Creative Capitalism and ICT4D

Researching Windows Starter Edition with first-time PC user -  Bangkok, Thailand

Kids learning with NComputing in Macedonia

Phone stores now outnumber cows along the streets of tier 1 and tier 2 cities in India

The Creative Capitalism Debate.   We are in the midst of an interesting and broad-ranging debate swirling around the various forms of creative capitalism. At one end of the spectrum is Muhammad Yunus' view of social businesses that are measured solely by their return on social objectives, with the expectation that they will provide at most a no-profit return on invested funds. And at the other end are wealthy multi-national companies' corporate social responsibility efforts, the majority of which are excellent and are delivering significant social value, but some of which that detractors label as little more than PR cover for exploitative capitalist operations.

Across the spectrum, we must ask what creative capitalist activities can best be accomplished at which levels: by profit-seeking entities, by governments, by traditional non-profit activities, or a by coordinated blend thereof. And we must ask which of these activities will require philanthro-capitalist and corporate intervention to make timely progress against the most pressing social and global development issues of our times. Michael Edwards frames the debate nicely in his short 2008 book, Just Another Emperor. Connor Clark and Michael Kinsley have started a good conversation on the broad view of creative capitalism as well, in both blog and book form.

In my view there is room for all models to exist -- with the exception of deceptive lipstick on a corporate pig. All approaches that increase the awareness and growth of social bottom lines across corporations big and small are good. There's an infinite amount of work still to be done; my focus is on scale -- helping companies and not-for-profit entities focus on getting big things done, and at the same time making a difference in a sustainable and scalable way.

A Pragmatic Approach Includes People as Well as Technology.   As a social technologist, I use a simple and pragmatic approach as I work to instill models for scalable social value creation in technologically-enhanced ventures which can help improve access to and quality of education; support job creation, skills-training, and capacity development; and contribute to local economic productivity. Based on my years of working in the ICT4D area I am keenly aware that technology is only a modest contributor to achieving the social objectives we seek to move forward. The practical realization of technological advancement for the "next billion" requires first the right mix of well-trained and competent people working with deep knowledge of target markets. And also required is a mix of business models and ecosystem support that enable sustained, scaled operation of technology-based systems.

A well-studied example of bigger-picture needed is that of placing PCs in a disadvantaged school. Without teacher training, relevant grade-specific educational content and software, technical support, at least occasional electrical power, and some form of internet connectivity, the PC quickly becomes a door stop. The non-technical factors in ICT4D projects frequently dwarf the technical ones and are the downfall of many projects. My goal is not only to apply technology to social issues, but also to ensure that all involved with ICT4D endeavors have a deep understanding of the people and ecosystem issues that are necessary for projects to thrive and operate at scale.