ICTs and Sustainable Solutions for the Digital Divide: Theory and Perspectives Jacques Steyn Monash University, South Africa Graeme Johanson Monash University, Australia InformatIon scIence reference Hershey • New York Director of Editorial Content: Kristin Klinger Director of Book Publications: Julia Mosemann Acquisitions Editor: Lindsay Johnston Development Editor: Julia Mosemann Publishing Assistant: Keith Glazewski & Milan Vracarich, Jr. Typesetter: Keith Glazewski & Milan Vracarich, Jr. Production Editor: Jamie Snavely Cover Design: Lisa Tosheff Published in the United States of America by Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global) 701 E. Chocolate Avenue Hershey PA 17033 Tel: 717-533-8845 Fax: 717-533-8661 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.igi-global.com Copyright © 2011 by IGI Global. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher. Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or com- panies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data ICTs and sustainable solutions for the digital divide : theory and perspectives / Jacques Steyn and Graeme Johanson, editors. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. Summary: "This book focuses on Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D), which includes any technology used for communication and information, researching the social side of computing, the users, and the design of systems that meet the needs of "ordinary" users"--Provided by publisher. ISBN 978-1-61520-799-2 (hbk.) -- ISBN 978-1-61520-800-5 (ebook) 1. Information technology--Economic aspects. 2. Digital divide. I. Steyn, Jacques. II. Johanson, Graeme. HC79.I55I285 2010 303.48'33--dc22 2010016509 British Cataloguing in Publication Data A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. All work contributed to this book is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors, but not necessarily of the publisher. Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................xiii Preface ...............................................................................................................................................xvii Section 1 Foundations, Methodology and Terminology Chapter 1 Delineating the Meaning and Value of Development Informatics ..........................................................1 Graeme Johanson, Monash University, Australia Chapter 2 Paradigm Shift Required for ICT4D .....................................................................................................19 Jacques Steyn, Monash University, South Africa Chapter 3 ‘Digital Inclusion’: Are We All Talking about the Same Thing? ..........................................................45 Cristina Kiomi Mori, University of Brasilia (UnB), Brazil & Ministry of Planning, Brazil Chapter 4 Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation of ICTs for Development .................................................... 65 Ricardo Ramírez, University of Guelph, Canada Chapter 5 The Mirror Meta-Principle: Creating the Context for Culturally Sustainable Development Informatics ............................................................................................................................................86 Chase Laurelle Knowles, Claremont Graduate University, USA Chapter 6 Cultural Acceptance of ICTs: Perceptions in Practice ....................................................................... 105 Jasmine M. Harvey, University of Loughborough, UK Chapter 7 A Psychological Model to Understand E-Adoption in the Context of the Digital Divide ..................127 Andrew Thatcher, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa Mbongi Ndabeni, Rhodes University, South Africa Section 2 Social Inclusion and Bottom-Up Chapter 8 What Does it Mean to Bridge the Divide? Learning from Spontaneous Practices towards ICTs ...... 151 Suely Fragoso, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (Unisinos), Brazil Denise Cogo, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (Unisinos), Brazil Liliane Dutra Brignol, Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos (Unisinos) & Centro Universitario Franciscano (Unifra), Brazil Chapter 9 A New Development Opportunity Confronts Old Paradigms: Exploring the Multiplicity Theory to Combat the Global Digital Divide. .................................................................................... 171 Peter A. Kwaku Kyem, Central Connecticut State University, USA Chapter 10 Social Capital and Third Places through the Internet: Lessons from a Disadvantaged Swedish Community ........................................................................................................................................ 199 Duncan Timms, University of Stirling, Scotland Sara Ferlander, Södertörn University, Sweden Chapter 11 An Analysis of the Research and Impact of ICT in Education in Developing Country Contexts ......218 Nitika Tolani-Brown, American Institutes for Research, USA Meredith McCormac, American Institutes for Research, USA Roy Zimmermann, American Institutes for Research, USA Section 3 ICT4D and Economic Improvement Chapter 12 Networking for Development: Cornerstone for Efficiency and Impact of ICT for Development Projects ................................................................................................................................................244 Fabio Nascimbeni, MENON Network, Belgium & Universidad Oberta de Catalunya, Spain Chapter 13 Information Communication Technology and its Impact on Rural Community Economic Development .......................................................................................................................................263 Kenneth Pigg, University of Missouri, USA Chapter 14 International ICT Spillover .................................................................................................................283 Saeed Moshiri, University of Saskatchewan, Canada Somaieh Nikpoor, University of Ottawa, Canada Chapter 15 Understanding the Policy Implications of ICT for Development .......................................................297 Matthew Clarke, Deakin University, Australia Compilation of References .............................................................................................................. 315 About the Contributors ...................................................................................................................357 Index ...................................................................................................................................................365 Detailed Table of Contents Foreword ............................................................................................................................................xiii Preface ................................................................................................................................................xvi Section 1 Foundations, Methodology and Terminology Chapter 1 Delineating the Meaning and Value of Development Informatics ..........................................................1 Graeme Johanson, Monash University, Australia This chapter describes the field of Development Informatics as it has emerged in the past two decades, and highlights some of the strengths of its research and practices. It draws on the current literature and the expertise of the other authors of this book to help to define a set of basic terms. Any new intellectual domain is tied to some degree to the vagaries of its institutional alliances, to the perceived international status of its public forums, and to the criticism that on its own it lacks unique methodological rigour. These points are discussed candidly. Multidisciplinarity is the backbone of Development Informatics. The main virtues of Development Informatics are that it offers a platform for an evaluative critique to counterbalance the effects of relentless globalisation, that it comprises strong multidisciplinary teams, that it maintains an intellectual space to build on international momentum that has developed among theorists and practitioners, and that it opens up future imaginative possibilities for collaborative proj- ects which involve communities in developing areas of participatory research and ongoing project evaluation in order to encourage self-sustaining entities. Chapter 2 Paradigm Shift Required for ICT4D .....................................................................................................19 Jacques Steyn, Monash University, South Africa This chapter argues for a shift of paradigm in the field of ICT4D. Since the inception of aid for devel- opment in the late 1940s with the introduction of the Marshall Plan, development has been dominated by emphasis on economic development, while development of other human characteristics have been neglected. The standard argument in ICT4D literature is that economic “upliftment” will result in social “upliftment”. It is assumed that economics is the primary cause for social change. The author of this chapter challenges this assumption, and proposes that