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1.
The territorial dimension of the digital divide is usually considered as a phenomenon that penalizes the peripheral regions,
especially in terms of regional economic development. Taking into account the territorial networking of ICT (Information &
Communication Technologies) infrastructures—particularly high-speed networks—provides what is probably the principal reason
for such a perception. This is particularly true considering that the most-peripheral regions and those with the smallest
population densities are also the poorest in terms of ICT infrastructures. In Western countries, however, the digital divide
is no longer the result of network-related problems. Nowadays, the issue of the skills required to adequately exploit the
potential of ICT is at the forefront. Yet this evolution is likely to lead to an inversion of the inequalities between the
centre and the periphery, as populations without such skills—recent immigrants, the unemployed, the illiterate, people with
little education or on low incomes and other socially marginalized people—are generally concentrated in urban centres. Consequently,
the priority for reducing inequalities of access to ICT resources is no longer the provision of high-performance ICT infrastructures
for peripheral regions, but rather the implementation of continuing education and social action policies within the urban
centres. 相似文献
2.
Google Earth was released a few months prior to Hurricane Katrina and became an important tool in distributing information about the damage occurring in New Orleans, albeit not to all parts of society. While Google Earth did not create the economic and racial divides present in society, its use in the post-Katrina context reflect this gulf and have arguably reinforced and recreated it online. This paper has three main objectives. The first is to provide a clear empirical case study of how race remains relevant to the way people use (or do not use) the internet and internet based services. The second is highlighting the power of new online and interactive mapping technologies and demonstrating how these technologies are differentially adopted. The third and final objective is illustrating how any divide in accessing digital technology is not simply a one time event but a constantly moving target as new devices, software and cultural practices emerge. Thus, in addition to highlighting the racial inequalities in US society in general, Hurricane Katrina provides an important window on the way in which race remains a key factor in the access and use of emerging digital technologies. 相似文献
3.
Bruce Frayne 《Geoforum》2004,35(4):489-505
Based on recent research in Windhoek, this paper demonstrates that it is the well established and widespread social linkages that persist between rural and urban households that are central to the ability of poor urban households to survive. Whereas informal coping mechanisms that include borrowing, piecework and credit are pervasive in rural areas of Namibia, intra-urban sources of food are poorly developed, and outside of kinship circles, social networks within Windhoek are used sparingly, even in times of greatest need. In addition, urban agriculture plays a very limited role at present in urban food supply. The research demonstrates that urban households that are most vulnerable to hunger are those that have limited social connections to the rural areas, and must rely on intra-urban opportunities to get food (including borrowing, begging, piecework and crime). The most vulnerable are female- and male-headed households with no access to farm income and limited/irregular urban incomes. In contrast, those with active rural-urban linkages enjoy significant transfers of food from rural areas that offset hunger and vulnerability in the urban context. Urban-rural reciprocity is therefore not only a one-way movement of people and resources from the urban to the rural areas, but also a transfer of food from rural to urban households. 相似文献
4.
This paper examines hourly wage payments for women who live in the rural districts of England, both in terms of variability within such districts and in terms of comparisons with non-rural districts. Drawing on the Labour Force Survey’s Local Annual Database, the paper argues that, once education, industry and occupation are taken into account, there is little to distinguish wage rates in rural and urban districts. Regionally there are important differences in wage rates, but these apply to rural as well as urban districts and are largely confined to contrasts between South East England and elsewhere. Rural-urban contrasts in wage levels are apparent in pay differences for men and women, although even here distinctions along a rural-urban divide are restricted to managerial workers, with the key distinction for professionals and technicians being between South East England and the rest of the country. For other occupations there is little to distinguish the relative magnitude of difference in men’s and women’s pay along rural-urban or regional lines. It is suggested that more attention to gender relations in wage determination practices within the workplace and within professions are worth exploring to develop a stronger understanding of division lines in wage inequalities. 相似文献
5.
