News

December 2, 2010

TASCHA Talk: Building on the results of the Landscape of Public Access Technology in Developing Countries — which examined 25 countries — Ricardo Gomez (Assistant Professor, iSchool) and Fernando Baron (Ph.D. student, iSchool) did an in-depth study in a single country: Colombia. Using a refined research methodology, they validated trends from the Landscape study (ie., types of users and main uses of public access computing, role of infomediaries, and issues of trust, fees, and education. Gomez and Baron will also explore new topics — ICTs and violence, the relationship between mobile phones and community radio, and users perceptions of impact.

TASCHA Talk: Tyler Davis (Ph.D. candidate, Evans School of Public Affairs) will provide an overview of some some of the work he has done to apply benefit-cost analysis principles and standards to social programs. The talk will begin with an outline of the benefit-cost analysis approach, with an example from the Army Corps of Engineers, the institution that developed these standards in the United States. Next, Tyler will discuss how benefit-cost analysis has been used in other fields, including social programs.

November 30, 2010

TASCHA’s two Winter 2010 seminars continue to focus on the Global Impact Study of Public Access to Information & Communication Technologies. The Inventory Database course will bring students together to help with the development of an online database of public access venues in Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Lithuania, and the Philippines. The Benefit Cost Analysis seminar is designed to parallel the research process for scholars and practitioners interested in benefit cost analysis. Students will participate in three research processes: research design, data analysis, and presentation of policy relevant findings.

November 22, 2010

To further engage the University of Washington and Information School communities in mutual sharing of knowledge and learning, the Global Impact Study is leading research seminar sections on a variety of topics. Possible topics include literature reviews, analysis of quantitative and qualitative data, and applying research findings to practice in the library and information sciences field.

November 12, 2010

As part of the Global Impact Study, we are interested in analyzing the benefits and costs of public access to information and communication technology. The Global Impact Study is developing survey and hedonic pricing methods for describing the benefits and costs of public access to information and communication technology in seven countries.

November 3, 2010

I’m attending a TASCHA Talk, presented by Tyler Davis, an ESPA PhD student who is doing some BCA as part of the Global Impact Study. Lots of “economist” assumptions here. I must admit that I’m a little biased against BCA for a few reasons (which may be disproven after I know a little more about […]

November 2, 2010

TASCHA’s Maria Garrido is presenting her work on Social movements, solidarity networks, and the quest for social change in the Latin American context: The case of the Zapatista movement in Chiapas, Mexico on Friday, November 5, 2010. Join us at 11am in Mary Gates Hall, Room 420.

October 18, 2010

I realize from delving more into this that several of us have come to the same conclusion. I’m repeating myself but here goes: It’s not about building a big repository. Stop that. It’s about aggregating, not centralizing. Making it easy to find, aggregate, and mash up.

October 14, 2010

There are a series of interesting conversations occurring at the Telecenter Europe Summit (#TES10) around the importance of community technology programs to advance the EU e-inclusion goals. There is also a sense that these centers need to do a better job of tracking and measuring their work, both to make their case to funders and…

October 13, 2010

I’m finally sharing this workshop report. It’s a personal account for those who were not able to attend. I’ve tried to give a sense of the flavor of the meeting and the range of topics and issues that came up. This is a large and complex project, presenting many challenges — from the methodological to the administrative. I did my best not to air dirty laundry, but also not to sanitize what I heard.