Technology for Development,But for Whom? Social InequalityAcross Three Eras in India

Abstract

Historically, governments of developing countries, such as India, have promoted technological advancement to facilitate socioeconomic development. This has led to a rise in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D) projects. While such technological interventions have undeniably resulted in economic growth, their true developmental roles call for critical analysis through the lens of development to human freedom. Technology often fails to eliminate the prevalent inequality in social structures, resulting in continued restricted human freedoms for the marginalized sections, reinforced by the technology. To examine this, we compare technologies from three eras targeted to aid the marginalized: technologies in the Green Revolution (1967–1978), the agrarian supply-chain, the eChoupal telecentre (2000–present) and mobile payments (2016–present). We use secondary data for the technologies from previous eras, and primary interview data of 44 mobile payment users across India, to understand how the technologies have evolved over the years in terms of the freedoms offered by them. The findings show that freedoms of economic facilities, transparency and protection during crises are provided by the technologies, but not uniformly across the various sections of society. The implications for policymakers include regulations and initiatives to ensure greater participation of all and, thus, facilitate development.