François-Michel Le Tourneau 《GeoJournal》2018,83(4):803-817
More than half of the US rural population lives inside metro or micropolitan areas and even at more disaggregated scales, such as the census tracts, most spatial units mix rural and urban population. At a national scale, only 30% of the country are inhabited by 100% urban or 100% rural population, implying that more than two third of the US territory are somewhere in between both situations. As the rural/urban dichotomy appears today to be blurred by the emergence of new phenomena like rurbanization or exurbanization, our perception of rural America may be somewhat twisted and the reality of rural areas underplayed. This paper focuses on using finer-grade spatial units such as the census blocks and block groups, in order to provide new elements about the extension, localization and characteristics of rural America as well as about its inner dynamics. To that end, we analyze and process geographical and social data at these two levels of information, and use population density as a main factor of analysis. This allows us not only to propose new measurement of the extent of rural space in the USA but also to propose a new vision of its spatial dynamics by studying how several social indicators such as income, median age or sex ratio reveal regional and micro-regional variations and situations in the rural part of the US. 相似文献
6.
Dorothea Kleine 《Geoforum》2009,40(2):171-183
Digital divides are differences in access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) which tend to reflect the social and regional inequalities between and within countries. This paper presents a case study from Chile, which is among the leaders in Latin America both in levels of e-readiness and in social and regional inequality. The Chilean state’s ICT policies are situated within the “Third Way” approach of the centre-left government, reflecting the tensions between a pro-active and positive view of neoliberal globalisation, and state social programmes to support poorer sectors of society.The paper presents a multi-level analysis of two elements of Chilean ICT policy: Chilecompra, an online public e-procurement system aimed at creating transparent and competitive transactions in line with neoliberal economic theory, and Red Comunitaria, a network of Community Information Centres which offer free internet access and training to individuals, including microentrepreneurs. Interviews were conducted at the national, regional and local level. Findings were that the Community Information Centres (telecentros) had indeed furthered digital inclusion while in the meantime the shift to e-procurement had excluded many microentrepreneurs who had not registered with the system of Chilecompra. The larger of the local enterprises had registered but were having difficulties competing online with bigger companies located in the regional and national capitals.The paper argues that while both state policies see themselves as successes, the political objectives underlying the technology mirror the Chilean government’s struggle to simultaneously embrace neoliberal globalisation while working towards greater social and regional cohesion. At the local level there is evidence of the failure to reconcile the two approaches which may be indicative of a more general tension between these goals. 相似文献
7.
8.
Joseph Awetori Yaro 《GeoJournal》2010,75(2):199-214
Land in most of Africa is controlled under the customary tenure system which is governed by well intentioned social and cultural
rules meant to grant equal access to families within groups with common interest in land. Rapid changes in the domestic situation
of countries resulting from both refractions of policies and influences from the global economy and emerging complexities
within the local socio-economic context has altered the traditional land tenure systems in most parts of Africa. In the rural
setting and for agricultural purposes, the customary tenure system seems to be crumbling slowly, while in the urban centres
and for housing, industrial and commercial purposes the system has collapsed in favour of a commoditised one. The emerging
patterns of access in Northern Ghana show growing inequalities in access, control and ownership. There is the need for a new
architecture of land rights negotiated by a participatory process and regulated by both state and traditional institutions. 相似文献
9.
