ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE ON EXISTING ICT IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORKS

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Background

This chapter sets the scene for the research reported on in this thesis. It firstly demonstrates the tension lines between global development imperatives and local development needs with foci on the need for community empowerment in terms of interaction with Government and developmental agencies, as well as issues related to the implementation of Information and Communications Technologies for Development (ICT4D) projects and policies. Secondly the research focus and the problem statement of the thesis are presented. Thirdly the chapter presents a summary of discourses around the notion of context in the literature that informed the research project. Fourthly the assumptions and the approach followed to create a substantive theory of context for the Dr. J.S. Moroka Municipality are briefly set out and explained. Lastly the chapter provides some brief background notes about the case study undertaken as well as about the study area (i.e. the Dr. J.S. Moroka Municipality).

The global tension associated with ICT4D initiatives

The ITU supports the achievement of the UN Millennium Development Goals by the promotion of Information Societies through which the establishment of Information Societies (ITU, 2006). Notions such as “globalisation” and “information society” are often used by role players in global development driven by technological innovation. The use of these concepts and their associated ideas are mostly fuelled by ideals such as improving the world order or the eradication of poverty (Avgerou, 2010). Nevertheless Barrett et al. (2001, p.26) caution that there are conflicting forces and interests at work (especially in the developing world) – on the one hand the global agenda that favours change and innovation and, on the other hand, local cultures and traditions that often are focused on stability. The top-down approach with its ‘one-size-fits-all’, MDG, approach restricts the opportunities to incorporate the peculiar requirements of emerging countries.

Importance of local social context

These findings are critical as it should be self-evident that policy and projects aimed at local community development can only be deemed successful if these match the priorities and needs at local community level. The author would therefore argue that for ICT4D policy and projects to be effective, role players need to engage with and understand the local social context in which ICT4D policy or projects will be embedded. Not only is the local social context important, but even more crucial is the perspective of the members of the local community (their own “lived experience”) of their own context associated with an understanding of community priorities, as this would influence the community’s understanding and participation in the local projects and policy implementation. The notion of context has indeed been extensively acknowledged as significant both in terms of technology practice and knowledge creation in socio-technical developmental literature, as well as literature in related research fields (e.g. Avgerou, 2001, 2010; Bamberger, 2008). It has also been acknowledged that the research of systems development practice often does not take context adequately into account (Avgerou, 2001). Instead, researchers often elect to operate on a basis of general and global best practices and assume that these would be universally applicable. An exception to this practice is described by Puri et al. (2004).

The need for community empowerment

Ultimately the primary changes in the context of rural development are the human related changes (e.g. social, cultural and socio-economic changes) that take place in communities. Thorough appreciation of the relationships between the proposed intervention and the existing structures is critical for IS innovators in the emerging communities (Avgerou, 2001; Heeks, 2002). For this reason it is essential that ways are found to empower members of the community to voice their developmental needs in interaction with other role players in ICT4D (e.g. government, developmental agencies and others). As previously mentioned, the issue is that, in the case of rural communities, ICT4D related initiatives are mostly driven from the ‘outside’ – either by government (policies and projects) or civil society and developmental agencies (projects). In the context of critical discourse analysis, Van Dijk (2008) argues that “text” and “context” are mutually constitutive. In the instance of top-down ICT4D interventions, however, it becomes obvious that the constitution is often a one-way (top-down) process through which the technological disruption impacts significantly on the constitution of the context, without adequate counter-constitution of the technological disruption by the local community context. This balance needs to be restored.

DECLARATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 The global tension associated with ICT4D initiatives
1.3 Importance of local social context
1.4 The need for community empowerment
1.5 Challenges related to context in ICT4D
1.6 Focus of this thesis and research problem
1.7 Research question
1.8 The notion of context in various discourses related to Information Systems and ICT4D
1.8.1 Context, contextuality and context theory
1.8.2 Context in IS Research (both in organizations and in developing countries)
1.8.3 Context in ICT4D
1.8.4 Discourses on ICT4D
1.8.5 Social Context in respect of rural areas in the Republic of South Africa
1.8.6 Suggested principles and methods for developing a substantive theory of contextuality as part of this thesis
1.9 The importance of relevance (to the lived community experience)
1.10 Proposed approach for the creation of a substantive theory of context for the Dr J.S. Moroka Municipality
1.11 Background on the case study undertaken and reported on in further chapters
1.12 High level focus of the case study
1.13 Scope of the research project
1.14 Thesis structure
CHAPTER 2 THE CURRENT LANDSCAPE RELATED TO INFORMATION SOCIETY AND ICT4D INITIATIVES IN SOUTH AFRICA
2.1 Introduction
2.2 Landscape of ICT in relation to the information society in South Africa
2.2.1 Overview of Information Society initiatives in South Africa
2.2.2 Reforms of e-government in South Africa
2.2.3 South African e-Government successes
2.2.4 E-Government Challenges in South Africa
2.2.5 Broad trends in government ICT policy related to Information Society in South Africa
2.2.6 Public ICT Policy in South Africa
2.2.7 ICT4D Policies in South Africa
2.2.8 ICT infrastructure in South Africa
2.3 The general use of ICT in South Africa
2.4 Failures of ICT initiatives in South Africa
2.4.1 Failures of Community ICT centres in rural areas
2.5 Summary
CHAPTER 3 ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE ON EXISTING ICT IMPLEMENTATION FRAMEWORKS
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Some of the contributory factors towards failure of ICT4D
3.3 ICT4D frameworks and related conceptual elements
3.3.1 Community
3.3.2 Politics
3.3.3 ICT projects
3.3.4 Technology
3.3.5 Contextual (environmental) issues
3.3.6 Argument with regards towards research study compare to other framework
CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH METHOD AND DATA COLLECTION
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Research Strategy
4.3 Defining the Grounded Theory Method
4.4 Building blocks of the theory
4.5 The Glaserian and Straussian Approaches
4.6 Grounded Theory Principles, Procedures and Techniques
4.6.1 Constant Comparative Analysis
4.7 Coding
4.7.1 Open Coding
4.7.2 Axial Coding
4.7.3 Selective Coding
4.8 The Expanded Lehmann Research Model of Fernandez
4.9 Background and History of the Study Area
4.9.1 Mpumalanga
4.9.2 Dr J.S. Moroka
4.9.3 Sectoral Comparison between Municipalities within Mpumalanga
4.10 Data collection
4.11 Summary
CHAPTER 5 DATA ANALYSIS
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Open coding
5.2.1 Interviews
5.2.2 Emergence of concepts and groups
5.2.3 Emergence of Categories
5.2.4 Technology Category
5.2.5 Governance Category
5.2.6 Social Welfare Category
5.2.7 Stakeholders Category
5.2.8 Economics Category
5.2.9 Leadership Category
5.2.9.2 Leadership
5.3 Axial coding
5.3.1 Leadership Category
5.3.2 Stakeholders
5.3.3 Governance Category
5.3.4 Social Welfare Category
5.3.5 Economics Category
5.3.6 Technology Category
5.4 Selective Coding
5.5 Conclusion
CHAPTER 6 TRIANGULATION OF FINDINGS WITH EXISTING LITERATURE
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Comparison of research study findings with the literature
6.2.1 Governance Category
6.2.2 Stakeholders
6.2.3 Technology
6.2.4 Social Welfare
6.2.5 Economics
6.2.6 Leadership
CHAPTER 7 DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
7.1 Introduction
7.2 LSGSET Framework
7.2.1 Governance
7.2.2 Leadership
7.2.3 Stakeholders
7.2.4 Social Welfare
7.2.5 Economics
7.2.6 Technology
7.3 Rural Communities as a study area
7.4 Priorities
7.5 Government initiatives
7.6 Summary
CHAPTER 8 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Summary of the position at the rural community of Dr J.S. Moroka
8.2.1 The main developmental concerns of these communities and the developmental landscape
8.2.2 Social capabilities
8.3 Conclusion
8.4 Recommendations
8.5 Contribution made by this study
8.6 Limitations of the study
8.7 Further Research
REFERENCES

GET THE COMPLETE PROJECT
Towards the development of a grounded framework of context as tool for linking rural community development needs to ICT policy and implementation in the Dr J.S. Moroka Municipality, Mpumalanga, South Africa