Can information technology contribute to social peace? The case of southeastern Turkey

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Alican, Fuat^a

Affiliations: [a] CIFOCICA (Central American Scientific Research and Education Center or "Centro de Investigación y Formación Científica Centroamericano") in Costa Rica

Abstract: This paper explores whether and how knowledge-based development models centering on the production and consumption of information technology can be applied to the southeastern region of Turkey, an area of longstanding social unrest manifested in separatist guerilla warfare, to help alleviate poverty and contribute with the overturn of social and economic underdevelopment. The article also presents the province of Diyarbakir as a candidate for a regional IT hub. The overriding goal is to enrich the body of research regarding governmental and regional development projects in developing countries and the information technology sector, and to establish an outline for future plans in the region.

Keywords: Sustainable development, information technology, software, Turkey

DOI: 10.3233/IP-2010-0211

Journal: Information Polity, vol. 15, no. 3, pp. 189-198, 2010