To operationalize the research problem, we developed six broad areas of inquiry, or question clusters, as well as seventeen targeted areas of inquiry for in-depth study. The questions within each of these areas will serve as the basis for all project activities.
Question clusters
Our general hypothesis is that there is a relationship between each of these six areas and the impact of public access ICT, either directly through use of public access facilities or because they influence the way public-access technologies are used.
- Reach of Public Access ICT — What is the reach of public access venues, geographically and socially? What are the mechanisms by which public access ICT services are accessed and used directly and indirectly? How does this translate into impacts? What costs are associated with these impacts?
- Use of Public Access ICT — What different types of uses occur at public access ICT venues (e.g. individual or collective uses, instrumental or not, etc.)? What is the impact of different types of usage? How do users make decisions about when and how to use what type of public access ICT facilities? What do their usage patterns indicate about the value they place on public access ICT in particular and ICT access in general?
- Physical Design & Location of Public Access Venues — What are the different designs of public access ICT venues? How does the physical design/architecture and location of public access ICT venues affect their accessibility, use, long-term sustainability and impacts? What factors shape the design of public access ICT venues?
- Public Access Venue Services & Operations — How do public access ICT venues operate? What services do they offer and in what form (e.g., staff assistance, infomediary services, IT training, childcare)? What rules govern their use? How does the design of public access ICT services and operations affect their accessibility, use, long-term sustainability and impacts? What factors shape the design of public access ICT services and operations? What is the relationship between the provision of ancillary services and the use as well as the degree of impact of public access ICTs? Under what conditions is it cost effective to provide these services?
- Information Ecologies — What is the socio-cultural context of public access ICT provision and use? What information and communication resources do users have or need, and is this factored into public access ICT design? How does this explain usage patterns and associated impacts?
- Policy and Regulatory Context — How do policy and regulatory environments affect the provision, design, use and impact of public access ICTs? To what extent is policymaking based on research evidence?
Targeted areas of inquiry
Within these six broad clusters the project will investigate a number of targeted areas through in-depth studies. Seventeen topics were identified by Global Impact Study researchers during the first phase of the project. Some of these will be investigated by the Global Impact Study team, while others will be examined by outside researchers with support from the Amy Mahan Research Fellowship. Visit the Research Activities section to learn more about targeted areas.
