Broadcasting and Development : Options for the World Bank

Eltzroth, Carter ; Kenny, Charles

Washington, DC:World Bank

关键词: BROADCASTING INDUSTRIES;    DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES;    INFORMATION UTILITIES;    GOVERNANCE;    ECONOMIC SECTOR;   

DOI  :  10.1596/0-8213-5561-9
RP-ID  :  27142

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

Broadcasting can have a significant partto play in the fight to reduce global poverty. At least 77percent of the world's population is estimated to bewithin easy access of broadcast technology (compared toperhaps 4 percent for the Internet), broadcast services areeasily accessible by the illiterate and those that speakminority languages. Broadcast operations have been provensustainable even in low income rural areas. They can play animportant role in information transfer (conveying cropprices and employment opportunities, for example). They haveplayed an important role in a range of developmentprojects-including interactive radio instruction, where theyhave been found to be a highly cost effective intervention.Access to broadcast technologies also has been found tocorrelate with improved access to government services.Convergence of information and communications technologies(ICT) is allowing broadcast services to be provided overtelecommunications networks and Internet services to usebroadcast systems. Differentiating broadcast andtelecommunications is becoming increasingly anachronistic,many countries are already moving towards a model ofconvergence regulation that encompasses both sub-sectors.For the World Bank Group to be involved intelecommunications while eschewing broadcast will frequentlyinvolve forcing our client countries into suboptimal policyand regulatory solutions. Further, the use of broadcast toprovide Internet services is a potential developmentopportunity that should not be ignored by the Bank in its operations.