Information and Development in El Salvador: Preliminary Notes

(translation from original in Spanish)

Christina Courtright

originally published in: Alternativas para el Desarrollo #47, San Salvador: FUNDE, July-August 1997.

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Scope of the problem

International experiences and approaches

Information in El Salvador

Some proposals and recommendations

Conclusion

Notes

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Scope of the problem

In El Salvador, as in other countries in the Central American Region, much is being said about information, and even more about informatics: the Internet, the World Wide Web, electronic trade, electronic mail, even the new “cybercafé.” To judge by the news media, we must all be getting on the “information superhighway,” but in a country with a high rate of illiteracy, low density of telephone lines and relatively few computers, most are still riding in ox-drawn carts.

The World Bank paints the following picture: “Revolutionary new advances in information technology reinforce economic and social changes that are transforming business and society. A new kind of economy –the information economy– is emerging in which information is the critical resource and the basis for competition... A corresponding new society is also emerging... much more competitive, more democratic, less centralized, less stable, better able to address individual needs, and friendlier to the environment.”^[1]

It is an unquestionable fact that Salvadoran reality is far from the encouraging ideal set forth by the World Bank. The growth of information, just like economic growth, does not necessarily imply development: there can be “growth without accumulation,”^[2] and this is the case in El Salvador. Furthermore, there are troubling indications that, because of this accelerated growth in terms of information (content) and informatics (technological means which facilitates the former), combined with existing socio-economic inequalities in terms of infrastructure and education, the gap between “informed” and “uninformed,” between the “connected” and the “unconnected,” is growing. In other words, an information elite is emerging, as well as a “cyber-elite.”

So how can we channel this immense flow of information and technology which is inundating the nation –especially from abroad and in English– in ways to benefit a process of sustainable and equitable development? How can we make existing information services, those which do not possess cutting-edge technology, more effective in order to help bolster development? How can we all move ahead together toward that highly attractive “new society”?

We are not alone. This problem is being faced in all developing countries. Some of those involved “question the relevance and appropriateness of the services offered,”^[3] since they tend to reflect foreign contents and models and do little to resolve pressing local needs. Many cooperation efforts from the North are frustrated: “the prevailing culture, social structures, community values, and established rhythms of life may make a mockery of a seemingly impeccable North-South technology transfer logic.”^[4] At the same time, the steamroller effect of the globalization of information threatens local cultures –and even languages– if we fail to improve our capacity to interpret and channel it appropriately. Development becomes distorted, and often because those users with the best access to this type of information do not necessarily know how to apply it towards broadening the knowledge base of their countries, sectors, communities or organizations, much less transform it into wisdom, the final stage in the transformation of data.^[5]

The other side to this overwhelming abundance from abroad is weakness in terms of local information production: “Many third world countries do not know what they know. Worse, some first world countries (or transnational corporations for that matter) know more about these countries than they know about themselves. Worse still, some third world countries are not even aware of this fact.”^[6] Much information produced in developing countries is not registered, and often, even if formally or systematically registered, is often limited to local use and accessible only within a controlled or restricted environment.^[7] Existing production suffers from coordination problems, which leads to unnecessary duplications as well as dangerous gaps.^[8] One of today's challenges is to move from the interpretation and transformation of outside information to coordinated, systematic and accumulative information production at the local level, according to local needs and characteristics.^[9]

In terms of economic activity, information is a resource, like natural and human resources. It contains added value, it is a factor in production.^[10] But in contrast to other resources, it can be exploited without becoming exhausted or losing its value: instead of appropriating information, it is shared. When one sector obtains and utilizes relevant information, another will not necessarily remain empty-handed. With today's new technologies, information can be accessed, reproduced on a large scale and retransmitted in a matter of seconds and at a relatively low cost, hence its democratizing and leveling potential. Furthermore, the production and dissemination of information are becoming more accessible to the majority, thereby enhancing its potential to transform organizations, communities, human relations and, as a result, development styles.

