Unveiling the modernity bias: a critical examination of the politics of ICT4D

Andrade, Antonio Díaz; Urquhart, Christine

doi:10.1080/02681102.2011.643204

Cited by 55 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 26 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, the modernization theory represents the aspiration for countries to adopt the socioeconomic order and institutional model championed by Western industrialized countries, which emphasize market-based economic growth, technological innovation, private property ownership, production organized by capital, trade and division of labor (Díaz Andrade & Urquhart, 2012;Pieterse, 2010b).…”

Section: Development As Long-term Societal Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Escobar (1995) argues that development is a socially constructed discourse of Western ideology of modernity, which gives rise to the post-colonial and post-development theories (see De' et al in press in this special issue). Critical ICT4D research seeks to unveil the power structure and ideological biases behind development discourses (Díaz Andrade & Urquhart, 2012;Krauss, 2013;Thompson, 2004). While it is not necessary for every researcher to use critical theory, it is nevertheless beneficial for ICT4D researchers to cultivate a critical awareness and sensitivity to the assumptions, discourses, power structure, possible corporate interests and ideological influences behind ICT4D projects.…”

Section: Dimensions Of Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Conceptualizing development in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D)

Zheng

Hatakka

Sahay

et al. 2017

Information Technology for Development

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

ICT4D research is faced with the challenge of rapidly changing technologies and increasingly complex social dynamics and development processes. We argue that ICT4D research requires a more acute sense of where our research is situated within a broader picture of development, e.g. with a better understanding of development processes, their ideological nature, the power structures and driving forces, and the mechanisms through which ICTs may be embedded in and shape these processes. Such a reflexivity is crucial not least in justifying our claims of contribution, but also in understanding the implications and potential impact of our research and practice. This editorial seeks to explore key conceptual components in ICT4D and their relationships, including dimensions of development, perspectives of development, conceptions of artefacts, and theory of change. A tentative conceptual schema is presented that connects these conceptual components. KEYWORDS

show abstract

Section: Development As Long-term Societal Transformationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Dimensions Of Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conceptualizing development in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D)

Zheng

Hatakka

Sahay

et al. 2017

Information Technology for Development

128

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…We share this concern and although we are very optimistic about the possibilities of ICTs for helping to promote positive socioeconomic change, we want to highlight the crucial importance of studying the implementation of ICTs in their local contexts. The dangers of neglecting any end-use-perspective might result in ICTs reinforcing existing power-relations [2,33,34]. Also when the effects are less perverse, ICTD projects can easily fail to contribute to any significant change when they are implemented without taking into account the peculiarities of local social contexts.…”

Section: Methodology 31 Anthropology's Disciplinary Contributionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…banking the "unbanked") as a sixth category. 2 With "unbanked" we refer to those who have no access to banks or credit unions for their financial transactions for a variety of reasons. 3 With "negotiation" we refer to the contextualized and culturally specific ways of technology appropriation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An ethnographic assessment of electronic cash transfers in Ghana's remote rural north

Krah

Kruijf

2013

Proceedings of the Sixth International Conference on Information and Communications Technologies and Development: Notes - Volum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The study concerns the qualitative assessment of three e-payment methods that are tested to optimize cash transfers for the sake of social protection and poverty alleviation throughout Ghana. These methods include: (e-Zwich) smartcards with biometric identification; e-wallets using mobile phones; and cards with PIN to access a bank count ´in the cloud´. The pilot is joint venture of the government of Ghana, the United Kingdom's Department For International Development (DFID) and UNICEF. Besides the innovative use of technology, a unique trait of the project is the initiators acknowledgement of the crucial importance of a thorough and holistic understanding of the context and conditions of implementation. As a result, ethnographic fieldwork is conducted to maximize chances of success. Our presentation in Cape Town involves some reflections on the fieldwork as well as a contemplation of the potential of such applied anthropology in the field of ICTD, both contextualized by means of the ethnographic depiction of the complex transition from unbanked to e-banked in northern Ghana.

show abstract

“…The broader field of "ICTD"-the study of information and communication technologies in development contexts-shares the motivation of seizing technological advancements for development processes [5,6]. One-tenth of the publications in this domain actually focus on health, while two-thirds address the topics of "business" and "empowerment" [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the mismatch between mobile phone adoption and use through survey data from rural India and China

Haenssgen¹

2015

2015 IEEE International Symposium on Technology and Society (ISTAS)

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Persistent disciplinary and methodological divides between technology diffusion and adoption studies and the study of use and engagement with technology raise obstacles to understanding the development implications of mobile technology diffusion, for example in the area of healthcare access. As quantitative assessments in the area of health and technology almost exclusively rely on binary indicators of mobile phone adoption, it is not clear whether this is indeed a reasonable proxy that does not obscure the distributional implications of mobile phone use. This paper therefore compares patterns of mobile phone adoption and utilisation using original survey data from rural India and China. "Utilisation" here is assessed through a simple yet novel multidimensional index. The paper further assesses the role of these concepts as determinants of locally emerging forms of mobile-phone-aided healthcare-seeking behavior ("health action"). The investigation uses descriptive statistical analysis and multilevel logistic regression analysis, which provide evidence in support of the claims that (a) patterns of mobile phone diffusion and utilisation are related yet incongruent, that (b) mobile phones facilitate health action in both field sites to a notable extent, and that (c) the mobile phone utilisation index is a better predictor for phone-aided health action than mobile phone adoption. In light of the superiority of the utilisation index vis-à-vis binary measures of mobile phone adoption, other researchers can apply the survey instrument and technology utilisation concept developed in this paper to support the analysis of the social implications of technology diffusion.

show abstract

Unveiling the modernity bias: a critical examination of the politics of ICT4D

Cited by 55 publications

References 26 publications

Conceptualizing development in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D)

Conceptualizing development in information and communication technology for development (ICT4D)

An ethnographic assessment of electronic cash transfers in Ghana's remote rural north

Exploring the mismatch between mobile phone adoption and use through survey data from rural India and China

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About