The impact of information—I. Toward a research agenda for its definition and measurement

摘要

At a time competition for scarce resources in tougher than ever, policy-makers, decision-makers, and information specialists alike, can no longer be satisfied with general assumptions which describe the role of information in the achievement of individual, organizational and societal goals as being “a critical resource”. An international project called “Impact of information on development” is carried out by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC, Canada) with a view to test suitable approaches for the assessment of the benefits derived from all types of information activities in the developing countries. This effort aims at assembling more solid evidence of the benefits associated with information. The rationale for the project and its progress to date are briefly presented. The main features of the suggested problem and constituency centered approach to impact assessment are discussed. Future developments in the project call for the establishment of a decentralized research network. While the IDRC project has to be focused exclusively on developing countries, the issues raised are in fact of universal significance. On the basis of the outcome of the project so far, the paper attempts at presenting a review, from a personal perspective, of the many research questions related to the concepts of information and development, the impact of information and the methodological and practical constraints in its assessment.