Information And Communication Technology Initiatives Research Articles

The Role of ICT Initiatives in Enhancing Urban Agriculture: A Case Study of Bengaluru Smart City

Urban agriculture is gaining significance in the sustainable development of rapidly growing cities like Bengaluru, with a particular emphasis on leveraging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for its enhancement. This paper investigates how ICT initiatives can bolster the productivity, sustainability, and inclusivity of urban agriculture in Bengaluru. Employing a qualitative research design, the study draws upon various data sources, including a series of interviews with key stakeholders, extensive field observations, and a comprehensive review of pertinent literature. Our findings underscore the transformative potential of ICT initiatives in addressing key challenges encountered in urban agriculture in Bengaluru, such as limited access to information, inadequate market linkages, and constrained financial resources. Specifically, we highlight ICT's role in optimizing crop management practices, fostering stronger market connections, facilitating financial access, and promoting social inclusivity within urban agricultural systems. Furthermore, this paper discusses the implications of these findings for policymakers and practitioners in Bengaluru and offers insights that extend to urban agricultural contexts beyond this region. By emphasizing the potential of ICT to revolutionize urban agriculture, this study contributes to the broader goals of sustainable urban development. Suggestions for future research directions in this domain are also discussed.

Empowering Indigenous Communities: Land Alienation in Tripura and Restoration through ICT Initiatives

This paper explores the issues of land alienation faced by indigenous communities in Tripura and the transformative role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives in addressing this challenge. The indigenous populations in Tripura have long struggled with losing their ancestral lands, resulting in social and economic disparities. However, ICT initiatives have emerged as powerful tools for documenting land rights, enhancing community empowerment, and bridging the information gap. Through a comprehensive analysis of various ICT projects, this study examines the success and challenges of using technology to protect and restore land rights. The research sheds light on the potential of ICT solutions to empower indigenous communities, strengthen their land tenure security, and foster sustainable development in Tripura.

Utilizing ICT to Strengthen Women’s Participation in Local Governance in Tripura

The paper examines women’s engagement in Tripura’s local governance, addressing barriers and advocating for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as an empowerment tool. It explores challenges faced by women, emphasizing ICT strategies, policy adaptations, and community involvement for inclusive governance. It highlighted the importance of digital literacy, infrastructure improvement, cybersecurity awareness, and sustained collaboration among stakeholders. The study envisions a more participatory society by leveraging ICT initiatives to women’s needs in Tripura’s governance. Through customized policies and community engagement, this paper aims to foster a more inclusive and empowered environment where women actively contribute to decision-making, propelling socio-economic development in the region.

The Remote Networked School (RNS) Model: An ICT Initiative To Keep Small Rural Schools and Their Local Community Alive

The importance of peer interaction for learning purposes is a well-known fact in educational theory, and a school of a small size is particularly challenged to engage same-age students in social exchange of this nature. For almost a decade, an action research partnership (Laferrière & Breuleux, 2002) has been established. A systemic approach was applied (Banathy, 1991; Engeström, 1999; Seidel & Perez, 1994). It has meant tackling an educational challenge and social one as well as distance from urban areas using the support of the Internet. Partners’ objective was to design and study (see design experiment methodology: Brown, 1992; Collins, 1992; 1999), from an ecological perspective (Nardi & O’Day, 1999). The model that was cocreated was meant to enrich interactions for learning purposes in rural schools. More concretely, with the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), we designed a model whose purpose is to bring classrooms of different schools and regions to work and learn together. This paper focuses on two poles of results of the Remote Networked School (RNS) model: 1) the advantages of collaboration between schools from teachers’ point of view; 2) parents’ social representations of the RNS model and its value as it pertains to their children’s education.

Do Green Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Smart Urbanization Reduce Environmental Pollution in China?

Due to rapid urbanization and industrialization, China faces numerous environmental challenges, including air and water pollution, resource depletion, and climate change. Adopting green ICT and smart urbanization is a critical strategy to address these challenges. At the heart of this study lies the question: Do green ICT adoption and smart urbanization contribute positively to environmental pollution reduction? Therefore, this study intends to scrutinize the influence of green ICT and smart urbanization on environmental pollution in China, focusing on the period from 1996 to 2021. The most up-to-date method of structural modeling, partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), was used to estimate the quantitative connection between green ICT, smart urbanization, and environmental pollution. The findings of the structural model show that only the path coefficient between smart urbanization and environmental pollution is significant and negative. Renewable energy consumption directly and negatively influences environmental pollution, whereas smart urbanization directly and positively affects renewable energy consumption and green ICT. Consequently, renewable energy consumption and green ICT negatively influence environmental pollution. Based on the findings, the study proposes targeted public policy recommendations aimed at fostering the development of green ICT and smart urbanization initiatives in China.

