4th IDIA Conference 2010
Exploring Success and Failure in Development Informatics: Innovation, Research and Practice
The 4th IDIA Conference critically examined what distinguishes successful ICT4D initiatives from failed ones. By bringing together case studies of both outcomes, the conference sought to build an evidence base for more effective development informatics practice and more rigorous research methodology.
Key Themes
- Success and failure factors in ICT4D deployments
- Innovation in development informatics research methods
- Mobile and wireless technology for underserved communities
- E-government and public sector ICT in developing nations
- ICT for health, education, and agricultural development
- Theoretical frameworks for evaluating development outcomes
Legacy & Current Relevance
The IDIA 2010 focus on success and failure factors in ICT deployments anticipated one of the most important debates in digital inclusion policy today: what distinguishes broadband programmes that generate measurable community benefit from those that achieve deployment metrics while failing to move the needle on adoption and use?
With over two decades of ICT4D evidence now available, the field has developed increasingly sophisticated frameworks for evaluating outcomes beyond infrastructure counts. These frameworks directly inform how organisations like NTIA and state broadband offices in the US are designing accountability measures for BEAD-funded deployments — requiring applicants to demonstrate community benefit plans, not just network buildout timelines. The evidence-based critique of ICT investment rhetoric that IDIA 2010 pioneered is now mainstream digital equity policy.
Conference Series
Preceded by the 3rd IDIA Conference (2009) and followed by IDIA 2011 in Lima, Peru. See the full archive for all years.