ICT for Development

AEO 2008/2009 Background Paper on - Innovations in Telecommunication in Africa.

by Christian Kingombe

September 2008.

Each year, the AEO also provides an in-depth analysis of a topic critical for Africa’s development prospects. The 2009... more Each year, the AEO also provides an in-depth analysis of a topic critical for Africa’s development prospects. The 2009 focus is on Innovation in Information Technologies and Communications (ICTs).

Innovation in Information Technologies and Communications (ICTs) represents a vital factor for an economy to compete and grow. In the case of the African continent, which has been lagging behind in terms of fixed-line telephony, current innovative technologies and business models are circumventing market inefficiencies and institutional bottlenecks. The number of applications is raising exponentially in African markets, with e-banking at the lead, and other services such as e-health, e-education, e-government following closely. In addition, telecommunications technologies enable matching buyers and sellers needs in agriculture, an essential activity service to African markets.

Information and Development: the information effect

by Anja Rasmussen

Factors that promote or inhibit the implementation of e-health systems: an explanatory systematic review

by Frances Mair

Co-authored with: Carl May, Catherine O’Donnell, Tracy Finch, Frank Sullivan & Elizabeth Murray

Objective To systematically review the literature on the implementation of e-health to identify: (1) barriers and... more Objective To systematically review the literature on the implementation of e-health to identify: (1) barriers and facilitators to e-health implementation, and (2) outstanding gaps in research on the subject.
Methods MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PSYCINFO and the Cochrane Library were searched for reviews published between 1 January 1995 and 17 March 2009. Studies had to be systematic reviews, narrative reviews, qualitative metasyntheses or meta-ethnographies of e-health implementation. Abstracts and papers were double screened and data were extracted on country of origin; e-health domain; publication date; aims and methods; databases searched; inclusion and exclusion criteria and number of papers included. Data were analysed qualitatively using normalization process theory as an explanatory coding framework.
Findings Inclusion criteria were met by 37 papers; 20 had been published between 1995 and 2007 and 17 between 2008 and 2009. Methodological quality was poor: 19 papers did not specify the inclusion and exclusion criteria and 13 did not indicate the precise number of articles screened. The use of normalization process theory as a conceptual framework revealed that relatively little attention was paid to: (1) work directed at making sense of e-health systems, specifying their purposes and benefits, establishing their value to users and planning their implementation; (2) factors promoting or inhibiting engagement and participation; (3) effects on roles and responsibilities; (4) risk management, and (5) ways in which implementation processes might be reconfigured by user-produced knowledge.
Conclusion The published literature focused on organizational issues, neglecting the wider social framework that must be considered when introducing new technologies.

Kalogiannakis, M. (2008). From Learning to Use ICT to Use ICT for Learning: Technological Capabilities and Pedagogical Principles, In R. Kobayashi (ed.) New Educational Technology, 13-42, New York: Nova Publishers.

by Michail Kalogiannakis

Faced with a rapid change in our environment and educational structure, the 21st century can be characterized as the... more Faced with a rapid change in our environment and educational structure, the 21st century can be characterized as the information and the knowledge-based society. The incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education, apart from the administrative support, aims at the modernization of the teaching process as well as the improvement of the learning process. The current research discusses the introduction of ICT into education as an educational innovation and as a policy issue. This article seeks to explore the potential of ICT to conduct teacher training and searches ways to integrate effectively the uses of ICT in teacher education. Emphasis is given in the harmonization between technological capabilities and pedagogical principles in order to meet the professional needs of prospective teachers and the demands of the local and global challenges. The incorporation of ICT in the educational system should be considered as a means of an obligatory modernization of learning and teaching methods and nowadays, the retraining of all teachers is necessary, especially for the use of ICT during the daily school practice. In our Greek educational reality, several researches show that the teachers’ attitude is characterized often by ambivalence. The recognition of the ICT’s benefits is accompanied by expectations for negative effects of their use but also by intense feelings of fear and admiration. A common component of all researches is the acceptance that the successful incorporation of the ICT to the educational practice demands the research and the remodulation of the teachers’ general attitudes and practices in reference to the learning procedure and their role in it.

Kalogiannakis, M. (2010). Training with ICT for ICT from the trainer’s perspective. A Greek case study, Education and Information Technologies, 15(1), 3-17.

by Michail Kalogiannakis

The introduction of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) presents new challenges for teachers and often... more The introduction of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) presents new challenges for teachers and often meets with their belief that ICT, as well as other changes present a factor, which can cause several changes in school. Although there have been many education reforms regarding teachers’ training policy in recent years and the number of training programs has been increased, they have not been able to satisfy teachers’ needs to a substantial degree. In this research the results from an exploratory study conducted within the framework of a national training programme in Greece on ICT known as "In-service teacher training in the use of ICT in Education" are presented. Based on a specially constructed questionnaire intended for the educators, this research elicits teachers’ attitudes towards this programme. Some of the main results point out the preparedness of these teachers to use ICT in the daily school practice. Furthermore, they expressed their wish for further in-training programmes concerning the pedagogical development of the ICT use in class practice.

