Third world citizens and the information technology revolution
By: Nivien Saleh
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: Information technology and global governance; Information technology and global governance
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 273
ISBN-13: 9780230103641
Subjects: Information technology
Description: "This book challenges the widely-held view that the information technology (IT) revolution has empowered people in the Third World. Tracing the making of the global IT regime, it shows that governments and corporations of the wealthy countries dominated this process, systematically excluding representatives of low-income countries, who might have embraced alternative visions of the global information society. Once the IT regime was in place, these same actors pressured Third World countries into conforming to it. In the case of Egypt, these pressures resulted in a new ministry for IT, which helped integrate the country into a world economy governed by the rules of the haves. Ordinary Egyptians were, of course, not asked for their opinions"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: A humanist approach to globalization * Part 1: The rules of the game are forged * Telephony for the global economy * Introducing the Internet * Part 2: The rules of the game are enforced * Bringing poor economies in line * Egypt in the world economy * Creditors Close In * The telecom monopolist * Egypt's IT stakeholders * A new ministry for an old country * Part 3: Lessons * Inferences from the Egyptian case.