This paper advances understanding of how unequal risks to environmental hazards are generated. Marginalization is the best known explanation for the production of risk. The concept of marginalization was elaborated through studies of hazards in the global South and connotes how social inequalities constrain livelihood options of less powerful social groups. Thus, marginal groups are pressured to degrade landscapes and occupy hazardous environments while they experience decreased capacities to cope with environmental change. This paper directs analytical attention beyond the material to include the discursive realm and demonstrates that the production of unequal risk is contingent upon how hazards are differentially perceived, represented, and contested in social spaces. Findings from a flood disaster case study in the El Paso (US)–Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) border metropolis highlight how hegemonic discourses reinforce material processes of marginalization in flood-prone social spaces. Findings also reveal how socially-powerful geographical groups of people have harnessed institutional resources in their efforts to externalize risks and capitalize on environmental opportunities in some flood-prone areas. The concept of facilitation is used to explain the material-discursive production of socially-elite, flood-prone spaces. Facilitation clarifies how powerful groups are provided privileged access to institutional resources in their pursuit of environmental rewards, contributing to unjust socioenvironmental outcomes. In conclusion, I outline key aspects of how unequal risks are materially and discursively (re)produced within hazardscapes through relational processes of marginalization/facilitation. 相似文献
10.
In sub-Saharan Africa, the past two decades have witnessed a phenomenal increase in the use of mobile phones which has attracted diverse research. This paper explores mobile phone use and livelihood activities in some urban and rural areas of Ghana. Qualitative data were extracted from a larger study that covered 24 sites ranging from urban to remote rural locations in Ghana, Malawi and South Africa. The Sustainable Livelihood Framework provided guidance for the study. The main findings of the study indicate that mobile phones provide direct phone-related employment and indirectly enable some others to secure jobs through contact with friends/relations and also facilitate marketing of farm produce in terms of reduction in transaction cost, access to ready market and contacts for better prices for produce. Additionally, phone use enhances job organization through communication between apprentices and their bosses and also facilitates the migration process of some irregular migrants. As a livelihood capital, mobile phone has the potential to reduce vulnerability and improve upon people’s livelihood outcomes. There is therefore the need to make mobile phones more affordable, expand mobile phone network coverage and improve upon service quality to facilitate livelihood activities, particularly in rural areas of the country. 相似文献
11.
Population pressure, agricultural intensification and changes in rural systems in Bangladesh 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Abu Muhammad Shajaat Ali 《Geoforum》2007,38(4):720-738
Sustainable agricultural growth is the key to rural system changes that include changes in rural bio-physical environment, economic infrastructure and social conditions. The present study has examined the temporal changes in 18 selected indicators of rural systems in Bangladesh during the period 1975-2000, and explored the influences of demographic, market forces, environmental, institutional and technological factors inducing and mediating such changes. An analysis of 64 district level published census data showed significant increase in agricultural intensity, cropping patterns, land productivity and farm income; decline in labor and technological productivities; and major improvement in rural housing, economic and social conditions during this period. Spatially, major agricultural growth and rural development were observed in districts with high population density, less constrained environments, and better access to markets, irrigation canals, and capital loans. 相似文献
12.
Water and poverty in the United States 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Contrary to reports of 100% access to safe water and sanitation in international surveys, the United States (US) has a complex landscape of low-income water problems. This paper begins with a critical international perspective on water and poverty in the US. It shows that the US had a declining role in international water programs during the late-20th century, which contributed to limited international awareness of low-income water programs in the US, and limited US awareness of low-income water issues. To address the first problem, we provide an overview of low-income water programs in the US with an emphasis on those that serve small communities. We then examine census data on inadequate water systems in Colorado, which indicate that severe plumbing deficiencies persist despite these public water programs. Inadequate plumbing rates are lower than income poverty rates, however, which indicate partially successful strategies for achieving low-income water services. Analysis of local data in urban, rural, and mountainous areas of the state shows that poverty and water problems are correlated in complex ways, which has implications for all nations striving for universal access to safe water and sanitation. 相似文献
13.
