The case for a multi-methodological, cross-disciplinary approach to the analysis of ICT investment and projects in the developing world

Abstract

This article makes the case for greater collaboration and communication between scholars and practitioners of information communications technology (ICT) for development projects and for the use of multi-methodological, cross-disciplinary approaches to understand what will make for more successful endeavors in this important arena, the necessity of which is reflected in the widespread use of public-private partnerships. To this end, we utilize both macro-and micro-level analyses to examine ICT investment in the developing world. The first research question-can ICT investment be shown to contribute to economic growth?-is addressed through econometric analysis. Though our model finds evidence to the affirmative, macro-level models often do not account for how ICT funds are employed, differentiate growth effects, or discern the characteristics of specific initiatives that make them more or less likely to succeed. This is where the case-study level of analysis becomes essential. This approach is used to address our second research question: whether successful strategies found among case studies can better inform policy prescription. To this end, we present a case study of a project based in rural Vietnam, followed by a summary of findings that unifies the lessons learned. In this way we intend to shed light on policy prescription, improve the outcomes of ICT initiatives, and present a first step in the mixed-methodological, cross-disciplinary direction. C 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Broader Context for ICT4D Projects: A Morphogenetic Analysis

“…Other scholars have developed and tested multilevel frameworks to guide ICT4D research, generating a diversity of frameworks, deploying different dimensions to discriminate between levels (e.g., Alverez 2003; Gerhan and Mutula 2007;Korpela et al 2001;Sein and Harindranath 2004). Approaches deployed to integrate multiple levels and actors include institutional theory (Bada et al 2004;Kimaro and Sahay 2007), multimethodology (Hosman et al 2008), actor-network theory, and structuration theory (Braa and Hedberg 2002).…”

“…Surveys report an association between a country's socioeconomic condition and the rate of ICT uptake (Banerjee and Chau 2004;UNPAN 2005), with a positive association between GDP per capita and ICT investment (Hosman et al 2008). Developing country studies show that a pursuit of technology innovations for growth can create social tensions by neglecting the masses of rural poor (Krishna and Walsham 2005).…”

Policy Considerations from a Nationwide IT-in-Education Initiative: Macedonia Connects

“…Theirs is the first study to give evidence that IT's positive returns to productivity, long a reality for the developed world, have now begun to evidence themselves in the developing world as well. Hosman, Fife, and Armey's (2008) findings are along the same lines: They demonstrate positive gross domestic product (GDP) per capita returns to IT investment across 42 developing world countries from the period of 2000-2006. Since these findings were more robust than when the same regression was run earlier using data from 2000-2004, their conclusion is in line with Papaioannou and Dimelis's assertion that "developing countries have started to benefit from IT" (2007, p. 180).…”

Capital, labor, and derived demand for information: Evidence from China

“…For example, based on the data of China Input-Output Table in 2012 and 2015 and formulas (20)-(21), the relationship between capital stock in 2012 and 2015 is as follows: 1995, 1997, 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007, and 2010 1995,1997,2000,2002,2005,2007,2010,2012, and 2015 could be calculated by formula (21)…”