PowerPoint: Findings from the Global Impact Study

Abstract

Libraries, telecenters, and cybercafés play a critical role in extending the benefits of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to a diverse range of people worldwide. However, their ability to contribute to development agendas has come into question in recent times. The Global Impact Study was designed to address this debate by generating evidence about the scale, character, and impacts of public access ICTs in eight countries: Bangladesh, Botswana, Brazil, Chile, Ghana, Lithuania, the Philippines, and South Africa. This PowerPoint slidedeck provides an overview of the Global Impact Study, research design and methodology, and the study's key findings. The results show that a central impact of public access is the promotion of digital inclusion through technology access, information access, and development of ICT skills. Both users and non-users report positive impacts in various social and economic areas of their lives. This PowerPoint is available for others to use, adapt, and remix through a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license.