The proper exploitation of informatics technology and information flows can empower the majority, help democratize society and leverage sustainable and equitable development. But in order for this to occur, there must be a radical shift in the official vision; a more interactive and dynamic philosophy of education; new policies; and, above all, new approaches at the level of community, organization, sector and nation which integrate this factor in its proper dimension.

This article hopes to open the debate in El Salvador on the optimal use of information as an integral part of our development strategy. I will briefly review several approaches to the problem, then follow with a very preliminary diagnosis of the state of information in El Salvador, finally concluding with some short-term recommendations. I include references to useful Internet sites in order to facilitate further exploration of the issue.

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International experiences and approaches

Today, in a time of accelerated technological transformations, serious concerns have arisen among traditional information professionals, as well as among those who finance and promote information services and development projects. The following are three different approaches which touch on these three viewpoints: concern about the true impact of information, promotion of the information factor in development efforts, and the transformation of the role of information professionals.

IDRC: Measuring the Impact of Information on Development

For many years now, Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) has sponsored projects in numerous developing countries and regions aimed at strengthening information work. In 1992, following conversations with both counterparts and donors, the IDRC took on the task of evaluating the impact of information in order to justify continuing these efforts. The project began with an electronic conference among distinguished professionals in the field, from both the North and the South, followed by a workshop to define a methodology for impact measurement. In 1995, a conference was held among the researchers in order to present progress and methodologies of the ongoing studies; currently, the project is reaching a point of conclusion and proposals. Some early results have been published in the form of two books, both available through the Internet.^[11]

Although the final results have yet to be divulged, the progress reports provide a wealth of criteria and lessons. The studies cover rural information systems in Africa, the role of information in policy formulation in the Caribbean, the use of information to strengthen educational decision-making in Latin America, and others. Methodological tools were development to define the inputs and outputs of an information project, including a matrix to draw up a cost-benefit analysis (not always quantifiable) before undertaking a project. Furthermore, emphasis is placed on the need to measure acceptance and usefulness from the standpoint of the user –who sees information as contents, not necessarily as product– with an insistence on the fact that the value of information “can only be assessed ‘after it has been used and its results have become viable’.”^[12] Finally, the examples used in the study offer possible models to evaluate and adapt to local reality.

The World Bank: Harnessing Information for Development

In 1995, World Bank directors and donors met to create InfoDev: Information for Development Program. Its principal goal is to help developing countries become “information economies” and “information societies,”^[13] by developing their “information infrastructure” jointly between public and private sector, thereby “[e]nsuring that developing countries are able to benefit from telecommunications innovations and to participate fully in the global economy.”^[14] The specific goals of the project are to:

·        “create market-friendly environments;

·        reduce poverty and exclusion of low-income countries and social groups;

·        improve education and health;

·        promote protection of the environment and natural resources;

·        increase the efficiency, accountability and transparency of goverments.”

The activities funded by InfoDev can be grouped into four areas:

·        “consensus-building and awareness-raising activities (workshops, training, international seminars);

·        telecommunications reform;

·        information infrastructure strategies; and

·        pilot projects.”

The justification behind the program is explained in detail in the report: “Harnessing Information for Development: A Proposal for a World Bank Group Strategy,”^[15] available on the Internet. The report focuses on the accelerated transformations in information technology worldwide, which have been made possible above all by progress in telecommunications; the report also sets forth its benefits for those who know how to use it, as well as the danger for developing countries if they lag behind, in terms of their “exclusion from the global economy” and “severe disadvantage in... competitiveness.” Above and beyond the benefits of harnessing information for business competitiveness, the report –with eloquent and unquestionable examples– highlights the many ways in which the appropriate adaptation of this technology can multiply ongoing efforts to alleviate poverty, particularly in the realms of health and education. It also warns of the dangers of the misuse of these technologies, in terms of social inequities, the waste of resources, and the social and cultural upheavals they can cause. The Bank lobbies for government intervention in the areas of information policy formulation, as a key user of information technology, and to cushion market failures.