South Africa is unique in that its globally significant biodiversity, which is under significant threat, coexists with an apartheid history of dispossession that produced a starkly unequal land ownership pattern and widespread rural poverty. It is in this context that the post-apartheid government must fulfil constitutional and international obligations to safeguard environmental assets as well as undertake land reform benefiting the previously dispossessed. Consequently, there is a continuous challenge of reconciling complex and often conflicting relationships between poverty, inequitable access to resources, and the protection of biodiversity. Current efforts to conserve the Cape Floral Kingdom emphasize partnerships between private landowners and existing nature reserves to promote sustainable utilisation of biodiversity. This paper presents a case study exploring how this approach might be reconciled with land rights and opportunities for land-based livelihoods among farm dwellers in the Baviaanskloof area of the Eastern Cape. The paper identifies systemic and structural tensions in current attempts to reconcile biodiversity conservation and farm dwellers’ interests, and documents issues of process and principle that could become important in the future. In doing so, it highlights the influence of on-farm power relations and overly complex institutional arrangements in determining the real extent of participation by affected farm dwellers and the efficacy of social safeguard policies. Findings also caution against an over-reliance on ecotourism as the major occupation and the paper argues instead for support for multiple livelihood strategies. 相似文献
14.
Ståle Angen Rye 《GeoJournal》2008,71(2-3):171-184
While much of the literature related to the digital divide focuses on either technology penetration in developed countries or the introduction of new technology to the poor and disadvantaged in the developing world, this paper pays attention to the middle-classes in a developing country which is connected to the Internet but under poor conditions. The digital divide is examined by investigating how the uneven distribution of Internet connection influences distance education students’ participation in higher education. Empirically, the paper is informed by a qualitative study of distance education in Indonesia. The main conclusion is that while in more peripheral areas students may not gain much from the use of new technology, the use of this technology may be useful for the further development of such regions. In central areas the new technology seems to contribute to students’ study situations more effectively and the daily environment empowers the students’ study activities, rather than vice versa. 相似文献
15.
Mark Blacksell 《Geoforum》1990,21(4)
This paper discusses the theory, method and results of the Exeter Access to Justice in Rural Britain project which examined the question whether rural inhabitants are disadvantaged in terms of their access to legal services by comparison with people in urban areas. Analysis of the spatial distribution of solicitors in private practice in England and Wales revealed rural areas to be relatively well provided for. An interview survey of a random sample of solicitors in Devon and Cornwall showed some important differences between rural and urban solicitors, with the former being less specialized and more conservative in orientation. A parallel survey of managers of CABs, providing a limited legal service, also revealed some perceived differences between rural and urban bureaux and some spatial unevenness in distribution. Surveys of rural clients, supported by parallel studies elsewhere in Britain, suggest that remote rural communities harbour cases of considerable deprivation with respect to legal services. 相似文献
16.
Spatial concentration of manufacturing always ends up with regional inequalities. This phenomenon is also true in the case
of Thailand. The pattern of industrial development in Thailand from 1996 to 2005 was examined using composite index in analyzing
the pattern, the results of which are described in this paper. The review was aimed at assessing the effects of development
policies and the factors that influenced the concentration of industrial development in the country. Results of the analysis
indicated that most industries are concentrated only in Bangkok and its vicinity even if the Government of Thailand has promoted
investment policies to support and develop provincial industries in the remote rural areas. Moreover, the results also showed
that capital intensive based industries are concentrated in the urban areas, while the resources-based industries are mainly
found in the rural areas. Despite wide zonal variation of industrial development within Thailand, the outcomes of the industrial
decentralization policy are very impressive and leading to the path of greater success in coming decades. 相似文献
17.
Tourist farms in Lower Silesia, Poland 总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1
Stanisław Grykień 《GeoJournal》1998,46(3):279-281
In view of the small size of most Polish farms, attempts have been made to encourage diversification into rural tourism. The
paper examines the progress made in Lower Silesia which has good resources for domestic and international tourism. Thanks
to the promotional work of the Agricultural Consultative Centres over a hundred farms are now providing services. They do
not generate a large share of the farm income but business is expanding and some areas are becoming very popular. Thus a base
has been established for future expansion. Further development depends on easier access to credit and government support for
ecological agriculture. Better promotion is also needed to increase interest in rural tourism in Poland and attract more visitors
from abroad.
This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date. 相似文献
18.
