A holistic perspective on the theoretical foundations for ICT4D research

Abstract

While many theories have guided research Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), we are yet to construct a clear and coherent narrative that would help us answer the question of how ICT fosters development in underdeveloped communities. In this paper, we argue that one of the main reasons for this is that our holistic understanding of ICT4D is seldom grounded in theories to understand the core areas that define the field, namely, ICT, Development, and, '4' which are the transformative processes that link the two. Through a brief literature review, we list theories that have informed ICT4D research in each of these areas. We present examples of theories, namely, Capability Approach, Affordances, and Actor-Network Theory together with Social Capital and illustrate how we have used them in our research. Building on this holistic perspective on theoretical foundation, we propose five agendas for ICT4D research.

The role of information and communication technologies in socioeconomic development: towards a multi-dimensional framework

“…There is wide agreement that ICT together with supporting technologies make a substantial contribution to socioeconomic development (Sein, Thapa, Hatakka, & Saebø, 2018). In their paper, Sein et al give an example of telecommunication investments as a driver of socioeconomic development.…”

“…It would also be useful to establish a better theoretical foundation to justify the relations in our multi-dimensional framework. Developing new theories or using existing theories is particularly valuable, as much of the research on socioeconomic development is currently lacking theoretical lenses (Sein et al, 2018).…”

Digital identity for development: The quest for justice and a research agenda

“…This is in line with Roztocki and Weistroffer's (2016) repositioning of 'development' from an economic to a humanly-centred conception. Over the last years, multi-dimensional (Roztocki et al, 2019) and holistic (Sein et al, 2019) frameworks to conceptualise ICTs for development have further validated such a human-centred view, providing background for the view presented here.…”

Toward Sustainability of South African Small-Scale Fisheries Leveraging ICT Transformation Pathways

“…ICT interventions are extending beyond needs based design that focuses on short to medium term necessities, towards designing for long term aspirations [67]. Despite the proliferation of ICT studies, there remains a dearth in ICT research that provides positive evidence of successful outcomes of ICTs for environmental issues such as climate change and socio-ecological resilience [68]. Though collecting small-scale fisher data is a critical global priority, this can also have the effect of increasing the concentration of power in the hands of the few with the resources to access, analyze and extract meaning from it [69], raising questions of power between those who generate the data and those who effectively have control over it.…”