A central aspect of the InfoDev program is the need for profound reforms in telecommunications, in other words, the total privatization of that sector. However, emphasis is likewise placed on the absolute need for strong regulations in order to prevent abuse and to ensure universal access.

Finally, it is worth noting that projects sent to InfoDev in search of funding are evaluated in terms of their possible impact and feasibility by the very same IDRC (see above), before moving on to the final stage of approval.

CEPAL/CLADES: New styles of information management and managers

The Latin American Center for Economic and Social Documentation (CLADES in Spanish), which is part of the U.N. Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL), began publishing a series of monographs titled Information and Development, as a contribution toward improving information management in development environments. The issues covered in the collection include the role of information in municipal planning (No. 1) and in decision- and policy-making situations (No. 6), approaches to a “new information manager” (No. 8), and others. In the past, CEPAL/CLADES was a pioneer in designing and disseminating a standard format for document processing, known as the “CEPAL format,” which facilitates information interchange and the creation of collective catalogues, and which is used widely throughout information centers in Latin America, including El Salvador. Today CEPAL/CLADES is actively promoting the redefinition of the role of information professionals in response to global economic and technological changes. Its work includes seminars to redefine and train information professionals throughout Latin America, one of which took place in El Salvador in 1995 with solid attendance from local information professionals.

In its monograph, “Information systems and the challenge of global changes,”^[16] CLADES focuses on the fundamental changes which have taken place recently in the realm of information, including workstyles, products, processes, the information market, and technologies. Stress is placed on the organizational changes which demand a new type of professional, the “information manager,” within each institution and organization. The next monograph in the series, “Three approaches to the concept of a new information manager,”^[17] delves further into the issue. Briefly, the authors argue for the need to move past simple processing and dissemination of information to managing it integrally, from the standpoint of a privileged position in each organization, even from a role of leadership in order to play a strategic role in development.

CLADES' work represents the most advanced approach in information science in Latin America, with an emphasis on fortifying socio-economic development. It is largely directed at traditional information professionals, as a contribution to their self-improvement and transformation within the new context which is currently taking shape. Transformations in information management are proposed from the standpoint of the sector itself, which is no longer as separate as before from other socio-economic sectors; today, technological and organizational changes require fundamental changes in how information is handled in each country, organization and community, as well as in traditional information centers (libraries, documentation centers).

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Information in El Salvador

The information used in both daily and strategic activities encompasses much more than printed matter; it also goes far beyond informatics. In this section we will provide a brief tableau of the organization, use and development of information in a number of different settings, ranging from the traditional sector to decision-making at the community level.

Libraries and documentation centers:

The traditional information sector in El Salvador is made up of one national library and a small network of public libraries; ministerial information centers and those of other government agencies; specialized private centers belonging to associations, banks, foundations and research centers; documentation centers at international cooperation and development organizations; university and high-school libraries; and centers located in some media organizations.

During the present decade, great strides have been made in this sector in terms of coordination, organization and skills, although the average level of automation tends to be quite low due to lack of resources, and rural penetration is scarce. The limitations of the majority of formal information centers in El Salvador tend to be located at the level of middle and upper management (a combination of the factors of lack of continuity by officials and scarce internalization of the role of information in managing their organizations), and not so much at the level of those who work there, who tend to display hard work and creativity. Local information professionals are noteworthy in their efforts to continue their training in order to confront today's challenges, in spite of a lack of local resources.

In 1990, a very productive effort was begun to systematize coordination among these centers; the network was devoted to promoting information interchange, the use of standard formats, training and overall improvement in terms of quality. Today, the National Health Information Network (RENIDS) plays the most outstanding role in that field, under the coordination of WHO/PAHO; it recently published a national catalogue to help users locate health information in centers throughout the country. A second computerized national catalogue covering socio-economic material has been undertaken by the National Foundation for Development (FUNDE) together with the Business and Economy University (ESEN).

