Gonokendra model: a response to “information poverty” in rural areas of Bangladesh

Abstract

We argue that there is a need to understand impacts of information and communication technologies (ICT) projects in their local context, considering the participants' perspectives at the micro (community) level. Hence, this paper reports on the development and refinement of an extended framework to investigate ICT impact on development in three village areas in the developing country, Bangladesh. Through an interpretive study, we argue that previous studies failed to encapsulate many aspects such as mobility restriction, negative attitude towards female group and religious influences of ICT impact, especially at the micro level. Our extended framework demonstrates that ICT projects can lead to development, but only when social constraints are addressed.