Modeling information equality: Social and media latency effects on information diffusion

by Aram Sinnreich

Published in "International Journal of Communication," 2008. Coauthored by Arul Chib and Jesse Gilbert.

In this study, we build and test a stochastic, agent-based model of information diffusion, called dFusion. The model... more In this study, we build and test a stochastic, agent-based model of information diffusion, called dFusion. The model incorporates diffusion research and social network analysis
into a framework that is consistent with the findings of digital divide and knowledge gap research. Using three separate real-world datasets, our model demonstrates clear causal
relationships between social structure, communication network structure, and the degree of "information equality" (relatively equivalent speed of access to salient information) within a given social network. By focusing on differential, rather than
absolute, speed of access to information, we hope to create an evaluative framework for information technology investment that accurately and comprehensively predicts the
effects of such interventions on social equality.

Virtual enclaves or global networks? The role of Information and Communication Technologies in development cooperation

by Iginio Gagliardone

This article investigates the evolution of the struggle for bridging the digital divide in developing countries.... more This article investigates the evolution of the struggle for bridging the digital divide in developing countries. Taking into account tendencies that have been registered in disciplines other than development, such as urban sociology and social psychology, the author demonstrates how a frequent over-estimation of the potential of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has influenced the previsions about their impacts and led to results and phenomena different from the expected ones. ICTs have been perceived more as a black box that can produce the same effects everywhere, independent from pre-existing cultural and socio-economic contexts, than as an open artifact, capable of integrating local needs in their functioning mechanism and being adapted according to different conditions of use.

Negotiating Openness Across Science, ICTs, and Participatory Development: Lessons from the AfricaAdapt Network

by Blane Harvey

published in Information Technologies & International Development 7(1): 19-31, Spring 2011

This article reflects critically on forms of openness and participation emerging from a collaborative network using... more This article reflects critically on forms of openness and participation emerging from a collaborative network using information technologies for knowledge sharing on climate change and international development. It explores how multiple interpretations of these concepts coalesce around a particular initiative, shaping ways of working and understanding across different epistemic cultures (Knorr-Cetina, 1999) in the network. The resultant shared meanings and practices, it is argued, are a product of existent epistemic and participatory cultures, internal and external dynamics and economies of power, and emergent ways of working that are further shaped by engagement with particular information technologies and protocols. The process through which these shared meanings are constructed, however, is rarely transparent or openly reflected on, but rather, it emerges through the normalization of particular practices that “organize” our social relations. This limits our understanding of how a given “architecture of participation” has been constructed, or how it has situated those working in it. I consider the influence that these processes of meaning-making have had on the present shape of the network and reflect on what this means for such forms of collaboration more generally.

ICT Enabled Knowledge Sharing in NorthSouth Partnerships: Lessons from the AfricaAdapt Network

by Blane Harvey

Marcello MARTINEZ (2007), I livelli dell'attore organizzativo: azienda, in Mercurio R, Testa F. De Vita P., Organizzazione aziendale: assetto e meccanismi di relazione, ISBN: 9788834877647, Giappichelli, Torino, pag. in 113 pag. fin 160

by Marcello Martinez

Possible collaborative research areas for all including Masters and PhD students

by Nehemiah Mavetera

These are areas I will be more comfortable to partner in research although I am very much open to new grounds.

What is Research?
Research is an endeavor to satiate an unfulfilled appetite. This can be from the individual,... more What is Research?
Research is an endeavor to satiate an unfulfilled appetite. This can be from the individual, group, company or business angle. This appetite comes in many forms that maybe but not be limited to:
a. The wish to solve a once off individual problem
b. The wish to solve a recurrent persisting problems at home, school, company or organization or country or world at large.
c. The wish to understand the nature of any of the above problems
d. The wish to master the way a problem is solved and
e. The wish to understand, master a problem and in addition, create new knowledge in the domain field of the problem.
As is expected, these research endeavors can be found at different levels of one’s academic career. While this can also be the case in industrial research, I am not going to delve much into this area but to concentrate on the academic side. This is the area that may interest most of us since we aspire to complete our studies in the shortest possible time. The question that will quickly come to mind is:
What can I research in for me to fulfill the requirements of my study career?
( Continued in the paper)

ICT and development: East is east and West is west and the twain may yet meet

by Lars Soeftestad

ICT and development: East is east and West is west and the twain may yet meet

by Lars Soeftestad

Research informing practice: Toward effective engagement in community ICT in New Zealand

by Jocelyn Williams

Co-authored with Barbara Craig; published in Journal of Community Informatics (2011, Special Issue - Research in Action: Linking Communities and Universities)

