This document discusses the mobile-development paradigm and the impact of mobile phone penetration on economic growth. It provides several studies that found a positive relationship between mobile phone penetration and GDP growth. Mobile phones in developing countries play an important role in substituting for fixed lines and help improve market functioning by reducing transaction costs. The document also presents examples of income growth among farmers and traders in various countries that used mobile applications. It then shifts to discussing innovations in public service delivery through mobile and online initiatives in several countries.

1. 1. Mobile-Development Paradigm

Little doubt that telecommunications penetration impacts positively on
total output , i.e., GDP

Sridhar and Sridhar (2004): a positive impact of fixed lines and a significant
impact of mobile phone penetration on national output

Waverman et al. (2005): an extra 10 mobile phones per 100 people in a typical
developing country added 0.6 percentage points of growth in GDP per capita

Impact is about twice as large in developing countries than in developed
countries

Theory: mobile phones in less developed economies are playing the
same crucial role that fixed telephony played in the richer economies in
the 1970s and 1980s

2. 1. Mobile-Development Paradigm

Mobile phones substitute for fixed lines in poor countries, but
complement fixed lines in rich countries

Telecommunications services help improve the functioning of the
markets by reducing transaction costs and increase productivity
through better service delivery management

Income growth of farmers and traders with mobile application usage

India’s potato farmers witnessed a 19% growth

Niger’s grain traders saw a 29% increase

Uganda’s Banana growers’ income rose by 36%

3. 1. Mobile-Development Paradigm

Innovations
Time,

Cost,
Visit and ultimately
Methodology and objectives

Inform global best innovations

UNDESA’s Public Service Awards

Other secondary sources of information
Quality

4. 2. Global best practices

5. Area/Initiative Country
Mobile Counter
for People in
Need
Italy
Problem


Access to important public
services challenging for the
disabled and the elderly
Italy’s National Institute for
Social Security (INPS)
services is expected to reach
around 35 million
constituents
Innovation




Mobile Counter allows citizens to
obtain services via telephone and
other forms of ICT
People over the age of 80 and those
with disabilities entitled to the
Mobile Counter benefits
A PIN code, provided to them in a
letter, enables them to contact the
Mobile Counter and submit their
service request
Home services where necessary
Inclusion and participation of
disabled INPS staff

6. Area/Initiative
Central recruiting
systems
Country
Oman
Problem

Corruption in
civil service
recruitment
Solution/Impact






Ministry of Civil Service (MOCS)
established a system in which mobile
phones can be used by job-seekers to
apply for employment within the Civil
Service
Applicants’ qualifications are verified
electronically via the Human Resource
Management System (HRMS) and
records from the Ministry of Manpower
Qualified applicants go through a
computer based examination at regional
centres nearest their home
Graded by computer-based systems and
score given to them immediately
Top 5 candidates directed to an interview
on this same day
Length of the recruitment process
reduced from 11 months to less than a
month

7. Initiative
Country
Municipal
government
online
portal
Spain
Problem
Innovation
 Facilitate
and  Focused on three basic services for citizens: the
improve
the
Alcobendas Card (local council in your pocket),
relationship
an expanded website, and an integrated 24-hour
between citizens
telephone information service
and
the  The Card: Eliminates the need for different local
municipality by
forms of ID by bringing all services together,
simplifying the
cutting waiting time for citizens down to an
tools
that
average of less than four minutes
citizens use to  By providing a 24-hour telephone information
obtain
hotline, integrating information and services for
information and
citizens, enlarging and decentralizing existing
communicate
offices (where possible), and extending office
with
public
hours to afternoons, evenings, and Saturdays,
institutions
the municipality was able to integrate offices
and services, increase accessibility, enhance the
quality of service, and reduce waiting times

8. Initiative
Country
Alerta
Miraflores
(web and
phone
based
security
system)
Peru
Application
Online
Complaint
Monitoring
System
(OCMS)
India
Problem

Innovation
An
escalating 
crime rate




Deliver
better 
services
and
activating
citizens’ interest
in the affairs of 
the
local
government

Citizens dial in and automatically connected to report
criminal incidents
Reported data captured and displayed on electronic
maps
Robberies and assaults declined by 68% and 30%
respectively
Encourages citizens’ involvement in policy making by
providing data
Designed to receive complaints into the cohesive
system, whatever the mode of complaint (letter, fax,
phone etc) and give feedback to the complainant in real
time
The action taken by officers posted on the system, and
if not addressed within the time limit, the system will
automatically escalate the complaint to the higher
officer
Huge savings on paper, time and effort, eliminating
all the bureaucratic processes and routings

9. Initiative
Country
Problem
Innovation
State-wide
Attention
on
Grievances
by
Application
of
Technology
(SWAGAT)
India
 Grievance
redress
was
through
a
process
of
representations
and
repetitive
applications
at
different levels
 No
structured
system
with
monitored
outcomes
 No mechanism
to
track
grievances/
progress of the
redressal
 SWAGAT covering all 225 sub districts of
Gujrat to reach over 55 million people and
replicated in other states in India, including
Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan
 Use of technology to compile, classify and
analyse data on grievances has brought to the
fore many policy issues that required highlevel attention
 Complains are divided in 3 categories. Policy
matters, Long Pending and First Timer
 All stakeholders connected in real time during
the SWAGAT session - crux of the system’s
success.
 Available to all groups, including illiterate
people and anyone can access the system at
local government offices
 Listening to people’s voice is the key test of
good governance
 SWAGAT made Citizens Charter meaningful

10. 
Improvements in the delivery of
public services contribute greatly to
good
governance
achievement
of
for
the
international
development goals.

“In an era of increasingly complex
challenges, from climate change to
food insecurity and the financial
and economic crisis, the world
needs its public servants to be more
creative and talented than ever….”

11. Growth (%)
2002
2012
GDP per capita ($)
2002
2012
Countries
Banglades
4.85
6.13
361.73
797.16
h
6.07
4.18
3,017.70
7,020.12
Botswana
3.44
-6.84
13,484.68
22,072.45
Greece
3.77
3.24
491.24
1,500.76
India
0.45
-2.69
21,572.81
33,115.01
Italy
0.55
4.56
419.14
966.59
Kenya
2.07
4.99
8,070.48
25,356.14
Oman
5.02
6.28
2,184.22
6,525.36
Peru
13.19
8.00
191.93
681.52
Rwanda
2.71
-1.64
16,670.51
28,670.09
Spain
Source: World
5.32
6.48
1,999.30
5,390.12
Thailand Economic Outlook (2013), for GDP figures; ITU (2013) for mobile subscription
Mobile
penetration (%)
2002
2012
0.21
62.82
12.66
54.00
0.34
74.13
0.41
7.39
4.90
0.46
60.24
4.90
153.79
120.04
69.92
159.76
71.17
159.25
98.00
49.67
108.36
127.29