An outstanding example of the transformation of the traditional functions of a library can be seen at the University of El Salvador, where the library system is in charge of the Internet node for the entire university system. At the same time, it has created an “Intranet”, an internal university system network which links up professors, students, libraries and administrative areas on campuses throughout the country (and which functions similarly and with the same protocols as the Internet), in order to strengthen teaching and research, as well as to rationalize the use of resources within the university system. At the Central American University, it is the computing center which undertakes this function.

Specialized government units:

In terms of government units devoted to formulating policies and highly processed information (such as economic, agricultural, environmental and monetary policies, as well as statistics and census, etc.), these have at their disposal a very rich range of information useful in drawing up their analyses and strategies. However, much of that information is not accessible to everday information users, and often is not even available to other, similar units. The interchange of information tends to occur via informal channels; information products are sent only to higher-ups, and do not make up an integral part of a national development strategy. (This issue has much to do with a culture of non-transparency at government levels, a rather common characteristic of governments throughout the world. Information has always constituted a resource of power, and societies have struggled progressively to obtain free access to public information as part of the democracy-building process.)

In other words, national production and location of information in these vital centers is still not being systematized in coordinated in such a way as to strengthen its effectiveness in decision-making and development in general. With the notable exception of RENIDS,^[18] there is scant systematization of sectorial information, for example on the environment, education, etc.

However, at the level of Central American integration, there is the commendable example of SICA's informatics network,^[19] which serves to support and reinforce the decision-making process among governments and development actors throughout the region. And in terms of the systematization of El Salvador's cultural richness, there is the exemplary work of CONCULTURA, which has placed at everyone's disposal (on the World Wide Web)^[20] a computerized inventory of cultural sites, including images, as well as didactic links to information sources and services which are very useful at the national and international level.

Socio-economic research centers:

There are relatively few socio-economic research centers in El Salvador, and although they tend to exchange information among themselves, they have not instituted more permanent and systematic coordination mechanisms. In Costa Rica, for example, there is a national network of research centers which has become a part of the National Science and Technology System.^[21] Nor is there any Salvadoran presence in the most important Latin American effort to strengthen socio-economic research, the Latin American Network of Information Networks.^[22]

Within the research centers, there is little tendency toward vertical integration of information functions at all levels, from concept to production and dissemination. Their documentation centers continue to be very traditional, and still lack a more dynamic relationship between information personnel, leadership, researchers and outside users. There is a lack of integral information strategies which would avoid a duplication of efforts and promote the centralization of resources which would be easily accessible by all.

Private enterprise and NGOs:

Among private entities (both for-profit and non-profit), there is scarcely even an incipient concept of “the information manager,” as set forth by CLADES and extensively developed in recent writings on new concepts of organizational administration. The curricula of business administration programs in El Salvador fail to include any new teachings on the management of information inside organizations; at most there are courses on management information systems which do not necessarily encompass the organization as a whole. To judge by seminars advertised in the press, there has been more emphasis on the concept of “competitive intelligence” to strengthen the insertion of local businesses into the national and international market. In the current context, this emphasis has more to do with a frenetic desire to become part of the globalization trend than to a well thought-out effort at national or business development.

Professional training:

The training of information professionals is limited to the Librarianship School at the University of El Salvador, which imparts the necessary technical and administrative skills to run a library. However, the two-year curriculum comes up short in terms of the broader academic training necessary to analyze specialized information, automate collections and integrate the entire information cycle. Efforts at the University to raise this program to the level of a bachelor's degree have been fruitless; such a step could make a significant contribution to train professionals who are better prepared to face today's challenges. But on the other hand, information training must focus on more than the traditional sector; it must also take place at the level of organizational and business management.

