Bridging the Digital Divide investigates problems of unequal access to information technology. The author redefines this problem, examines its severity, and lays out what the future implications might be if the digital divide continues to exist. This is also the first book to assess empirically the policies in the United States designed to address the social problems arising from the digital divide. It analyzes policies at both federal and local level, as well as looking at the success of community-based initiatives. The analysis is supported by empirical data resulting from extensive fieldwork in several US cities. The book concludes with the author's recommendations for future public policy on the digital divide.

Lisa J. Servon is Associate Professor of Management and Urban Policy and Associate Director, Community Development Research Center, Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy, New School University. Her work focuses on urban economic development and urban poverty and her first book, Bookstrap Capital: Microenterprises and the American Poor was published in 1999.

Special Recognition.

List of Figures.

List of Tables.

Acknowledgments.

Foreword.

Preface.

1. Redefining the Digital Divide.

2. The Dimensions of the Digital Divide.

3. The Role of CTCs within the Community Technology Movement: Marla K. Nelson, Rutgers University.

4. Support for Bridging the Gap.

5. Community Technology and Youth.

6. Training Disadvantaged Workers for IT Jobs.

7. The Organizational Divide: Josh Kirschenbaum and Radhika Kunamneni, PolicyLink.

8. Building the Bridge: Learning from Seattle.

9. Toward a New Agenda.

Bibliography.

Appendix 1: Research Strategy and Methodology.

Appendix 2: Community Technology Survey.

Appendix 3: Analysis of Survey Results.

Appendix 4: World Wide Web References.

Bibliography.

Index.