Ict Societies Research Articles

Strategic Role of Communication in the Concept of Transitional Justice: International Experience of Post-Confl ict Societies

Strategic Role of Communication in the Concept of Transitional Justice: International Experience of Post-Confl ict Societies

Social assessment of future scenarios: Developing and testing a new methodology covering consumption-related impacts with a focus on future ICT societies

The social perspectives of sustainability have been historically under-addressed in sustainability assessment methodologies of scenarios. A recent research project - “Scenarios and sustainability impacts of future ICT societies” - explored five society-wide scenarios with an ICT focus for Sweden in 2060. A methodology was developed within the research project to assess the scenarios in terms of impacts on the societal level, as well as consumption-related impacts on the global level. This paper develops and tests a methodology that could be employed in wider scenario-based assessments of future societies that include consumption-related impacts. At the core of the new methodology is the categorization of social aspects under five categories for the national assessment and four for the global assessment. A qualitative assessment is performed for each of the following categories on national level: Participation and Influence in Society, Health Conditions, Equity and Justice, Social Cohesion and Learning and Education. For the global assessment the level of trade and the commitment to sustainable development in the different scenarios was considered. The categories assessed globally are Poverty, Health, Employment and Justice for All. The assessments should be made based on expert knowledge. One result of the application of the methodology was among other, that the most environmentally adapted scenario – Valued Environment – was also the best performing scenario from a social sustainability perspective.

Theorizing Citizenship in Late Modern ICT Societies

In this paper I discuss a definition of citizenship for better understanding and analyses of political participations in ICT societies. To achieve this I approach the topic from a comprehensive understanding of developments in society and technology and how they mutually reinforce each other. Discussions of citizenship are concerned with macro-perspectives, combining empirical studies of how society and political participation is changing, connected to normative visions of the good society and how it should be structured; hence citizenship studies are already transdisciplinary. In the article I propose and understanding of citizenship as the participation and action upon shared meanings on issues of the organization of society. Citizenship is enacted in political communities; ensembles of people addressing the organization of society and making sense of this address in a similar way, and at the same time constructing and renegotiating values and norms out of which the authority of the community streams. And it is in relation to this authority that citizens are made. The paper ends with a proposal of how to categorize online participation and citizenship(s) in ICT societies.

Theorizing Citizenship in Late Modern ICT Societies

In this paper I discuss a definition of citizenship for better understanding and analyses of political participations in ICT societies. To achieve this I approach the topic from a comprehensive understanding of developments in society and technology and how they mutually reinforce each other. Discussions of citizenship are concerned with macro-perspectives, combining empirical studies of how society and political participation is changing, connected to normative visions of the good society and how it should be structured; hence citizenship studies are already transdisciplinary. In the article I propose and understanding of citizenship as the participation and action upon shared meanings on issues of the organization of society. Citizenship is enacted in political communities; ensembles of people addressing the organization of society and making sense of this address in a similar way, and at the same time constructing and renegotiating values and norms out of which the authority of the community streams. And it is in relation to this authority that citizens are made. The paper ends with a proposal of how to categorize online participation and citizenship(s) in ICT societies.

Engendering Post-Confl ict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) within the Horn of Africa region: Lessons from Ethiopia

The problem of post-confl ict communities and societies is that women play a major role during confl ict situations, and in the end they suffer more than their male counterparts. Once a post-confl ict government has been installed, their involvement and participation in decisionmaking and peace-building processes and programmes is undermined. This article intends to address this important issue and analyze the extent of women’s participation in post-confl ict programmes in Ethiopia as a case study. Contrary to the contemporary view that women should have an equal stake together with their male counterparts however, their participation in Ethiopia’s Post-Confl ict Reconstruction and Development (PCRD) programmes is reportedly far less than 35%.