Energy and policy providing for sustainable rural livelihoods in remote locations – The case of Cuba
Modern, small-scale renewable energy technology has the potential to enable and sustain rural livelihoods, particularly in developing countries remote locations without access to the grid. Yet, the provision of rural energy to isolated communities might not achieve the desired long-term result unless its development is part of wider national policy geared to sustainable development and social equity. This article shows how a combination of technology and policy targeted at the improvement of livelihoods in rural areas is the best solution for maximising the capacity of renewable energy to deliver services. It pinpoints the transforming processes and the institutions participating in the delivery of energy technology. This work draws on the Cuban experience of renewable energy technology, that country’s efforts to improve quality of life for remote populations, and its pledge to promote environmental sustainability. Using a sustainable livelihoods approach, the results of a survey in a rural community are analysed in the framework of existing assets and policies. The article describes how it is not only local users who benefit from a comprehensive technical, social and environmental energy approach. The same governmental administration that promotes such services has much to gain from technology that works well, benefits the poor in remote locations and protects the environment within its larger policy promoting sustainable and egalitarian society. 相似文献
19.
Impacts on agriculture following the 1991 eruption of Vulcan Hudson, Patagonia: lessons for recovery 总被引：1，自引：1，他引：0
Thomas Wilson Jim Cole Shane Cronin Carol Stewart David Johnston 《Natural Hazards》2011,57(2):185-212
Large explosive eruptions have the potential to distribute heavy ashfalls across large areas, resulting in physical and chemical impacts on agriculture, and economic and psycho-social impacts on rural communities. This study investigates how affected agriculture and rural communities have adapted, absorbed and mitigated impacts following a range of ashfall thicknesses (>2 m?C<1 mm) from the 12?C15 August 1991 eruption of Vulcan Hudson, one of the largest eruptions of the twentieth century. An estimated 1 million livestock died after the eruption due to pasture burial by ashfall and ongoing suppression of vegetation recovery. Horticulturalists suffered ongoing damage to crops from wind-blown ash and changes to soil properties increased irrigation and cultivation requirements. Real or perceived impacts on human health and impacts on farm productivity from the ashfall resulted in evacuation of farms and small towns in the short term. Long-term farm abandonment occurred in areas of heavy ashfall (upper Ibáñez valley) and highly stressed farming systems, even where ashfall was relatively thin (<50 mm), such as the Argentine steppe. The mono-agricultural system of sheep farming in the steppe region had few options other than destocking, proving less resilient than the diverse high-intensity horticultural and pastoral mix in irrigated valleys, which allowed more rapid adaption through diversification of production. Farms with natural advantages and greater investment in capital improvements led to greater damage potential initially (at least in cost terms), but ultimately provided a greater capacity for response and recovery. Better soils, climate and significantly greater access to technological improvements such as cultivation tools, irrigation and wind breaks were advantageous, such as at Chile Chico (Chile), Los Antiguos and Perito Moreno (Argentina). Cultivation increased chemical and physical soil fertility, especially when used in combination with fertilisation and irrigation. Appropriate use of seeds and cropping techniques within the new soil and growing conditions was important. Government agencies had a vital role in the dissemination of information for appropriate farm management responses, ash chemistry analysis, evacuations and welfare, and in the longer term to provide technical and credit assistance to facilitate recovery. 相似文献
20.
Since 1984 the New Zealand economy has experienced a significant phase of economic restructuring which has had a differential impact on various sectors, regions and social groups within the economy. This paper examines the extent to which economic change has affected the marginalized status of Maori households in the predominantly rural region of Northland. The social implications of economic restructuring are assessed by focusing on the housing circumstances of this indigenous people. Using a newly developed Maori housing database, we argue that relatively progressive housing policies, developed in the 1980s, have failed to address the housing problems of Maori and that the recent reliance on ‘market’ mechanisms to meet housing needs is likely to exacerbate problems of housing access and cost. 相似文献