Information Systems and International Development - Essay Example

? Information Systems and International Development Lecturer Introduction A fragile is one that is not stable because of past events in the history of that particular state. The factors that make a state fragile include prolonged wars, for example, the case of Somalia of Eastern Africa. The major issues that contribute to the phenomena of fragile states include lack of or poor development ideas in a state, presence of continuous conflicts within a state, and vulnerability among the members or citizens of a state (Naude, Santos-aulino & McGilvvray, 2011). The issues mentioned above in one way or another leads to the breaking or destruction of a state, just as the term fragile means. In technical terms, globalisation is the convergence of information and communication tools through the use of computer enabled means and therefore, communication and access to information is possible from any point in the world. The agency definition f globalisation is a scenario whereby, international and regional societies, markets and even different cultures have been able to interact and share in times of need. As result of globalisation, there has been an increase in exchange of goods and services among different countries and regions in the world. For example, the rate of growth in exchange of goods that are manufactured has increased up to one hundred times in the past fifty years as result of globalisation. Globalisation has also resulted into the ease of transport through the use of airplanes. The use of airplanes has immensely facilitated the transport of both goods and even passenger, which also translates to increased trade. Globalisation has also majorly impacted communication and the access to all types of information at a single instance. Exchange of information has been very fast and easy among people in different regions and also at different levels. Gini coefficient which is the method of measuring the level or value at which the amount of income is distributed among the population of a given state divulges out of the equal and perfect distribution. Graphical representation of the gini co-efficient: Line of Equality Lorenze curve The above graph is a graphical representation of the gini co-efficient. The area represented by “A” is the actual gini co-efficient, which is found by dividing the section marked A by the sum of the areas marked A and B. therefore, the gini co-efficient is found by dividing the area that lies between the line of equality and the Lorenz curve and that of the whole area found within the line of equality. The mathematical formula of finding the gini co-efficient is, therefore, G= A/ A+B. Purchasing power parity is the idea that the rate at which currencies are exchanged between two countries is at equilibrium when the purchasing power of the two countries is equal. This means that the value or prices of goods and services between the involved countries should be equal. Dualism is the totals of income disparity as a result of the difference in the total amount of income in two different types of income receiving units.  In respect to the development theory, the great u-turn means that, an individual absorbs and develops a certain type of culture, from then he is able to repackage it from the knowledge he had before There are a number of reasons as to why IT projects are not successful in less developed regions. Among the many objectives of IT projects may include to enhance computer literacy, to ensure efficient exchange of information, to facilitate trade activities or even to enhance the socio-economic and political aspects of the people’s lives. However, these objectives are sometimes not achieved due to a number of factors that are affecting less developed or rather the fragile states. Firstly, in less developed areas, there is widespread lack of knowledge in IT related activities. The larger population of less developed areas are computer illiterate, and therefore, are unable to participate in effecting these IT projects. Secondly is the lack of required facilities to implement the objectives of these IT related projects. The key ideas that inform the HDI include longevity, descent standard of living and knowledge. The above mentioned ideas purely concentrate on the human aspects of life, thus, they HDI is considered human centred, for example: the idea of longevity deals with the life expectancy of human beings in relation to the choice of living healthy. The idea of knowledge is on the other hand concerned with the human need to acquire information for the purpose of literacy and general knowledge while idea of descent standard of living is concerned with the ability of human being to live a quality of life depending on his or her purchasing power. There are several tasks that peace keeping forces all over the world carry out. These tasks include; creation of and sustenance of peace in the in the world. This also ensures that there is security and stability in the world. Secondly, they promote respect adherence to the internationally accepted laws in all countries in the world. Thirdly, they help in settling of international conflicts in regions that are considered fragile. Fourthly, the peace keeping troops help in promotion and protection of human rights in the areas they are posted. Fifthly, the peace keeping forces help in resolving of conflicts between or among countries that are in conflicts with each other. Globalisation can be defined in three different ways. Considering its cultural aspect, globalisation can be defined as the merging of different cultural practices as a result of interaction between people from different parts of the world. Secondly, looking at the aspect of communication, globalisation can be defined as the accessibility of all different types of information sources due to the availability of internet that has gathered all information in the world in websites. This has made all information readily available, making the world a global village. Globalisation can also be defined by the aspect of trade which has been made easy through fast transport mechanisms, for example, airplane, which has made the world a global village. Globalisation has made communication fast and simple, therefore through a lot of exchange of ideas, thus enhancing international stability. It is also through communication for need of assistance in fragile areas that has made possible the rescue of fragile states. The three dilemmas associated with humanitarian intervention include genocide; which is mass killing of citizens of a given state, for example the incident of Rwanda in the year 1994 and the case of Kosovo. The consequences of these humanitarian interventions were huge because the UN did not intervene in good time to save the situation. Another dilemma associated with humanitarian intervention is the economic inflation of that particular state. This is because when the state kills its citizens, the source of labour will be wiped away. Thus, there will be no production of goods and the prices of the few available goods will steadily rise. The role of information technology in the United Nation Emergency can be displayed in a situation as described below. For instance, there is a group of militia, which has sieged a whole town in a country like South Korea. The government of S. Korea can seek for help from the UN Security Council through the information technology and communication system, after which the council will respond immediately and affectively to the situation, maybe by providing military assistance. Another instance maybe in a situation where an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council needs to be held with urgency, the officials of the Security Council are able to hold a video conference meeting with the use of IT enabled machines without having to travel to a particular city. BIBLIOGRAPHY Naude. W., Santos-aulino. A. & McGilvvray. M., 2011. Fragile States: Causes, Cost, and Responses. New York: Oxford University Press. Read More