This project is an exploratory research on the usage of information and the adoption of ICT in rural areas of participating ASEAN countries to generate understanding, insights, and useful information that assist in formulating appropriate policy and planning for USO and/or similar projects to optimise financial resources allocation and maximise social and economic benefits and welfare arising form implementing such projects.

1. An Interpretive Study on
Information Usage and ICT
Adoption in Rural Areas
A Research Project Proposed for
ASEAN Special TELSOM, Manila,
The Philippines, 1 – 4 July 2008

2. Agenda
• Common problems & challenges for most
ASEAN countries
• Urgent attention in rural areas
• Research objectives
• Indicative work plan
• Implementation plan
• Approaches, current knowledge base, and
future development

3. Common problems and challenges
in most ASEAN countries
• Rural areas represent the majority of area and
population in most ASEAN countries (i.e., approx.
70%).
• A significant gap between urban and rural areas
– Economic development (i.e., income level &
distribution)
– Infrastructures (i.e., power supply, transportation, ICT,
etc.)
– Public services (i.e., education, healthcare, etc.)
• Urbanisation creates more problems in the cities
(e.g., pollutions, crimes, investment in
infrastructures, etc.)

4. Common problems and challenges
in most ASEAN countries (cont.)
• Inconsistencies in government’s policies and
political instabilities
• Limited (or insufficient) government budgets
• Increasing exposure to illegal and immoral
practices:
– Human trafficking
– Child abuses
– Narcotic related activities
– Profiteering by the middle men
• Deteriorations of community and family
systems

5. Urgent attention in rural areas
• How can we develop rural areas in a
sustainable manner?
• How can the ‘living standard’ in rural areas
be upgraded?
• How ‘Universal Services’ can be effectively
planned and implemented in rural areas?
• How can we use ‘ICT’ as a tool to develop
rural areas?
• Do we really understand ‘rural areas’?

6. Why a research project?
• Even though the rural areas are well
described, we do very superficially
understand about the ‘dynamic’ and ‘social
structure’ of rural communities.
• A better understanding of rural areas can
assist planners and policy makers to
effectively plan and decide (i.e., limited
funding can be effectively used).

7. Research objectives
• To perform an in-depth study and analysis on
‘information usage’ and the ‘adoption of ICT’
in rural areas through the interpretive
research.
• To transfer knowledge and insight gained
from the study to ASEAN countries.
• To improve effectiveness of policy formulation
and program implementation regarding the
‘Universal Services’ and other rural
development programs.

8. Indicative work plan
• Detailed project plan formulation (1 month)
• Field study at two selected rural communities
within ASEAN countries (6 months)
• Data analysis and report compilation (4
months)
• Workshop among participating ASEAN
countries to discuss research findings and
summarise outcomes of the study (3 days)
• Final research report compilation and
distribution (1 month)

9. Implementation plan
• TOT Public Company Limited and
Assumption University will be in charge of:
– Preparation of research proposal
– Project planning and management
– Data analysis and preparation of research report
• Universities in participating ASEAN countries
will be in charge of:
– Field work and data collection
– Preliminary data analysis

10. The Approaches, Current Knowledge
Base & Future Development
• The application of ‘grounded theory’ and
qualitative analysis will help us to see emerging
pattern from collected data.
• This pattern will be used for framework
formulation.
• This framework will be used later for the
development of computer simulation model that
describes the interaction between ‘information’
and ‘knowledge’ in rural communities and its
implication for ICT. (This may be implemented in
the next phase.)

11. An Interplay between Information,
Knowledge, and Technology
ICT + Information + Existing knowledge → New Information
(1)
New Information + Social Interaction → New Knowledge
(2)

12. X Y
Figure 1. The cyclical organization of the Brusselator with an autocatalytic step of X.
A
B
E D

13. An Interplay between Knowledge &
Information
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14. An Interplay between Knowledge &
Information (Cont.)
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16. 22:26 29 Jun 2008
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17. Thank you!