Browsing by Author "Jonker, Johannes Wilhelm"

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    A comparative analysis of development theories in ICTD research from developed and developing countries
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2016-12) Jonker, Johannes Wilhelm; Le Roux, Daniel B.; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Information Science.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : The field of Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) examines the relationship between contemporary information and communication technology (ICT)s and societal development. By defi- nition, such inquiry requires not only a deep understanding of the ICTs as artefacts and systems themselves, but also direct engagement with the nature of development. An initial review of ICTD literature indicates that there is a lack of explicit engagement with the nature of development, and with existing development theories from other fields, in ICTD literature. Rather, develop- ment is often treated as a “black box” that can be incorporated into an ICTD study without much further interrogation. This is problematic in light of (i) the rich and complex historical discourse surrounding development, (ii) the persistently contested nature of development in contemporary academic and policy debates (particularly in the context of developing countries), and (iii) the potentially pervasive practical and policy ramifications of differing con- ceptions of development. Furthermore, conflicting theories of development are to be expected in the field of ICTD itself, given its diversity in terms of (i) the disciplines from which its scholars originate, (ii) sectors involved in the field, and most importantly, (iii) the geographical spread of its scholars. Fail- ing to explicitly interrogate the development theories underlying ICTD studies renders discourses in ICTD vulnerable to conceptual muddling, misinterpre- tation, incommensurability, and most importantly, diminished relevance in a world where there is undoubtedly diversity in how ‘development’ is understood. The present study seeks to address the above-mentioned problematique by examining ngagement with development in ICTD literature against the backdrop of its scholars’ geographic diversity. This is done by comparatively analysing the occurrence of development theories (drawn from broader discourses on development) in ICTD literature from Global North (developed) and Global South (developing) countries, respectively. A general pool of literature is constructed from papers published in three leading ICTD journals — Information Technology & International Development (ITID), the Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC), and Information Technology for Development (ITD) — between 2008 and 2015. From this pool, samples of literature from the Global North and literature from the Global South are drawn. Directed content analysis is then employed to qualitatively study the occurrence of development theories in the papers in either sample. Finally, patterns arising within and across the two samples are identified and discussed. The results reveal that conceptions of and engagement with development in ICTD are dominated by ideas from development economics, Keynesian economics, and neoliberal economics — i.e. conventional theories of development — generally, and Sen’s capability approach (focussing on expanding people’s freedoms), new growth theory (focussing on the centrality of the knowledge economy), and the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) specifically. Further findings include a general lack of critical perspectives on how development is defined, incoherency in authors’ conceptions of development, and the general latency of modernist ideas of development. Global South authors were also found to engage less with development than their counterparts from the Global North. The study contributes to a growing body of literature on the ‘D’ in ‘ICTD’ and supports the conclusion there is an urgent need to promote greater engagement with development theory in ICTD.