ICT initiatives for vulnerable groups in Brazil: intended and unintended consequences during the COVID-19 pandemic

ABSTRACT Despite the multitude of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), their successful implementation has been slow and faced more difficulties than anticipated. Although the deployment and use of ICT has become inevitable, many emerging countries have faced challenges in adopting ICT for the benefit of their entire population. During the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, ICT initiatives became a major issue, especially for vulnerable groups. The purpose of this study is to understand the intended and unintended consequences of ICT initiatives during the pandemic, through two case studies in Brazil covering relevant societal areas, namely social protection and public education. The results bring two main contributions. The first is an understanding of how social groups, negotiation mechanisms and technologies-in-practice are enacted to inform public policies and actions. The second concerns the production of knowledge for the Information Systems area, by revealing the challenges and opportunities brought by ICT to emerging markets in a post-Covid-19 reality.

Preventing criminal and money politics in Indian electoral system with the use of ICT in the digital age

In recent years, the Indian electoral system has been marred by instances of criminal and money politics. These practices have not only undermined the democratic process but have also resulted in the election of corrupt and ineffective representatives. In this paper, we propose the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to prevent criminal and money politics in the Indian electoral system. We argue that the digital age provides a unique opportunity to enhance transparency and accountability in the electoral process, and ICT can be leveraged to achieve this goal. The paper begins by providing an overview of the problem of criminal and money politics in India and its impact on the electoral process. We then discuss the potential of ICT in addressing this problem, highlighting the various tools and technologies that can be employed to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral process. We also discuss the challenges and limitations of ICT in this context, including issues related to the digital divide, cybersecurity, and data privacy. The paper then provides a detailed analysis of the various ICT initiatives that have been undertaken in India to prevent criminal and money politics in the electoral process. These include initiatives such as the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) machines, and the use of biometric authentication for voter identification. We evaluate the impact of these initiatives on the electoral process and identify areas for further improvement. Finally, we conclude by emphasizing the need for a comprehensive and coordinated approach to leveraging ICT for preventing criminal and money politics in the Indian electoral system. We argue that such an approach must involve the collaboration of various stakeholders, including the Election Commission, political parties, civil society organizations, and the general public. We also highlight the need for a strong legal and regulatory framework to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of ICT initiatives in this context.

Role of Information and Communication Technology in Agricultural Development of India

The desired higher growth in the agricultural sector can be achieved only when there is proper application of information and communication technology (ICT) with adequate investments from both public and private sectors. There is a great scope to implement ICT in order to communicate and integrate the entire agri-food supply chain. The beneficiaries of ICT in agriculture are not only confined to farmers but also encompass food processing companies and suppliers within the agri-food sector. The tools of ICT applications have the potential to provide networking of agriculture sector within the country and globally. It is against this backdrop that the present study not only addresses issues relating to the applications of ICT for economic change in the agricultural sector of India but also identifies the past and present major ICT initiatives in agriculture, the factors responsible for the success of ICT services and the elements of an appropriate framework for assessing the impact of ICT on agricultural development. It is observed that the application of ICT solutions for the development of rural India have been opening a vast range of possibilities to a majority of the population living in rural settings to cross the digital divide. The e-governance strategy for the agriculture sector is capable of exhibiting strategic flexibility to simultaneously integrate the opposing forces. JEL Classification: D83, D85, Q13, Q16

The role of information and communication technology (ICT) on the transformation of municipalities into smart cities for improved service delivery

