A Sociocultural Explanation of Internet-Enabled Work in Rural Regions

2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-22
Author(s):  
Zoe Kahn ◽  
Jenna Burrell
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Blue Collar ◽  
Western United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Ethnographic Research ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Rural Workers ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Occupational Values ◽  
Rural Places

This article draws on ethnographic research in three rural places in the Western United States to understand how rural workers incorporate the Internet into their work practices. We find two key, divergent types of work in rural areas that leverage the Internet: (1) telework and (2) work to market and sell goods and services online. We consider why these two forms of Internet-enabled work are pursued by different segments of the rural population, attending to the socio-demographic variation within and between these two broad categories. Some key differences include whether workers are urban transplants or rural-originating, in “white-collar” or “blue-collar” occupations, and whether they are men or women. We argue that deficit framings that focus on inadequate infrastructure or absent skills are insufficient to understand such patterns of differentiated use. Instead a sociocultural explanation is needed: one that draws connections between work cultures, occupational values, skills, and practices.

scholarly journals Major Forces Affecting Rural Regions in 2020

2021 ◽  
pp. 13-26
Author(s):  
David Freshwater
Keyword(s):  
Rural Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Information And Communications Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Rural And Urban ◽  
Effective Policy ◽  
Political Differences ◽  
National Governments ◽  
Urban People

Rural regions in OECD countries have always faced development challenges, resulting from their: reliance on natural resources, small labour forces, and long distances from markets, as well as the effects of globalization. Now, in addition, their development opportunities are further constrained by: climate change requirements, increased economic fragility resulting from COVID and the lingering effects of the 2008 recession, and the uneven impacts of the Internet economy. But, from a rural development policy perspective, perhaps the most important new challenge is the rise of rural populism. While rural areas and people have long been seen as distinct from their urban counterparts, in the last two decades these gaps have grown. Importantly, while the internet and information and communications technology (ICT) were initially seen as providing opportunities to improve social cohesion and link rural and urban people and places, instead they seem to have increased tensions. Because the core values of urban and rural people have grown so far apart, it is more difficult to establish the political compromises that are required to form effective policy. Absent some reconciliation of these social and political differences, it is difficult to see how national government policy can evolve to meet new challenges. Consequently, the likelihood of national governments being able to identify and implement coherent rural development policies is reduced.

Financial Innovations and Performance of Commercial Banks in Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 21-33
Author(s):  
Naomi Wanja Ireri ◽  
Gladys Kimutai
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Internet Banking ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Mobile Banking ◽  
Good Opportunity ◽  
Financial Innovations ◽  
Automated Teller Machine

Commercial banks in Kenya have embraced alternative banking channels which represent a shift in delivery of banking and financial services since the alternative banking have become synonymous with commercial banks in Kenya. While banks have succeeded in leveraging available technology and provide alternative avenues to customers for banking services, the challenge it faces today is optimizing the usage of these channels so as to improve on their performance. The general objective of this study was to investigate the effects of financial innovations on the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the influence of internet banking, mobile banking, agency banking and ATM banking on the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study was guided by agency theory, balanced score card and diffusion of innovation theory. This study employed a descriptive research design. The study targeted44 commercial banks in Kenya as at 2017. The 16 banks which embrace all the four financial innovations from 2013 to 2017were selected using purposive sampling method. The sample size was 80 respondents who comprised of 5 senior management employees in each of the selected banks.This study used questionnaire to collect primary data from the respondents. Content analysis technique was used to analyze qualitative data collected from open ended questions in and reported in narrative form. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to analyse the quantitative data. Multiple regression analysis was used to show the relationship between independent variables against dependent variable. The study revealed that internet banking, mobile banking, agency banking and ATM banking had a positive and significant effect on the performance of commercial banks. Thisstudy concludes that the banking industry has benefited tremendously from the development of the Internet. The Internet fundamentally changed the way in which banking networks are designed to meet the client demands and expectations. Mobile banking provides a good opportunity to commercial banks in Kenya to reach many mobile phone subscribers in Kenya who had remained unbanked and unreached due to limited access to bank branch networks in the country. The access to the large masses through mobile banking of the population gives banks the opportunity to grow by reaching the unbanked population. Agency banking has led to accessibility of financial service to many customer in remote areas and hence an increase in effectiveness and efficiency in service delivery. Customers are satisfied with the automated teller machine services because of ease of use, transaction cost and service security but not satisfy with automated teller machine dispense of cash. The study recommends that the public and businesses must be encouraged to use Internet banking in their daily activities, including deposits, payments and money transfers. Commercial banks in Kenya should ensure convenience and security of mobile banking through written guidelines on convenience and security of mobile banking. Commercial banks in Kenya should increase the number of agents in estates and in the rural areas. This can be done by reducing the requirements of becoming a bank agent. The banks should employ customized software that records relevant information on automated teller machine cards so that banks can establish whether unauthorized transaction has taken place or not.

