The Case for Communication in Sustainable Development

This 64-paper intends to show that "effective information and communication processes are prerequisites for successful development". It is a longer, more detailed exposition of the arguments set out in At the Heart of Change: The Role of Communication in Sustainable Development and is based on background research and a literature review, along with a series of interviews in the United Kingdom (UK) and other countries.

From the introduction:
"This paper... addresses the challenge of using communication more powerfully as an agent of change to establish faster, more sustainable development. After a short chapter setting out the context, The case for communication explores the roles information and communication processes play in all of the key elements that foster development:

• first, in equitable and inclusive political processes;
• second, in national and international governance processes that are
  effective, responsive and accountable;
• third, in supporting engaged citizens and dynamic civil society;
• fourth, in generating inclusive economic growth, sustainable livelihoods and transparent, efficient and equitable markets; and
• fifth, in establishing and protecting a free, pluralistic media environment in
  which media outputs are many and diverse but also of high quality."

The document outlines a holistic view of communication processes and regards them as public goods, contributing to a society’s development, governance, peace, and prosperity when used widely and linked as networks. It then marshals evidence-based arguments for policymakers, advisors, academics, and development practitioners on the importance of communication in enabling and creating the conditions for successful development by engaging a better-informed, participatory public in challenging existing power structures.


It discusses the political nature of development and how communication and information support government's responsiveness and accountability, as well as the ability of the public to move closer to consensual views that enable government representatives to act on their behalf. It recognises the role of new technologies as a platform, initially free of the control of governments. The strong potential of technology to improve transparency reduces opportunities for corruption. The Public Affairs Centre of Bangalore, India, for example, uses Citizen Report Cards (CRCs), publicised in the media, to increase public awareness of government inefficiencies. Communication plays a role in election preparation and monitoring, as exemplified in the use of mobile phones by European Union observers in African elections. The document distinguishes 'e-government' (the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to increase internal efficiency of a government) and e-governance (the use of ICTs to strengthen dealings between government and citizens). Samples of e-governance are the use of internet kiosks in India for citizens to search land ownership records, formerly only available through bribing public officials, and the use of internet publication of public funds transfers to schools in Uganda, where, previous to the tracking system, 13 percent of the funds reached schools.

The document describes a diverse, engaged civil society empowered through communication. It includes a discussion of an individual's communication rights and their protections. According to this source, there is a history of controversy within the United Nations (UN) on communication as a human right. Discussion within that body has centred around issues of access, regulation, and restriction. The concluding recommendations in this document, as stated here, closely follow and are drawn from the discussions in the UN over the last several decades, according to the authors.

Shifting to a discussion of families and communities as loci of communication, the document describes a case of using oral history in Jamaica as an impetus for community action, and makes the case for community radio as a medium for local discussion and debate on issues, using its role in the democratisation of Nepal as an example. The role of communication in broadening civil society networks is discussed as a function of interpersonal communication, enhanced, for example, by mobile phone technology, or the association building capacity of the internet, but possibly negatively affected by the rise of individual entertainment media. The internet has also ushered in the possibility for a stronger global civil society. This section concludes that: "All people must have access to different communication channels – telephones and Internet, face-to-face discussions, and media – if they are to play an active part in political and development processes."


Economic development is the subject of analysis in the next section. The role of communication, particularly free flow of information, in improving the economics of markets is clear, as stated here, but the economically poor and small producers are often disadvantaged by lacking access to information. The World Bank Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) process, along with other international economic bodies and forums, are cited as having a problematic level of openness, transparency, and accountability, as exemplified in the lack of participatory voice of the economically poor and marginalised in the assembling of the PRSPs. An enabling environment for flourishing economies is described as having, among other things, a transparent contracting process, a strong journalism sector that has the technical knowledge to report on economic issues, a system of access to capital for the economically poor, reduced bureaucracy related to business, and a strong ICT infrastructure - as illustrated by mobile phone banking in South Africa. The challenges of the intellectual property (IP) systems is discussed as a double challenge in that developing countries often can't afford access to knowledge, though having a price related to knowledge generation is recognised as a stimulus. Increased knowledge protection not only limits access, but it is not always uniformly applied, as in the case of traditional knowledge being freely acquired by the developed world. Public participation in major infrastructure planning is recognised as leading to public 'consent' if there is genuine consultation and not a 'manufactured' consent. Sustainability and livelihoods are linked in the document through natural resource management as a key to maintaining soil, water, and forest quality. According to the document, participatory communication can lead to successfully enhancing productivity, thus addressing economic poverty, without degradation of the environment. Greater information-sharing can raise issues and lead to public debate and involvement in regional-, national-, and global-level problem solving.

In citing the need for support of communication for development, the following aspects of communication are elaborated:

• Communication is a public good, benefiting all, not just those with market access, and thus, deserving of policy support, financial support, and more status and power in organisations.
• The public service role of media cannot be accessed by all without support enabling it to function for all sectors of society - it must both reach the wider public and reach into government and the private sector with quality content and extensive information.
• Media as a public sphere is served by broad-based financial support, plurality of ownership, legislative and licensing conditions that are not overly restrictive, journalism training, and regulation for a balanced media environment.
• Support can include advocating for the media with developing country governments, including work on legislation and regulation, capacity building, and infrastructure development, and strengthening civil society as an educated media consumer and producer.
• ICT development needs support where the market economy does not function to provide its development. It needs policy development for investment and inclusion. As stated in the document, open source software may lead to advantages for developing countries in reduced obsolescence and increased flexibility, including language adaptation; however, that choice over others is not clear. Support for decision making is needed as developing countries begin to invest in ICT. Infrastructure investment, particularly in bandwidth, can result from consortium building, but there is a need to recognise that uniform marketing rules may not serve the public good and may not be not applicable in every region.

The case for communication concludes with a call to national and international policymakers and leaders to recognise that communication is central to all aspects of sustainable development. "In order to realise the potential of communication in maximising development outcomes, [the document recommends the following]:

• "Build more open, transparent information and communication systems and political cultures - Governments and institutions must accept the reality of a networked world, that will shape politics and civil society in ways that are only just starting to emerge, and adapt to citizens’ expectations of transparency and accountability by establishing and realising legal rights to freedom of speech and access to information.
• Treat information, communication and the media as public goods and invest accordingly - Governments should recognise that media and communication are public goods. They should take measures to enable the greater participation of poor and marginalised people in social, economic and political processes; and invest in strengthening those areas that the market alone may not provide, such as telephone access for poor people or high-quality public interest journalism.
• Take a holistic view of communication processes and integrate communication into development planning and implementation - Governments and development planners must recognise that communication is at the heart of successful development: its role should be specified in all development analysis and planning, and adequate resources of funding, expertise and planning must be invested to make it happen, including exploitation of the revolutionary new opportunities offered by information and communication technologies (ICTs).
• Invest in media development - A diverse, dynamic and free media is vital to development. This can be accomplished by establishing media freedom and a supportive regulatory environment; strengthening media infrastructure, capacity and professionalism; and supporting improvements in the quality and diversity of media content."