Regional and local information:

There are very few examples of municipalities (Suchitoto and Nejapa are two of these) which have undertaken detailed efforts to systematize local information in support of municipal planning. FUNDE, in its regional-local area of work, has made great efforts to classify and systematize information necessary for the design of development of plans and programs with community participation; furthermore, FUNDE is drawing up a series of indicators to permit the systematization of this work in the future. These promising efforts are still far too isolated to have an effect at the level of municipal management in general, and require greater participation on the part of the Council of Municipalities (COMURES) and international aid agencies. Furthermore, the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is very limited; these are useful in supporting the systematization of data and local management in all areas.

Technology and informatics:

The official Internet system in El Salvador, SVNet, offers a complete Internet and e-mail service, but the rapid growth in the user base and the technological limitations of the system have restricted full access and easy “navigation.” Private Internet providers offer a better service at a slightly higher price. The purchase of computers has been greatly facilitated by the proliferation of suppliers and local assemblers, and by the elimination of import tariffs on this product; the range of programs and operating systems in Spanish has expanded greatly.

There are two fundamental limitations at the level of informatics which weaken the advantageous use of information and help widen the “information gap” in El Salvador:

·        the serious problem of telecommunications: the difficulty in acquiring a telephone line and the poor performance of Internet connections; and

·        the lack of local gateways designed to help users locate the information they need, in a world which is full of unknowns and dominated by other languages.

The first problem will not be automatically resolved with the privatization of the national telecommunications agency (ANTEL), given the traditional weakness of regulations in El Salvador, which would be necessary to ensure a transparent new management. However, the problem of rural telephony is pressing; it is essential to get quality connections –whether cabled, by satellite or other means– to all corners of the nation, since these will be the cornerstones of implementing very low-cost technologies to hook up municipalities, producers, students and the people in general, and thereby strengthen their role in development.

The second limitation is conceptual: there are many local entry points into the Internet, but hardly any contain any didactic tools to guide a user toward the tools –in his or her own language– necessary to locate and utilize relevant information; at most, the gateways contain a list of useful links without further comment. We read countless announcements of costly seminars in downtown hotels to learn to use the Internet, but it is unfortunate that the Internet itself is not being used to facilitate access, by creating didactic pages and forums to interchange experiences, using local gateways as a starting-point. Once again, novices, casual users or those who speak no other languages, are falling back among the “unconnected,” a paradox given the incredible wealth of information –in Spanish– available within a matter of minutes on the Internet.

The National Informatics Committee, formed recently by the National Council on Science and Technology (CONACYT), is in charge of drawing up informatics policies for the nation, in the context of a national policy on science and technology. It is still premature to assess the quality of its approach to the two limitations mentioned above; however, there are signs that efforts are being made within the group to go beyond purely technological criteria, which would constitute a positive step forward.

In general:

Lately there has been great progress in the field of information in El Salvador, especially in terms of its technological underpinnings (informatics and telecommunications). There is also growing coordination and improvement among the traditional sector of libraries and documentation centers. Unfortunately, the challenges, inequalities and needs are growing even more rapidly, and require creative and daring approaches which are adapted to national reality. The means exist, but still lacking are the vision and political will necessary to put them to good use. (A positive sign, however, is the recently-implemented Educational Reform, which could gradually help improve students’ abilities to seek, assimilate and produce the information necessary for progress.)

El Salvador has no national information policy; nor is it possible to identify the most appropriate government agency which ought to formulate one, together with civil society. Furthermore, in the present context, there is a common tendency to confuse “information” (content) with “informatics” (the means), which makes it even more difficult to tackle the problem of information and development in all its complexity.

