Bringing on the Next Billion Online: Cooperative Strategies to Create Internet Demand in Emerging Markets

Abstract

This chapter classifies the types of partnerships employed to increase Internet demand in emerging markets. This classification system, or taxonomy, is based on more than 60 in-depth interviews, about 32 partnerships, designed to create Internet demand in Mexico. The taxonomy first classifies the partnerships into three broad categories based on the number of barriers to Internet usage the partnership was designed to overcome: one, two, or three. The partnerships are then classified into six subcategories based on the specific barrier or combination of barriers to Internet usage the partnership sought to overcome. The six subcategories of the taxonomy are: (1) lack of funds; (2) lack of awareness; (3) lack of uses; (4) lack of funds and lack of uses; (5) lack of funds and lack of infrastructure; and (6) lack of funds, lack of uses, and lack of infrastructure. This taxonomy gives empirical meaning and enables further analysis of this unique and increasingly popular type of partnership.