In recent years there has been growing interest expressed in incorporating information and communication technologies (ICTs) in order to further key development goals in the domains of health, education, livelihoods, and gender empowerment (United Nations, 2005). Looking ahead to the 2009 ICA conference theme of "Keywords in Communication," I consider the key challenges to ICT for development (ICTD) research. As we debate the future of the discipline, I propose an examination of the relationship of ICTD with the broader communication studies discipline. As a young ICTD scholar based in Singapore, I situate the discussion within the context of the Asian experience.

While establishing causality between ICT growth and key indicators of development, especially poverty, at the aggregate level has been difficult (Brown, 2001), individual projects have been producing noteworthy results. In the area of livelihood generation, internet kiosks for rural agricultural communities have been beneficial in India with e-Choupal (Annamalai & Rao; 2003) and in Pinggu, China (Zhao, 2008), whilst mobile phones have added economic value for Bangladeshi women entrepreneurs (Richardson, Ramirez, & Haq, 2000), and for Indian fishermen (Abraham, 2007; Jensen, 2007).

Reflecting on the 2008 ICA conference theme of "Communicating for Social Impact" (Look out for the forthcoming theme book), it would seem an appropriate time to examine the relationship of the communication discipline with the ICTD community. We as communication scholars need to ask ourselves what our role should be in contributing to this growing body of research. Does one have to choose between belonging to one camp or the other, or if there is common ground, what is it? ICTD scholars currently scatter across the various ICA divisions, and often leave altogether to newly formed conferences dedicated to their specific interests. The ICTD community could be characterized as being composed of scholars from multiple disciplines, lacking a shared single body of scholarship, who conduct action research. They interact with practitioners and policy makers and are often criticized for taking a positivist stance. The rapid growth of ICTD projects, distinct from ICTD research, has, however, brought with it increased scrutiny.

The explosion in individual case-studies reported has led to criticism of forsaking theoretical rigor for a practical focus. The lack of a theoretical canon, evidenced by the borrowing from a variety of literatures, coupled with a reliance on a methodology biased towards case-studies, has led to greater description and fewer analytical studies (Heeks, 2007). The lack of a critical stance in favor of a positivist stance, driven both by a donor-focus and a bias towards technological determinism, has impacted credibility. It is here that academically oriented forums such as ICA can step in; to allow for sharing across disciplines, to crystallize the theoretical challenges, and point the direction to future research.

ICA offers divisions that speak to ICTD scholars focusing on technology, communication, and development aspects. Communication studies has a rich tradition of examining technology diffusion, particularly in the traditional mass media, which can enrich ICTD research. It can also gain from recognizing the multiple influences on individuals in terms of the broader media environment, in addition to the focus on newer digital technologies. In terms of other research areas which can be informed via communication studies, there is a paucity of ICTD studies at the psychological level. There is greater recognition of the various barriers at the macro level, such as infrastructural, economic, sociological, and technological, but there is also a need to understand individual motivations to adoption and maintenance of technology.

Generalizability of results continues to be a concern, with a plethora of pilot projects that never get replicated (Proenza, 2001). There is certainly a need for sharing and establishing of standards; in theory, in design, and in evaluation; rather than each initiative re-creating its own wheel. The pronounced North-South divide, with the bulk of the established scholarship situated in developed countries, while the fieldwork occurs in the developing world, adds to the lack of a shared forum. There is a growing list of resources available in Asia, and while it's not possible to list all of them, those available include the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity, Centre for Science, Development and Media Studies, D.Net, LIRNEasia, and the Strengthening ICTD Research Capacity in Asia grants program.

While there is a case to be made for a local home-grown scholarship, ICA has the ability to attract and develop a greater international membership, particularly among emerging ICTD researchers seeking an intellectual home, and mentor-ship. Beyond these however, there is a need for development of curricula, and research funding, to support what would be the first generation of ICTD scholars to have matured in the discipline.

Next I highlight a few research projects in Asia in the areas of education, healthcare, and discuss a cross-cutting theme, gender. The role of ICTs, mainly computers, in education is increasingly recognized with programs such as the Malaysian Smart Schools Project (Smart School Department, 2007), the Filipino FIT-ED/Coca-Cola Ed. Venture Project (Foundation for Information Technology Education and Development, 2004), the Chinese Town and Talent Project (Zhao, 2008), the Mongolian IIREM project (Mongolia Development Gateway, 2002), and the Indian Samvidha project (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2007).

These provide teachers with basic technological literacy while simultaneously offering a range of online educational resources. Concerns have been raised about the differing access to, and the varying conditions that affect how children engage in learning. Educational bodies are challenged by barriers of technological literacy of educators, the scholastic technological infrastructure, integration of technology into the existing curricula, and resource constraints for technology acquisition (Ali, 2003; Pawar & Toyama, 2005).

Media coverage, both in Asia and globally, has focused on the advent of commercially available low-cost computing devices such as the One Laptop per Child device, the Intel Classmate PC, and the recently announced $10 connectivity device by the Indian Government. The future looks bright, yet is fraught with the risk of investing significant resources into an under-researched area. Building an effective and sustainable system for teaching and learning requires a shift from the current technology bias to an implementation system that recognizes the need for user-centric design and support services, to both teacher and students alike.

Healthcare information systems have gained prominence of late, particularly with the rise of mobile connectivity and computing. Mobile phones have been used effectively in reaching out to rural communities in India (Bali & Singh, 2007); for connecting village midwives to critical medical resources in post-tsunami Aceh, Indonesia, to aid in obstetric emergencies (Chib, Lwin, Santoso, Hsu, & Ang, 2008); while PDAs allowed Korean nurses to access inter-organizational health information (Choi, Chun, Lee, Lee, Shin, Hyun, et al., 2004). However, this research area suffers from a bias towards measuring technology usage and job-related performance indicators, rather than impact indicators such as the improvement in community health. Like other areas of ICTD research, healthcare suffers from the absence of common standards, hindering the sharing of records, and easy replication of systems.

Finally, sustainability has too often been measured in financial terms (Kuriyan, Ray, & Toyama, 2008). Social sustainability should be considered with regards to the benefits and constraints presented by the policy, social, and community contexts. To highlight this point, I suggest that the gender perspective is quite apparent in its absence in ICT policy, and often overlooked in ICTD research, particularly if the focus of a program is not gender-related. Notable exceptions in the region include organizations, such as the Asian Pacific Women's Information Network Center, the International Center for Research on Women, the International Telecommunication Union, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. These organizations have launched programs to mainstream gender in the ICT sector, with the participation of countries such as Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, and Indonesia. Most gender concerns in ICTs identify issues concerning access; yet in-depth examinations reveal issues such as know-how, industry and labor, content and language, power and decision making, security and privacy and social-cultural barriers (Wangmo, Violina, & Haque, 2004).

In conclusion, I encourage ICA members to reach out to ICTD researchers to understand their concerns, participate in collaborative research, and become actively engaged in shaping the future of this emerging field. To engage with Asian and other ICTD scholars, consider attending the upcoming ICTD 2009 conference in Doha, Qatar in April, and the ICA 2009 conference which hosts a pre-conference on the growth in mobile phone usage, Mobile 2.0: Beyond Voice?. Finally, as Singapore prepares to host the ICA 2010 conference, on behalf of all Asian ICTD researchers, I invite you to visit some field sites in the vicinity to learn more about our work, and experience the famed Asian hospitality! BIO: Dr. Arul Chib is an assistant professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University, and is also the assistant director of the Singapore internet Research Center.

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