Summary. Social outsourcing and Fair Trade in IT, by Dr. Richard Heeks

Small organzations and medium and large enterprises can work together in a mutual benefits model. IT outsourcing is a business model with a human face and a development agenda. The ever growing market of IT services allows businesses to subcontract enterprises based in communities and formed by marginalised groups. This model is already a reality, and it has been happening in three areas specifically: government outsourcing to civil organization, urban businesses outsourcing to rural enterprises, and IT fair trade, offshoring IT services with a developmental focus.

There are plenty of incentives for clients: they can respond to political criticism generated by outsorcing, it offers long term relationships of trust and good will, it brings savings to business operations and for governments, it helps reduce the size of their staff and delivers on goals of equity and development.

As a result, some cases of social outsourcing are already seeing the benefits in terms of jobs, income above the poverty threshold, social investment in healthcare. education housing etc, and acquisition of IT , managerial and entrepreneurial skills, not to mention the empowerment of marginalized populations.

Questions for GK3 and beyond:
Can we make an inventory of cases. what other cases can we gather?
In terms of intelligence: what lessons can be learned form these cases?
In terms of advocacy: how can we persuade more organizations and businesses to work together under this model?