scholarly journals Technical Infrastructure as an Element of Sustainable Development of Rural Regions in Małopolskie Voivodeship in Poland and Trnava Region in Slovakia

Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 141
Author(s):  
Marcin Surówka ◽  
Łukasz Popławski ◽  
Helena Fidlerová
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Regional Competitiveness ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Sustainable Infrastructure ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Progress ◽  
West Part

The work discusses issues of the infrastructure, its instruments, and specifics of infrastructure in Polish and Slovak rural areas. The aim of this article is to analyze the level of technical infrastructure development in rural regions of the Małopolskie Voivodeship in Poland and the west part of Slovakia—Trnava self-governing region (Trnava region) as two regions with a similar position regarding regional competitiveness index. Following the topic, after identification of strengths and weaknesses of mentioned regions, the opportunities, and threats of sustainable development of infrastructure in rural areas have been analyzed using the SWOT method. The development of sustainable, reliable, and functional infrastructure does not only refer to the chosen regions of Poland and Slovakia but also other regions in the European Union. Sustainable infrastructure is a factor stimulating social and economic progress as one of the most important determinants of sustainable development and regional competitiveness. The authors notice a particular lack in the sustainable development of infrastructure in the field of water and sewerage management together with the supply of water. Therefore, this article tries to complete the gap in research focusing on the concept of a more systematic approach to technical infrastructure improvement in the context of sustainable development, and strategy of cooperation.

The Rural-Urban Continuum of Polarization: Understanding the Geography of the 2018 Midterms

The Forum ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth M. Johnson ◽  
Dante J. Scala
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Political Attitudes ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rural America ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Urban America ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
The Continuum

Abstract This study of the 2018 congressional midterms demonstrates how voting patterns and political attitudes vary across a spectrum of urban and rural areas in the United States. Rural America is no more a monolith than is urban America. The rural-urban gradient is better represented by a continuum than a dichotomy. This is evident in the voting results in 2018, just as it was in 2016. We found that the political tipping point lies beyond major metropolitan areas, in the suburban counties of smaller metropolitan areas. Democrats enjoyed even greater success in densely populated urban areas in 2018 than in 2016. Residents of these urban areas display distinctive and consistent social and political attitudes across a range of scales. At the other end of the continuum in remote rural areas, Republican candidates continued to command voter support despite the challenging national political environment. Voters in these rural regions expressed social and political attitudes diametrically opposed to their counterparts in large urban cores.

scholarly journals Technology Adoption and Consumer Payments: Evidence from Survey Data

2003 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumiko Hayashi ◽  
Elizabeth Klee
Keyword(s):  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Survey Data ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
New Technology ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Electronic Payment ◽  
Point Of Sale ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Transaction Value ◽  
Debit Cards

Consumers pay for hundreds of goods and services each year, but across households and across goods, consumers do not choose to pay the same way. This paper posits that payment choices depend in part on consumers' propensity to adopt new technologies and in part on the nature of the transaction. To test this hypothesis, this paper analyzes consumer's payment instrument use at the point of sale and for bill payment. The sample includes consumers surveyed in 2001, who are primarily users of the Internet. The results indicate that consumers who use new technology or computers are more likely to use electronic forms of payment, such as debit cards and electronic bill payments. Particularly, the use of direct deposit is a significant predictor of electronic payment use. Furthermore, the results indicate that payment choice depends on the characteristics of the transaction, such as the transaction value, the physical characteristics of the point of sale, and a bill's frequency and value variability.

Concept and Applications of M-Commerce in India

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 58-60
Author(s):  
Katanakal Sarada ◽  
◽  
Dr. K. Nirmalamma ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Online Shopping ◽  
Main Idea ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Smart Phones ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Portable Devices ◽  
Market Place ◽  
Desktop Computer ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
The People

Mobile commerce is the buying and selling of goods and Services through wireless handled devices such as smart phones and tablets etc. Ecommerce Users to access M-commerce enables online shopping platforms without needing to use & a desktop computer. For example, purchase and sale of products. Online like banking and paying bills. (Virtual market place apps the Amazon mobile App, Android pay, Samsung pay etc...) The main idea behind M. commerce Is to enable various applications and services available on the internet to portable devices (mobiles, laptops, tables etc.) to overcome the constraints of a desktop computer. M commerce aims Serve all information and material needs of the people in a convenient and easy way.