To improve the delivery of services, municipalities in South Africa are implementing information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives. The use of digitalization thus demands municipalities to introduce e-government services. With adequate resources and training, some municipalities also aim to advance their status as smart cities. However, However, not all municipalities are equipped to operate ICT-based services. The article aims to explore this situation in the City of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (herein referred to as CoE). The article is qualitative in nature and the data collected is analyzed descriptively. The article utilizes the triangulation of data (document review, literature review, interview) to strengthen validity and reliability in the research process. The findings explore the challenges related to leadership in the municipality that requires a willingness to adopt, adapt and implement ICT initiatives for smart governance; ICT infrastructure that requires a municipality to allocate adequate budget to smart governance platforms, training of employees to equip them to operate digitalized processes, to state a few. Overall, the study considers the status and implementation levels of ICT and smart governance in the CoE to be unsatisfactory and requires policy recommendations for effective realization to become a smart city. The article offers policy recommendations emphasizing incorporating ICT in municipal budgets to invest in digital infrastructure.

Minding the Design Reality Gap

This paper focuses on evaluating an information and communication technology (ICT) intervention promoted as a pro-poor telecentre initiative in rural Ghana. Our evaluative tool is the Design Reality Gap (DRG) framework used to analyse the Community Information Centre (CIC) initiative in Ghana. Data were collected through a qualitative multi-site case study. By tracing the linkages between the investment and outcomes, we found a worrying trend of failed implementations and sustainability, although implementers did sustain efforts at planning new initiatives. Based on the findings, we argue that the CIC initiative in Ghana is a failing ICT intervention. We also found that the tailored DRG approach allowed us to tease out the nuances that account for the CICs' status. We conclude by proposing gap closure measures for the failing intervention. This paper contributes to ICT evaluations by demonstrating the utility of the DRG framework in evaluating one of the most significant pro-poor ICT initiatives in lower-to-middle-income communities: telecentres. This research also contributes to the current ICT literature by enhancing our current knowledge about publicly accessible ICT facilities in an under-investigated setting, and further offers an approach to telecentre evaluations in similar contexts inspired by the DRG model.

EFFECTIVENESS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY (ICT) FOR DIGITAL BANKING, E-COMMERCE AND PAYMENT GATEWAYS AMONG THE RURAL COMMUNITY IN ANANTHAPURAMU DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH

The rural communities have very different perceptions about ICT among them across various categories. There are various Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives taken by the Government of India as well the Government of Andhra Pradesh. This perception of for 'digital banking and payments' user affects the digital transactions. Many rural people do not use digital banking and payments due to poor perception this may be because of lack of awareness and exposure to this banking applications. Due to this majority of rural population may not able reap the maximum benets of E-banking and E-commerce initiatives in rural communities in various other knowledge and information related to digital transfers of various social benets, pensions and other based direct benet transactions. This study analyzes the positive and negative perceptions of the rural community in the study area with total sample size of 160, in four villages and 40 respondents were selected randomly from each village, two villages are from Itkalapalle and Rachanapalle of Anantapur Mandal, Peddapappur, Juttur of Pedapappur Mandal in Ananthapuramu District of Andhra Pradesh. This study focuses on effectiveness of ICT usage and giving suggestions for improving awareness of ICT programmes to enable the rural communities to benet maximum from the Government ICT initiatives and schemes in Ananthapuramu District

Optimal professional development ICT training initiatives at flagship universities

This study explores best practices and roles of information and communication technology (ICT) in select professional development centers at 16 flagship universities. Through adopting a qualitative case study design, this study explores the strengths and weaknesses of current technology training initiatives in the selected professional development centers. As part of the research and teaching programs at flagship universities, professional development center leaders shared about the current ICT practices as well as the strengths and limitations of their own centers. The analysis section includes a critical look at ICT practices among flagship universities from a human resource theory lens. Findings indicate common successes that facilitate the ICT practices of these centers including delivery mediums, services, ideas, and goals, as well as various barriers of implementing ICT training initiatives. The paper concludes with suggestions on how professional development center leaders, senior administrators, and educational policy makers can help improve professional development processes with the assistance of optimal ICT initiatives.