New Zealand’s Computers in Homes has been researched since its inception in 2000, through both participatory action... more New Zealand’s Computers in Homes has been researched since its inception in 2000, through both participatory action research and multiple mixed methods case studies, by the authors of this paper who are now collaborating to find the most meaningful way to assess social outcomes in the scheme as it evolves.  Computers in Homes (CIH) not only continues to be informed by the research but it is also beginning to make use of social media for community participant engagement.  This paper traces the inter-relationship between the ongoing research and evolution of practice, reflecting on a shift in epistemology and thus research design.  Our work now extends to explore the relationship between community blogging, adopted by CIH as a way of engaging the community in making sense of their own experience and thus owning their own research, and the role of social relationships in facilitating a sense of belonging.  Our paper examines how the use of social media in this way may challenge the more traditional ideas and power relations inherent in the researcher-participant relationship in community ICT research.

ICT-Enabled Development of Capacity for Climate Change Adaptation

by Laxmi Pant

Paths to viability Transnational strategies among Ghana’s small-scale ICT entrepreneurs

by Linnet Taylor

This paper uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the relative importance of mobility... more This paper uses fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to investigate the relative importance of mobility in the formation and viability of the internet cafes that are responsible for most local internet access in poor countries. It is based on a study of Ghanaian commercial internet cafes, the majority located in the country’s remote northern regions, with a second group of cafes studied in the capital city, Accra. The findings presented here demonstrate that while international mobility is typically a strategy available to the better-off, it nevertheless benefits younger and less advantaged entrepreneurs disproportionately in terms of their return on investment. Furthermore, both migrant and non-migrant cafe owners in Ghana are using transfers from abroad of all kinds, especially physical capital and knowledge, to create and sustain their businesses. The study also shows that for those whose presence in the sector is marginal and precarious, i.e. the owners of the smallest businesses and the younger and poorer entrepreneurs, these transfers represent an essential strategy in maintaining a viable enterprise.

Challenging the Ontology of Technoscientific Artefacts: Actor-Network Theory in the Context of Developing Countries

by João Porto de Albuquerque

Co-authored with Henrique Luiz Cukierman, Ivan da Costa Marques, and Paulo Henrique Fidelis Feitosa. Draft Paper presented at the “Understanding Development Through Actor-Network Theory” International Workshop – Thursday 30 June 2011 – LSE.

Recent work in the area of Science and Technology Studies, particularly with regard to the Actor-Network Theory, have... more Recent work in the area of Science and Technology Studies, particularly with regard to the Actor-Network Theory, have made it possible to reconfigure the way scientific and technological practices in developed countries are conceived, and thus allowed technoscientific and social matters to be viewed from a new perspective. One of the major challenges brought about by this new vision lies in the fact that it involves a new ontology for technoscientific products – such as scientific theories and technological artefacts – or, in other words, it provides a new philosophical basis for conceiving technoscientific objects as the result of performances of contingent, hybrid networks that comprise human and non-human entities. Whilst in developed countries this ontological challenge has so far provoked little more than heated philosophical debates in academic circles, in developing countries and in the area of development research, the new ontology of technoscientific objects may well have more immediate practical implications.

Mobile Money and Payment: a literature review based on academic and practitioner-oriented publications (2001-2011)

by João Porto de Albuquerque

The use of mobile technology has become widespread with astonishing speed all over the world, particularly among the... more The use of mobile technology has become widespread with astonishing speed all over the world, particularly among the poor. The more mobile phones go to the hands of people who formerly lacked access to financial services, the more the notions of mobile money, mobile payment and mobile banking become pervasive as a means of financial inclusion. Although there are more than 120 mobile money projects deployed in about 70 emerging markets (Beshouri et al. 2010), mobile payment has only taken off in a limited number of countries. This failure to disseminate a service with such a huge potential worldwide, shows that the reasons for the successful cases are
not clearly understood, and as a result, are not being easily replicated. This paper seeks to fill this knowledge gap by providing a comprehensive literature review, which attempts to analyse significant experiences in this field, especially in developing countries. An investigation has been carried out of both academic, peer-reviewed articles and the available non-peer-reviewed practitioner-oriented publications, (a total of 196 papers – 94 peer-reviewed and 92 non-peer-reviewed – published in the period 2001-2011) to obtain information related to the actors and institutions involved in mobile money initiatives. In other words, the study addresses the following questions: what is the driving-force behind these initiatives, what are the obstacles and the social and economic implications of their implementation. Thus, the aim of this review is to map out the existing knowledge on mobile money by pointing out the main sources of information on the subject, and defining the topics that are most frequently researched. In
addition, it examines which locations most studies focus on, and which methodologies are being applied to these studies, as well as the determining factors and contexts of the published studies.

ICT, the New Media (Internet) and Development: Malaysian Experience

by Dr. Ali Salman

Reality of e-commerce with developing countries

by Robin Mansell