scholarly journals Assessing Sufficiency and Quality of Bandwidth for Public Libraries

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Carlo Bertot ◽  
Charles R. McClure
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Public Libraries ◽  
Public Access ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Internet Study ◽  
Telecommunications Services ◽  
Access Services ◽  
Networked Services

Based on data collected as part of the 2006 Public Libraries and the Internet study, the authors assess the degree to which public libraries provide sufficient and quality bandwidth to support the library’s networked services and resources. The topic is complex due to the arbitrary assignment of a number of kilobytes per second (kbps) used to define bandwidth. Such arbitrary definitions to describe bandwidth sufficiency and quality are not useful. Public libraries are indeed connected to the Internet and do provide public-access services and resources. It is, however, time to move beyond connectivity type and speed questions and consider issues of bandwidth sufficiency, quality, and the range of networked services that should be available to the public from public libraries. A secondary, but important issue is the extent to which libraries, particularly in rural areas, have access to broadband telecommunications services.

scholarly journals Regional Spatial Approach to Differences in Rural Economic Development: Insights from Serbia

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 1211
Author(s):  
Žana Jurjević ◽  
Stanislav Zekić ◽  
Danilo Đokić ◽  
Bojan Matkovski
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Rural Regions ◽  
Rural Economic Development ◽  
Spatial Approach ◽  
Eu Regions ◽  
Key Issues ◽  
Policy Measures ◽  
Rural Policy ◽  
The Eu

Rural regions with a larger share of the primary sector in the overall economy are limited in their ability to achieve a sufficient level of competitiveness. In countries such as Serbia, where rural areas play an important role, addressing the problems affecting these areas is important for overall development. The purpose of this study is to determine the socioeconomic performance of the rural regions of Serbia and the EU in order to indicate the position of Serbia’s rural areas in the process of European integration. NUTS 3 (NUTS 2 for Germany) was used for analysis, and from this an Index of Socioeconomic Performance was created. This Index was created using Factor Analysis. The results point to Serbia lagging behind other EU regions in terms of development, with most of Serbia’s rural regions receiving the lowest ratings. These results are cause for alarm and indicate a need to create strategies that will direct resources towards key issues in these areas, whose potential would be adequately used through the implementation of rural policy measures, with the aim of overall socioeconomic development.

scholarly journals Using Green Infrastructure (GI), i.e., nature’s goods and services In a Land Use Planning Framework for Resilient Rural Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Kraehling
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Tree Planting ◽  
Natural Systems ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Goods And Services ◽  
Model Combining

The discussion will highlight results of recent PhD research examining the use of nature/natural systems by rural leaders in furthering their individual community interests for conditions of health/wellness, resiliency and sustainability. The research was completed using a qualitative mixed methods case study approach within a diversity of municipality settings across southern Ontario. The research examines how community planning with a diversity of GI elements is being implemented, e.g. strategic plans, plans for landscape scaled storm water management, tree planting systems, wildlife area enhancements. A further examination is made on the utility of a holistic planning model combining community greygreen infrastructures in a foundational framework for rural places. Many of the problems facing rural communities such as socio-economic challenges and climate change impacts can be addressed using the untapped natural asset features that are found within all rural areas.

scholarly journals Stopień optymalizacji witryn internetowych obiektów turystyki wiejskiej dla wyszukiwarek internetowych

2018 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karol Król
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Search Engines ◽  
Internet Marketing ◽  
Rural Tourism ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Significant Relation ◽  
Basic Tool ◽  
Internet Applications ◽  
Marketing Activities ◽  
Overnight Stays

Profitability of touristic activity conducted at rural areas usually depends on the number of provided overnight stays. Constant inflow of customers is particularly significant for objects that conduct commercialised activity. It would not be possible without marketing activities in the Internet. A website is a basic tool in the internet marketing. The website prepared with a view to perform certain functions may be ineffective when it will not be visible in search results. This visibility can be increased by optimization activities. The aim of the research was to measure the level of optimization of websites of rural tourism objects for search engines. The surveys were performed in the set of 712 websites in the form of the SEO audit by means of the selected internet applications. Evaluation of the level of optimization of every website was obtained using the method of unitarization. It was proved by means of the Pearson linear correlation that significant relation between websites’ responsivity and the level of their optimization for search engines took place. There are two recommendations that result from the surveys: the owners of rural tourism objects should adapt their websites to mobile devices and concentrate their activities on gaining contents generated by users.

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