| dc.description.abstract | There has been a rapid increase in the use of new technologies (Internet, email and mobile phones) across the social-economic groups in Kenya. The mobile phone revolution, with penetration down to the poorest of the poor, has challenged the assumptions that low-income households have no use for the new technologies. It has demonstrated that despite their financial constraints, they value and use what they perceive to be of benefit. Usage has resulted in diverse development outcomes, influencing quality of life.
The focus of the government, civil society, development partners and communication operators, however, has been more on the access of the new technologies and less on what happens after access in transforming individuals, households and communities.
This study aims at contributing to the body of knowledge in Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D). Using the Capability Approach as the theoretical framework, whose focus is expansion of people's capabilities to lead lives they have reasons to value, it examined development outcomes of the new technologies on the quality of life of low-income households in Kenya, using Nairobi as a case study.
The study examines the factors that influence the usage and the capabilities enabled through the technologies. It discusses the role of choice in mediating the conversion of enabled capabilities to development outcomes, and the relationship between the derived development outcomes and the quality of life. The study used quantitative and qualitative data derived from a secondary database comprising households distributed across the country, complemented by a detailed survey that focused on three clusters resided by low-income households in Nairobi.
The quantitative data was analysed using statistical methods-specifically measures of central tendency and measures of relationships while the qualitative data was analysed using the framework based approach. The study argues that individual choices influence the ultimate decisions made and dictate the development outcomes derived from the usage of the new technologies. It establishes that households have different perceptions on the role that the new technologies should play in enhancing their quality of life and this influences the choice they make.
The findings demonstrate a relationship between the development outcomes of using the new technologies and the quality of life: The positive development outcomes lead to an improved quality of life while the negative development outcomes negate the general expectations of good quality of life. Age, income, gender, marital status, education and skills influence the usage of the new technologies in different ways. Perceptions and preferences influence the usage too. The study contributes to knowledge through: developing a context-specific list of enabled capabilities from the use of the new technologies; identifying twelve development outcomes from the enabled capabilities; showing a relationship between the development outcomes and the low-income households' desired quality of life; and a summary table indicating the extent of the role demographic factors play in influencing the development outcomes. A template is derived from summary for use by scholars.
The study concludes by noting that as the new technologies continue evolving and being integrated into the daily activities of the low-income households, expectations that they would solve development challenges should not ignore individual capabilities, power relations, and social structures. The study notes that vision 2030 has emphasized the overarching role of Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) and observes that with the spread of the new technologies, it is becoming less viable to measure individual work inputs by just verifying time of physical presence. The policy implication is that the government and employers would need to come up with different measures of productivity. The study recommends for guidelines and policies that would ensure that rational choices are made when engaging through the new technologies.
Keywords: Capability Approach, Low-Income Households, Choice, Quality Of Life, Mobile Phones, Internet, ICT, Capabilities, and Development Outcomes. | en_US |
