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Analysing Socio‐Demographic Differences in the Access & Use of ICTs in the Philippines Using the Capability Approach
Author(s) -
Alampay Erwin
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
the electronic journal of information systems in developing countries
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.41
H-Index - 18
ISSN - 1681-4835
DOI - 10.1002/j.1681-4835.2006.tb00182.x
Subject(s) - information and communications technology , business , phone , icts , relevance (law) , intermediation , economic growth , marketing , political science , economics , finance , philosophy , linguistics , law
This paper presents disaggregated survey data on ICT ownership, access to public ICT facilities, capabilities and actual use of ICTs in two locations in the Philippines: Carmona and Puerto Princesa City. The results showed that the diversity in a location's topography and differences among people complicates the problem of access. In areas that are more isolated, distance and lack of infrastructure remain the biggest hurdles. In more developed areas, however, social issues like lack of motivation, skills and knowledge may hamper people's perception of how an ICT can benefit their lives. The results also supported the general expectation that people who are younger, more affluent, well‐educated and live in areas with better infrastructure tend to have better access and are more capable in using ICTs. But, overall, income and remoteness were the critical barriers that need to be overcome if ICTs are to be meaningful for more people. This is because income influences not only the affordability of ICT services, but also the level of education (and therefore the skills) that also factors into increased relevance for ICT use. Remoteness, on the other hand, is relevant with respect to the physical availability and access of needed ICT infrastructure. It was also revealed that use of ICTs such as the land line phone and cell phone are still predominantly social, rather than work‐related. The results also showed how technological innovation and social intermediation have been helpful in overcoming some of these barriers. For one, wireless options, such as cell phones, have been instrumental in bringing access to areas that landline services could not reach, and likewise, with new payment options (i.e. prepaid), and technologies (i.e. short messaging systems (SMS)), more people are able to find the use of ICTs more affordable and payment less restricting. This paper uses the capability approach (Sen, 1999) to evaluate the implementation outcome of universal access to ICT policies and strategies. It investigates the real opportunities available for households to access ICTs; the characteristics of people who use and not use these facilities; and their reasons for using them. To do so, the study discusses the results of surveys conducted in Carmona and Puerto Princesa City. Carmona is a semi‐industrial municipality in close proximity to Metro Manila. Puerto Princesa, on the other hand, is the capital city of Palawan, an island province detached from Luzon Island. This study describes the state of access to ICTs in these two locations. It then presents the results of field surveys that were conducted there: discussing what access to ICT means to people, and how access or lack thereof affects them.