How do development actors do “ICT for development”? A strategy‐as‐practice perspective on emerging practices in Ghanaian agriculture

AbstractThis paper examines how development actors within the Ghanaian agricultural sector enact information and communication technology (ICT) in their day‐to‐day outreach practices with smallholder farmers. We draw on an in‐depth qualitative case study, informed by the theoretical perspective of “strategy‐as‐practice” to answer the research question: “what ICT‐mediated strategic practices are used by development actors in the Ghanaian agriculture sector?” The research findings reveal that (1) the activities of development actors are meshed within a network of interdependencies; (2) the enacted strategic practices reflect the trade‐off between novelty of content and novelty of the technologies used to deliver it; and lastly, (3) the praxis of development actors for doing ICT for development consists of hybrid strategies, combining bottom‐up approaches consistent with farmers' indigenous smallholder logic, with top‐down imperatives framing agriculture “as a business” and nurturing value‐chain integration. Consequently, our research points to the impact of ICT initiatives as step‐wise and attained over the long term, rather than disruptive and attained in the immediate term.

Perception, usage and barriers towards the utilisation of the Telecentre among rural women in Tanzania

PurposeThis paper aims to assess the usage pattern of telecentres, how rural women frame telecentres and barriers that limit use of telecentres. Further, the study examined the effects of demographic characteristics and location on telecentre usage.Design/methodology/approachThe study used a sequential mixed research design in three rural districts surrounding telecentres: Kongwa, Sengerema and Kilosa districts. The study population comprised rural women who were users and non-users of telecentres. The study conducted six focus group discussions (FGDs) with 37 users and six FGDs with 36 non-users in the first phase of the study in 2014; questionnaires were administered to 90 users and 90 non-users in the second phase of the study in 2015.FindingsThe primary use of telecentres among users was to access internet (71.4 per cent, n = 60), followed by information and communication technology (ICT) training courses (63.1 per cent, n = 53) and secretarial purposes (63.1 per cent, n = 53). Rural women used internet for educational purposes, followed by news, information on health issues, job opportunities, social and entertainment issues. Rural women currently using internet were more likely to be better educated (ß = 1.926, p = 0.001) and have higher incomes (ß = 5.318, p = 0.021) at both bivariate and multivariate analysis. Users indicated that they faced the following barriers towards using telecentre: short duration of ICT training, frequent power outages, low speed of internet and few computers at the telecentres. Non-users were not using telecentres because of lack of ICT skills and language barriers.Originality/valueThis study provides empirical evidence to telecentres, libraries and other rural ICT initiatives to design rural ICT services that are gender-sensitive and demand-driven.

Role of ICT facilitation in mobilizing the performance of business research process in North India

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to report the findings of a study undertaken to understand Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilitation and performance of business research process in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The study has investigated the influence of ICT-aided infrastructure facilitation on the effectiveness of business research in HEIs. Scale development for the various dimensions of ICT facilitation and business research process performance has also been established.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling has been used for data analysis across a sample of 164 respondents, which have been randomly selected from the population of business researchers pursuing their research in the HEIs in northern India. Questionnaire has been used for survey and data collection.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal that implementation of ICT initiatives have significantly enhanced the efficiency and quality of business research in higher education. Further, the study has found that ICT facilitation is multidimensional, consisting of three sub-constructs (infrastructure availability, human resource capacity and e-resource financing) and business research process performance consisting of four sub-constructs (facilitator, accessibility, ethical dimensions and data processes). It has been found that all the sub-constructs are related to their respective constructs.Research limitations/implicationsThe study uses a small sample as the number of business researchers was less in the northern region of India. For more generalization and authentication, larger sample size should be used. Further, the study developed a scale and tested it in the northern region of India. Therefore, it becomes important to examine whether the same scale can be applied to other sector/regions and countries.Originality/valueThe study has added to the understanding of the relationship between variables, namely, ICT facilitation and business research process performance. It also identifies the ICT factors and business research performance factors, and empirically tests their dimensionality. The study emphasizes that higher learning institutes should be more knowledge and result-driven with immediate practical implications for business development and revenue generation.

Codesigning with communities to support rural water management in Uganda

The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing regions has gained momentum due to their increasing affordability, particularly in rural areas where other ICT infrastructures for information management are often non-existent. Giving potential technology users, the opportunity to actively engage and contribute to the design of an artefact increases adoption and sustainable use. In this paper, we illustrate our application of community-based codesign (CBCD) that led to the development of an ICT intervention to support water management in three rural communities in Uganda. The community-based system helps water managers to track water users, payments and expenditures in a bid to improve transparency, accountability and trust. We present research learnings of the method and how engagement with rural communities can be improved through the use of intermediaries and paying more attention to community values as well as exercising ethics of reciprocity in community-based ICT initiatives.

