of the University of the Philippines will be hosting the first international conference on “Living the Information Society: The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on People, Work and Communities in Asia” which will be held on April 23-24, 2007 at the Renaissance Hotel, Makati City, Philippines (program attached). Early registration (download form) for the Conference is now open and entitles the participant to a 20% discount.

This conference funded by the International Development Research Centre – Canada,  is being organized in support of the growing community of researchers and practitioners conducting research on the social, cultural, psychological, economic, political, and other transformations brought about by information and communications technologies (ICT) in the Asia-Pacific…

Way to go..article on LIRNEasia in the Indian Media

Three articles on LIRNEasia and its research have appeared in Business Line, one of the leading business newspapers in India belonging to the Hindu group. The most recent one appeared today, focussing on LIRNEasia’s research activities in the Asian region.

The way to go
The Hindu Businessline, October 23, 2006
By Ambar Singh Roy

[...]Founded in September 2004, LIRNEasia (Learning Initiatives on Reforms for Network Economies) was initially focused on India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Indonesia.

This year, LIRNEasia’s research footprint has been extended to the Philippines, Thailand and Pakistan.

Says Prof Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia: “The Asia-Pacific is a leading region in ICT, both in manufacture and use. However, there are stark contrasts between the developed and emerging parts. LIRNEasia seeks to identify the institutional constraints on…

Call for papers: Living the Information Society

Living the Information Society: The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on People, Work and Communities in Asia
Renaissance Hotel, Makati City, Philippines
April 23-24, 2007

Download Call for Papers

The Philippine ICT Researchers Network through the National College of Public Administration and Governance of the University of the Philippines is hosting an international conference on “Living the Information Society: The Impact of Information and Communication Technologies on People, Work and Communities in Asia.” This conference will be held at the Renaissance Hotel, Makati City on April 23-24, 2007. The event is also co-sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Workshop on ICT Indicators for Benchmarking Performance in Network and Services Development

LIRNEasia and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), with the assitance of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, co-sponsored the “Workshop on ICT Indicators for Benchmarking Performance in Network and Services Development” in New Delhi from 1-3 March 2006. The workshop highlighted the need for accurate, standardized and comparable indicators for the region and was intended to initate action to develop such indicators.

The workshop brought together representatives of National Regulatory Authorities (NRAs), National Statistical Organizations (NSOs) and operators from Afghanistan, Bangaldesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka along with the foremost authorities on the subject from the ITU, OECD, and the US National Regulatory Research Institute (NRRI). With nearly 60 participants from 16 countries, the Workshop was also attended by telecom researchers…

How Research Influences Policy

This is a question that is central to the mission of LIRNEasia. The link below connects to a very accessible discussion on the subject:
In Conversation: Carol Weiss and Evert Lindquist on Policymaking and Research: International Development Research Centre

LIRNEasia at WSIS, Tunis, Nov 17

Pro-Poor, Pro-Market ICT Policy and Regulation
World Summit on the information Society, Matmata Room, Kram Centre Tunis, November 17, 2005, 9:00 – 16:45
LIRNE.NET and the World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR), LIRNEasia, Research ICT Africa (RIA), Diálogo regional sobre la sociedad de la información (DIRSI)
Sponsored by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and
The Information for Development Program of the World Bank (infoDev)
9:00-9:15 Welcome Randy Spence
9:15 - 10.15 ICT Demand, access and usage by the poor
Chair: Heloise Emdon, IDRC

Telecom Strategies on a Shoestring (Household Income Below USD 100/Month)(PDF download) (LIRNEasia) Ayesha Zainudeen, LIRNEasia team
Digital Poverty in LAC (DIRSI) Roxana Barrantes
Measuring ICT Access and Usage in Africa (RIA) Alison Gillwald, Christoph Stork
10:30-12:00 Core Networks and Policy Issues
Chair: Olivier Nana Nzepa, RIA

Having a Backbone; Making Best Use of What You’ve Got (LIRNEasia) Harsha Vardhana Singh, Rohan Samarajiva
SADC…

LIRNEasia at WSIS, Tunis

Pro-Poor Pro-Market Regulation Reform (PPPM)

From IDRC’s website
World Summit on the information Society
, Kram Centre, Tunis, November 17, 2005
Conference Organisers: the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the Information for Development Program of the World Bank (infoDev)

LIRNE.NET and the World Dialogue on Regulation (WDR)
LIRNEasia Research ICT Africa (RIA)
Diálogo regional sobre la sociedad de la información (DIRSI)

November 17, 2005 - Morning Program

Time Activity
8:30-8:45

Welcome - Richard Fuchs

8:45-9:45

ICT Demand, access and usage by the poor
Chair: Laurent Elder, IDRC
 
ICT Uses on a Shoestring in Asia (LIRNEasia)- Ayesha Zainudeen
Digital Poverty in LAC (DIRSI) - Roxana Barrantes
Towards an African e-index (RIA) - Alison Gillwald, Christoph Stork
 
Discussion
9:45-10:00
Coffee break
10:00-11:15
Core Networks and Policy Issues
Chair: F F Tusubira, RIA
 
Asia Backbone Study (LIRNEasia) - Rohan Samarajiva
Telecoms Funds and Regulatory Challenges - Judith Mariscal
South Asia ADCs, USFs and Subsidy Auctions (LIRNEasia) - Harsha da…

UNDP Asia-Pacific Development Information Programme (UNDP-APDIP) Releases ORDIG Policy Brief and Input Paper on Internet Governance 7 June 2005

Voices from Asia-Pacific: Internet Governance Priorities and Recommendations:

After almost ten months of research and activities, UNDP-APDIP’s Open Regional Dialogue on Internet Governance (ORDIG*) has produced a two-part report entitled, “Voices from Asia-Pacific: Internet Governance Priorities and Recommendations” - consisting of 1) the ORDIG Policy Brief and Executive Summary, and 2) the ORDIG Input Paper for the UN Working Group on Internet Governance (WGIG) and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).

These documents stem from months of consultations involving stakeholder groups from the public and private sectors, as well as civil society.

ORDIG consulted over 3,000 stakeholders through sub-regional meetings, jointly organized with UNESCAP and others; a region-wide online forum that allowed for open and candid discussions on the issues; and a region-wide, multi-lingual, issues-based online…