As I discussed in more depth in my paper, Azerbaijan is a unique case study country for ICT4D because it has a strong incentive to transition from an oil-based economy to a technology-based economy; its oil reserves will be depleted in approximately 30 years, and the small post-soviet world country is located such that it could become a tech hub between Eastern Europe and Western Asia. To add to that, its government has laid out a greatly publicized strategy for ICT use, and the nation enjoys high literacy and (relatively high) education levels.
On the other hand, Azerbaijan is known for its widespread corruption in government and bureaucracy. There is a strong digital divide, largely between the urban population and remote rural population. Perhaps the most serious obstacle standing between Azerbaijan and a tech-based economy with positive effects on development is the political instability created by the ongoing conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which comprises a large portion of territory and is coveted by both Azerbaijan and Armenia for its oil reserves.
Imagine my surprise when I read this article explaining that One Laptop Per Child has sent 3,300 laptops to children in the conflict region only. The ICT4Ds were deployed very recently– just in April of this year– and online information on the project is sporadic and tough to locate. I can understand the rationale behind the deployment to Nagorno-Karabakh to some degree: children in a conflict region undoubtedly have more obstacles to getting a quality education, and the article adds, “Education is a key factor to breaking the vicious cycle of ethnic hatred and violence for children who live in conflict zones.” However, I can’t help but wonder how ICT4D interventions could influence political conflict situations and contribute to shifts in digital divides. I plan on doing some more digging and searching for the donors behind the OLPCs sent to Nagorno-Karabakh. I’d also like to compare access to tech tools in education between students in the conflict region and other marginalized groups, like the rural poor, in the rest of Azerbaijan.
ICT4D @ Tulane 
October 22nd, 2012 at 10:34 pm
Since I don’t know much about the exact nature of the conflict in Azerbaijan, I may be off base, but it would seem to me that there are better ways that ICT’s can be used in conflict regions to help increase access to information. There are also better ways to use ICT’s to improve education for children in these zones. After learning more about the OLPC laptops and their mixed reviews, I think the likelihood of using them to help break “the vicious cycle of ethnic hatred and violence” is slim. There is no doubt that quality education for children in conflict areas such as Nagorno-Karabakh is essential, but I suspect that other kinds of initiatives will experience more success in doing so than OLPC.
October 24th, 2012 at 2:53 pm
I think it is important to ensure the education of children in conflict areas, especially because children’s rights are often put on the back burner when violent conflict arises. However, I wonder what kinds of M&E techniques they are using to ensure that the OLPC laptops are being used in the ways they were intended to be used, or even being used at all. It seems like it would be extremely difficult to gauge if the OLPC laptops had any effect, be it an individual one (i.e. furthering the education of one child) or a more large-scale one (i.e. helping to “break the vicious cycle of ethnic hatred and violence”).
October 24th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
I think ICT4education programs are most applicable for countries that want to have a technology-based economy. If they want workers equipped to work on computers, in the IT field, and in other technology-related fields, then it will be essential to develop students who have a strong knowledge of computers. Hands on use of computers can allow the next generation to grow up better prepared to work in a technology industry. This may be a reason why having computers in the classroom is essential for preparing students for future employment and success as adults. However, the conflict part is very concerning to me because I would think that having a bunch of children with computers in a dangerous region would have a lot of security implications. Even in the US, cell phones and computers are some of the most likely objects to be stolen, so why would it be any different in a conflict ridden country? If students are robbed, put in dangerous situations, or hurt because they are carrying laptops with them then this is a huge unintended consequence of the program that needs to be addressed.