How many at the bottom of the pyramid in Asia have heard of the Internet? In which countries has the phone overtaken the radio among the poor? How are people juggling multiple numbers and making "missed calls"? How are mobile phones reducing leakage of Social Security payments in Indian villages? Why are cell broadcasts of early warnings superior to SMS warnings? How can one buy a camel using just a simple mobile phone? How are farmers learning about market prices?
These are some questions that will be answered at a dissemination event jointly organized by LIRNEasia (a regional ICT think tank) and the Communication and New Media Department at the National University of Singapore, at the NUS Kent Ridge Campus on the morning of 22 July 2010, for research supported by the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC) and the Department for International Development of the UK (DFID). In addition to IDRC and DFID, the NUS Department of Communication and New Media is supporting the dissemination event and the associated tutorial.
The first 20 ICA attendees registering for the dissemination event will have 1 day's per diem (adjusted for any meals provided) reimbursed. The Singapore Dollar equivalent of around USD $265 is intended to assist in meeting the incremental cost of participation.
Graduate students who are among the first 20 registrants, and who also register for and attend a full-day tutorial on policy-relevant research on 21 June 2010, will be reimbursed 2 days of adjusted per diem. Tutorial participants will include graduate students and young faculty associated with an Asia Pacific capacity-building initiative, Communication Policy Research South. Tentative programs and information on how to apply can be found at http://www.cprsouth.org/node/128. Space and resources are limited, so register early.
Additional information, including research reports and videos on the Mobile 2.0 research, are at http://lirneasia.net/projects/2008-2010/. Queries may be directed to info@cprsouth.org.