Challenges to State Legitimacy and Institutional Channels of Political Participation in Africa

This article engages the debate on state legitimacy and fragility in Africa. It analyses the historical and empirical challenges to state legitimacy and how they relate to constructions of institutional channels of political participation on the continent. The study challenges mainstream westerncentric explanations that sweepingly attribute fragility and legitimacy defi cits to virtually all African states (with the possible exception of post-apartheid South Africa). The author argues that within the analytical framework of the fragile state paradigm, problems and challenges of state legitimacy in Africa tend to essentially and variedly affect three different categories of states; (i) confl ict-prone, (ii) war-torn, and (ii) post-confl ict societies. The paper concludes by critically examining dominant strategies mostly canvassed and pursued by the international community on how to (re-)build state legitimacy in Africa.. Africa Insight Vol. 37 (4) 2008 pp. 183-191

Post-Conflict Peace Building and Natural Resources

Natural resource management increasingly plays a pivotal role in the transition of post-confl ict societies towards a lasting peace. This role is not limited to societies where confl ict has been directly fueled by high-value natural resources such as timber or minerals. Unresolved issues surrounding land tenure administration can reignite tensions, and the inability of government to deliver key services (water, food, shelter, and other resourcedependent essentials for life) can destabilize weakened societies that are recovering from confl ict. In addition to eliminating these potential obstacles to peace, good natural resource management can provide opportunities for confi dence-building measures, serve as models of effective and equitable governance, and advance other peace-building objectives. Since the Second World War, there have been more than 300 major armed confl icts around the world.1 The incidence of confl ict has intensifi ed in the years following the end of the Cold War:

ICT and rural societies: Opportunities for growth

The application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India and other developing countries opens up a vast range of possibilities. Giving an opportunity to the vast majority of the population living in rural areas, to cross the digital divide to obtain access to information resources and services provided by ICT is the next revolution waiting to happen. Although this is a development issue, it is just not the government, non-government organizations or the rural masses that have a role to play. Private profit-making institutions can develop solutions to capture the hitherto unrecognized markets, make profits and at the same time aid the rural societies. The new technologies being developed can help surmount barriers present in providing information resources at a low cost and make applications feasible and profitable. This paper presents some cases where ICT has been effectively used for the benefit of the rural societies and analyzes the opportunities that lie in this sphere. The cases range from successful use of ICT in governance, to ICT solutions for improved profits to ICT in microfinance. A case of an initiative by a large mainstream corporation to reach out to the rural sector, help in development and realize profits mutually is also presented. The projects discussed should generate more interest and facilitate private investment in the hitherto virgin territory. A large number of hurdles still remain but creative ideas, breakthrough ICT technologies and committed organizations can usher in the next revolution in the developing world.

ICT and rural societies: Opportunities for growth

The application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India and other developing countries opens up a vast range of possibilities. Giving an opportunity to the vast majority of the population living in rural areas, to cross the digital divide to obtain access to information resources and services provided by ICT is the next revolution waiting to happen. Although this is a development issue, it is just not the government, non-government organizations or the rural masses that have a role to play. Private profit-making institutions can develop solutions to capture the hitherto unrecognized markets, make profits and at the same time aid the rural societies. The new technologies being developed can help surmount barriers present in providing information resources at a low cost and make applications feasible and profitable. This paper presents some cases where ICT has been effectively used for the benefit of the rural societies and analyzes the opportunities that lie in this sphere. The cases range from...

CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES IN A SOCIAL TRANSITION: THE SOUTH AFRICAN SEARCH FOR RECONCILIATION

The South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has been argued as one of the prominent cases by which post-confl ict societies coped with diffi cul- ties. Discussions have tended to criticize its effectiveness and limits. That tendency is more marked when the discussion is on the applicability of that kind of activity to another society. This paper features the particularity of South African society without particular evaluation of the TRC, especially dealing with its religious implication. This standpoint is effective for the analysis of the transitional society which is identifi ed from its relative lack of legitimacy on due process. This paper traces some religious discourses, which have affected the TRC body implicitly and explicitly in historical transition. Two prominent fi gures to whom I give my attention are Desmond Tutu and Charles Villa-Vicencio. However the two Christians' discourses have incompatibilities with each other to some extent, both still show a tangency which can be interpreted as a unique function in a sheer estrangement of post- Apartheid transitional society. Tutu's Ubuntu (cultural syncretism) and Villa-Vicencio's restorative justice through negotiation (political secularism) are considered in this context, and both suggest that they let the 'divided' people negotiate over confl icting plurality in a transitional society.