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Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) refers to the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the fields of socioeconomic development, international development, and human rights. The theory behind this is, more and better information and communication furthers the development of a society. Aside from its reliance on technology, ICT4D also requires an understanding of community development, poverty, agriculture, healthcare, and basic education. This makes ICT4D appropriate technology, and if it is shared openly, open source appropriate technology.〔I. Zelenika and J. M. Pearce, "The Internet and other ICTs as Tools and Catalysts for Sustainable Development: Innovation for 21st Century", ''Information Development'' Volume 29 Issue 3 August 2013 pp. 217 - 232. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0266666912465742〕 Richard Heeks suggests that the I in ICT4D is related with "library and information sciences", the C is associated with "communication studies", the T is linked with "information systems", and the D for "development studies".〔edited by Arul C. and Roger H., (Linking Research to Practice: Strengthening ICT for Development Research Capacity in Asia ), Pasir Panjang: ISEAS Publishing, 2012.〕 It is aimed at bridging the digital divide and assisting economic development by fostering equitable access to modern communications technologies, and it is a powerful tool for economic and social development.〔Web. July 24, 2012 < http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/ICT4D-Information-and-Communications-Technologies-for-Development>〕 Other terms can also be used for "ICT4D" or "ICT4Dev" ("ICT for development") such as ICTD ("ICT and development", which is used in a broader sense〔http://chriscoward.wordpress.com/2009/03/11/ict4d-ictd-or-what/〕) and development informatics. ICT4D can refer to assisting disadvantaged populations anywhere in the world, but it is usually associated with applications in developing countries. It is concerned with directly applying information technology approaches to poverty reduction. ICTs can be applied directly, benefiting the disadvantaged population, or indirectly, by assisting aid organizations, non-governmental organizations, governments, and/or businesses, to improve socio-economic conditions. The field is an interdisciplinary research area, quickly growing through a number of conferences, workshops and publications, but there is a need for scientifically validated benchmarks and results, to measure the effectiveness of current projects. This field has also produced an informal community of technical and social science researchers who rose out of the annual ICT4D conferences.〔http://www.ictd2010.org/〕 ==Theoretical background== The ICT4D discussion falls into a broader school of thought that proposes to use technology for development. The theoretical foundation can be found in the Schumpeterian notion of socio-economic evolution,〔C. Freeman and F. Louçã, As Time Goes By: From the Industrial Revolutions to the Information Revolution, Oxford University Press, USA, 2002.〕 which consists of an incessant process of creative destruction that modernizes the modus operandi of society as a whole, including its economic, social, cultural, and political organization.〔J. Schumpeter, Business Cycles: A Theoretical, Historical, And Statistical Analysis of the Capitalist Process, New York; McGraw-Hill, 1939.〕 The motor of this incessant force of creative destruction is technological change.〔C. Perez, "Technological Revolutions, Paradigm Shifts and Socio-Institutional Change" in E. Reinert, Globalization, Economic Development and Inequality: An alternative Perspective, Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, 2004, pp. 217–242. http://www.carlotaperez.org/papers/basic-technologicalrevolutionsparadigm.htm〕〔C. Perez, "Structural change and assimilation of new technologies in the economic and social systems" Futures, vol. 15, 1983, pp. 357–375. http://carlotaperez.org/papers/scass_v04.pdf〕 While the key carrier technology of the first Industrial Revolution (1770–1850) was based on water-powered mechanization, the second Kondratiev wave (1850–1900) was enabled by steam-powered technology, the third (1900–1940) was characterized by the electrification of social and productive organization, the fourth by motorization and the automated mobilization of society (1940–1970), and the most recent one by the digitization of social systems.〔 Each one of those so-called long waves has been characterized by a sustained period of social modernization, most notably by sustained periods of increasing economic productivity. According to Carlota Perez: "this quantum jump in productivity can be seen as a technological revolution, which is made possible by the appearance in the general cost structure of a particular input that we could call the 'key factor', fulfilling the following conditions: (1) clearly perceived low-and descending-relative cost; (2) unlimited supply for all practical purposes; (3) potential all-pervasiveness; (4) a capacity to reduce the costs of capital, labour and products as well as to change them qualitatively".〔 Digital Information and Communication Technologies fulfill those requirements and therefore represent a general purpose technology that can transform an entire economy, leading to a modern, and more developed form of socio-economic and political organization often referred to as the post-industrial society, the fifth Kondratiev, Information society, digital age, and network society, among others. ] The declared goal of ICT-for-development is to make use of this ongoing transformation by actively using the enabling technology to improve the living conditions of societies and segments of society.〔Hilbert, M. (2015). Digital Technology and Social Change (Online Course at the University of California ) (freely available). Retrieved from https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/949415〕 As in previous social transformations of this kind (industrial revolution, etc.), the resulting dynamic is an interplay between an enabling technology, normative guiding policies and strategies, and the resulting social transformation.〔〔〔 In the case of ICT4D, this three-dimensional interplay has been depicted as a cube.〔Hilbert, Martin (2012). Towards a Conceptual Framework for ICT for Development: Lessons Learned from the Latin American "Cube Framework". Information Technologies & International Development, 8 (4, Winter; Special issue: ICT4D in Latin America), 243–259 (Spanish version: 261–280). open access: http://itidjournal.org/itid/article/viewFile/967/408〕 In line with the Schumpeterian school of thought, the first enabling factor for the associated socio-economic transformations is the existence of technological infrastructure: hardware infrastructure and generic software services. Additionally, capacity and knowledge are the human requirements to make use of these technologies. These foundations (horizontal green dimension in Figure) are the basis for the digitization of information flows and communication mechanisms in different sectors of society. When part of the information flows and communication processes in these sectors are carried out in e-lectronic networks, the prefix "e-" is often added to the sector's name, resulting in e-government, e-business and e-commerce, e-health, and e-learning, etc. (vertical blue dimension in Figure). This process of transformation represent the basic requirements and building blocks, but they are not sufficient for development. The mere existence of technology is not enough to achieve positive outcomes (no technological determinism). ICT for Development policies and projects are aimed at the promotion of normatively desired outcomes of this transformation, the minimization of negative effects, and the removal of eventual bottlenecks. In essence, there are two kinds of interventions: positive feedback (incentives, projects, financing, subsidies, etc. that accentuate existing opportunities); and negative feedback (regulation and legislation, etc.) that limit and tame negative developments (diagonal yellow-red dimension in Figure).〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Information and communication technologies for development」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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