Enabling Openness: The future of the information society in Latin America and the Caribbean

In recent years the internet and other network technologies have emerged as a central issue for development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

They have shown their potential to increase productivity and competitiveness in the economy, to create new ways to deliver education and health services, and to be driving forces for the modernisation of the provision of public services.

This book examines some of the key unanswered questions:

• Will the internet in Latin America and the Caribbean remain open over the next ten years?
• Will online surveillance increasingly challenge individual privacy?
• Will open data, social media and new forms of participation improve democracy in the region?
• Will we be able to harness the collaborative potential of the internet to create more socially meaningful and sustainable economies?
• Will digital education, science and creativity flourish in the region, reflecting the diversity and culture of its people?

The answers to these questions will be central to determining whether or not the internet will effectively contribute to a more open and developed society in our corner of the world.

The book builds on a seminar, Open Development: Exploring the future of the information society in Latin America and the Caribbean, held in Montevideo on 2-3 April 2013. Organised by Fundación Comunica and IDRC, and held alongside the Fourth Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean, the seminar was an opportunity to reflect on the direction of the changes happening in the region, to bring new themes to the table and to explore how they can better be addressed in regional efforts.

The 25 chapters in the book include the reflections of many of the region's leading experts in the area. Rather than present a single consolidated perspective, the authors dive into the issues, explore new ways to frame the problems and seek new solutions. Despite the considerable diversity, the book highlights many emerging points of agreement about new opportunities and challenges for the information society in the region.

Dr Robin Mansell is Reader in Information and Communication Technology Policy and Head of the Centre for Information and Communication Technologies at the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex.