Content creation for ICT development projects: Integrating normative approaches and community demand

This paper discusses why concerns about the importance of content provision for ICT community development projects, such as tele-centers, must go beyond international initiatives such as the World Bank Development Gateway. The authors emphasize the importance of grassroots research, such as community needs assessments, for the generation of contextually appropriate content through ICT, including the role that local universities may play as facilitators in the identification and processing of this content. After providing a brief case study of a tele-center research project in India, the paper concludes that awareness raising about the value of information and the integration of information services within the local communication structures constitute a basic foundation for locally relevant content generation and use.