Mobile Phones and Development in Africa: Does the Evidence Meet the Hype? (Palgrave Studies in Agricultural Economics and Food Policy)

This book focuses on the impact of information technology on the lives and livelihoods of rural households in sub-Saharan Africa, where simple mobile phones have leapfrogged traditional communication and financial technologies, and thus, arguably, offer some of the greatest potential for development. Drawing on primary and secondary research from a variety of disciplines, the authors examine the evolution of mobile phone coverage and adoption in sub-Saharan Africa over the past two decades, before exploring the main channels through which mobile phones can affect development. They then review initiatives on “digitizing development” and evaluate empirical evidence on their impact. The book argues that digital has yet to live up to the hype, ending with a set of questions that stakeholders should ask (and answer) when using digital technology for promoting development. Foreword Acknowledgments Praise for Mobile Phones and Development in Africa Contents List of Figures List of Tables List of Boxes 1 Introduction References 2 Where There Was No Phone 2.1 Leapfrogging the Landline? 2.2 Digital “Divide” or “Provide”? 2.2.1 The Coverage Gap 2.2.2 The Usage Gap 2.3 Keeping up with the Joneses 2.4 A Tale of Two Countries: Digital Infrastructure and Adoption in Niger and Ghana 2.5 What Does this Mean for “Digital Development”? References 3 The Economics of the Phone 3.1 Where There Is No Power 3.1.1 The State of Public Services in Africa 3.1.2 Market Failures in Public Service Provision 3.1.3 Market Failures, More Broadly 3.2 Jack of All Trades, Master of All? The Multitude of Uses of Digital Technology 3.2.1 Digital Technologies Can Make It Cheaper to Develop and Transport Content 3.2.2 Digital Technologies Can Reduce the Cost of Collecting, Processing, and Storing Information 3.2.3 Digital Technologies Can Reduce the Costs of Accessing Public and Private Transfers 3.3 A Framework for Analysis 3.3.1 Not All Information Is Created Equal 3.3.2 The Missing Market 3.3.3 If You Build It, Will They Come? 3.3.4 Technology for All, Benefits for...Some? References 4 Digitizing Development? 4.1 IF You Build It, Will They Come? 4.2 Health at Your Fingertips 4.2.1 What Are the Challenges? 4.2.2 The Promise of Digital Health 4.3 Hello, Tractor! Digital Agriculture 4.3.1 The Agricultural Challenge 4.3.2 The Promise of Digital Agriculture? 4.4 Call Me Educated 4.4.1 The Learning Challenge 4.4.2 Digital learning 4.5 A Bank in Your Pocket? Digital Financial Services 4.5.1 The “Financial Exclusion” Conundrum 4.5.2 The Digital Solution? 4.6 To Infinity and Beyond? Big Data and AI 4.6.1 Using Digital Data to Measure Poverty and Target Interventions 4.7 Conclusion References 5 (Don’t) Believe the Hype? 5.1 Texting for Health 5.1.1 Providing Health Information 5.1.2 Health Worker Training and Monitoring 5.1.3 Supply Chain Management 5.1.4 Data Collection and Monitoring 5.2 Dial “a” for Agriculture? Digital Technology and Agricultural Development 5.2.1 Agricultural Information Provision 5.2.1.1 Private Networks 5.2.1.2 Public Information Provision 5.2.2 Extension Agent and Farmer Training 5.2.3 Extension Agent Monitoring 5.2.4 Buyer-Seller Coordination and Supply Chain Management 5.2.5 Data Collection and Monitoring 5.3 ABC, 123? Digital Education 5.3.1 Teacher and Student Training 5.3.2 Monitoring Teacher Performance 5.3.3 Parent-Teacher Coordination and Information Provision 5.3.4 Data Collection and Monitoring 5.4 Zap It to Me: The Impact of Digital Financial Services 5.4.1 First-Generation DFS: The Impact of Mobile Money 5.4.1.1 Government to Person Transfers (G2P) 5.4.1.2 Other Transactions: B2P, P2B, and Taxation 5.4.2 Second-Generation DFS: Credit, Savings, and Insurance 5.5 Big Data and AI 5.6 Conclusion References 6 Rethinking ICT4D 6.1 What Have We Learned? 6.1.1 The “Myth” of More Information 6.1.2 The Importance of Complementary Markets 6.1.3 Using a Digital Technology (Effectively) Is Not Always Simple 6.1.4 It Isn’t Always About the “Average” Effect 6.1.5 Understanding What, When, Why, and How 6.1.6 Digital May Not Always Be Sustainable...Is that Okay? 6.2 A Framework for “Digital Development” 6.3 Conclusion References Index