Political Response to ICT Initiatives in Bangladesh: Diffident to Confident Steps

In the context of the use and growth of ICT (Information and Communication Technology) in other developing and neighbouring countries, Bangladesh was a little late in realising the potentials of ICT. Bangladesh has taken a firm stance in favour of ICT since 1997. Despite that, the initiatives and efforts of the successive governments suffered from confusion, fear and ignorance about ICT and its potentials along with enthusiasm. In the context of this reality, this paper studies the nature of initiatives and efforts of various governments taken during 1996 to 2013 in developing and implementing the policies and legislation including the National ICT. The paper observes that the attitudes of political leadership vary as political power changes hands as all political leaderships do not perceive ICT as a bearer of positive change in government machinery. The paper concludes with the arguments that ICT in Bangladesh is gaining strong institutionalised form as the political responses have become more confident.

The Influence of Intangible (‘Soft’) Constructs on the Outcome of Community ICT Initiatives in Ghana: A Gap Archetype Analysis

AbstractThis paper applies the gap archetypes framework as an analytical tool to evaluate the Community Information Centre (CIC) initiative (also widely referred to as telecentres) in Ghana. It critically examines how the interaction of ‘soft’ constructs (politics, culture, emotions, people, partnerships and context) influenced the outcome of the initiative. This paper is a response to recent calls for the evaluation of such intangible constructs and the extent to which they affect the implementation and utilisation of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiatives. Adopting a qualitative approach, this study investigated eight government‐owned telecentres to highlight how these ‘soft’ constructs influenced the implementation and governance of the CIC initiatives. The results indicate that these ‘soft’ constructs were overlooked throughout the process of implementation which consequently negatively affected the suitability of the telecentres. The study also demonstrates the usefulness of the gap archetypes framework as an analytical tool for the evaluation of telecentres and ICT projects in general.

Mobile tourist guide supporting a smart city initiative: a Brazilian case study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a smart city initiative presenting a mobile tourist guide developed for Natal, Brazil. Design/methodology/approach – This study has employed an exploratory case study approach to gain more knowledge about a smart city initiative and a mobile tourist guide in Brazil. The city of Natal was selected for this case study since it was one of the host cities during the FIFA World Cup 2014. The collected data for this research came from government (e.g. Natal Smart City plan), academic sources (e.g. Metropole Digital Institute (IMD)), and tourists’ information from the mobile tourist guide application. Findings – The smart city initiative of Natal, and the mobile tourist guide (named Find Natal) responsible for collecting, processing, sharing, storing and analysing the tourist behaviour were detailed in the paper. The Smart City Consortium in Natal is developing an interoperable and distributed infrastructure that is advancing the state-of-the-art in information and communication technologies (ICT) for planning and managing smart cities. The IMD implemented an application, which aims to enhance the traveller’s experience through software programs designed to leverage the infrastructure mechanisms behind the city. The data gathered by the application was analysed to show how it was used during the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Originality/value – The results show a developed ICT initiative in a Latin American country. This study offers a starting point for destinations willing to implement and deploy a smart city initiative.

Role of ICT Initiatives in Sustainable Progress of Rural Women in India

Abstract The lower status, lost dignity, and denied rights of women across the rural India comes out with a clarion call to promote sustainable progress in their lives. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has emerged as one of a dynamic tool in their lives. It has been successful in connecting the rural and remote population to the wider world. These tools are initiated for gender equality and women’s sustainable progress. Its success largely depends on the availability and accessibility for the rural women. The main objectives of the study was to present the successful elements of ICT initiatives in the significant process of sustainable development, to trace out the barriers and bottlenecks of ICT initiatives in rural India and to identify the areas of further strengthening the effectiveness of ICT initiatives in sustainable progress of rural women. Of the four sample ICT initiatives, two of the initiatives were situated in southern India i.e. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and the other two were in the northern part of India i.e. Gujarat and Rajasthan. The study also identified the requirement for basic education, technical skills, tailored training for women and above all engendering of ICT policies. Women are one of the wonderful creations and co-creators of the universe. However, the history of human civilization testified to the changing status of women all through the history. In 19th and 20th centuries, reform movements led by great social reformers provided better avenues to women’s legal status. Nevertheless, independent India continued to witness upheavals against women oppression despite its Constitution providing equality.