The World Information Report, published by UNESCO,^[23] presents “a worldwide picture of archive, library and information services in 1996.” In the chapter on Latin America and the Caribbean, there is not a single mention of El Salvador, either in terms of achievements or deficiencies; this is practically the only country in the region with no mention whatsoever. Nor does any project from a Salvadoran institution –either public or private– appear among the long list of proposals sent for consideration by the World Bank's InfoDev program. A visionary, well-focused and consensus-based effort is necessary in order to truly leverage information for development, and without leaving anyone behind.

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Some proposals and recommendations

In this context, we will propose a preliminary list of measures we could begin to take in El Salvador in the short term, in order to apply information strategies to development at the national, sectorial, community and organizational levels:

At the policy level:

·        Invest resources and seek expert advice in formulating a true information policy concretely linked to national development.^[24]

·        Modernize the concept and activities of CONACYT so that it takes greater leadership in this area, broadening its mandate beyond informatics, science and technology to include the overall area of information and development.

·        Increase the democratization of public information; promote an “information culture” beginning in primary school in order to strengthen Salvadorans’ ability to seek and dynamically assimilate information.

·        Ensure adequate regulation of the future telecommunications system, using criteria of equity and transparency.

Studies and proposals:

·        Produce an expanded diagnosis of informational and informatics resources available in El Salvador, which also encompasses informal resources, local knowledge, the media, editorial production, etc.; identify interrelationships, duplications and gaps; inventory sources of information production, access and dissemination.

·        Conduct case studies at the organizational, sectorial and community level in order to identify the role and impact of information in decision-making and development. Define in detail the User Information Environment^[25] and necessary indicators.^[26] Select large-scale projects (SG-SICA, University) as well as small (a research center, a community).

·        On the basis of these studies, design viable pilot projects adapted to national reality –obtaining consensus among public and private sector actors– to propose to the InfoDev program and other aid agencies; priority on rural communities in order to help close the information gap.

Professional training:

·        Promote the training of information managers in formal academic programs as well as management seminars focused on updating skills.

·        Promote the ongoing furtherance of academic, technical, technological and management knowledge among existing information professionals, and help redefine their conceptual vision of this area.

·        In the absence of local resources, development distance education programs (via Internet) to train information professionals and help transform management vision.

·        In selecting information managers, seek qualities of leadership, vision and creativity as well as technical skills.

Concrete tools:

·        Design Web gateways which facilitate learning and navigation.

·        Radically extend telephone coverage in El Salvador –and make access more equitable– and improve the quality of Internet access.

·        Promote the creation of rural information centers which offer Internet access, information services and local databases, in order to support local development efforts and an interconnection with the rest of the country and the world.

·        Continue developing collective tools, such as statistical and bibliographical data banks, in a coordinated manner among different organizations, as well as geographical information systems in common; if possible, place them on the Internet in order to avoid duplications in information processing.

·        Promote the use of standard formats for processing bibliographical information, in order to facilitate access and interchange.

·        Promote the creation of unique indices of national information production.

Specialized institutions:

·        Before creating new, centralized institutions, seek ways to link up existing resources by sector; design horizontal and vertical integrated networks; participate more actively in regional and international networks, and transmit the results of this participation throughout local networks.

·        Revitalize specialized institutions in which information centers have been deactivated (particularly in agriculture and local development).

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Conclusion

Approaching information as a fundamental factor which can enhance development at all levels is of unquestionable importance. On this issue, the Global Knowledge '97 conference^[27] was held recently in Toronto, sponsored by the World Bank and the Canadian government. The event offered a forum to identify the challenges we face, to share experiences and common problems among governments, communities and organizations throughout the world, and to build relationships which will provide resources and ideas for the future. During the conference, the members of the Salvadoran delegation (government, NGOs and private sector) held preliminary conversations to design a national information program focused on participatory connectivity in rural areas. In El Salvador there is no time to lose: the information gap is growing quickly, both within the country and with relation to the rest of the world. A national program which demonstrates and strengthens the role of information in development would be a first, very concrete and exemplary step toward closing this gap, and would make a contribution toward equitable and participatory development.