Based on the perspective of e-government practitioners at a government agency in Sweden, this article analyses the design-process with the aim of unearthing the design-principles of a Digital Index (DI). The DI is developed to address challenges of how to: understand; appraise; learn from and develop e-government – by combining digital technologies with the context of public administration. This study applies a design-science research method and analyses the initial steps of the design-process: awareness of the problem, suggestion, and development. The results show how the abstract artefact – the DI – is constructed and how it is based on three main design-principles. Firstly e-government should be contextualised with the nature of public administration – which means relating digital technologies vis-a-vis core-businesses of a public authority. Secondly: digital technologies support administrative processes and must be premised on the classification of information and law. Thirdly, apply a process view of e-government that highlights the relationship between internal administrative procedures, the interaction with citizens/companies and the sharing of government data. The discussion highlights how the DI is relevant for research on e-government by offering some concrete as well as general perspectives on how to combine e-government and public administration.
{"title":"The practitioners guide to a digital index: Unearthing design-principles of an abstract artefact","authors":"Fredric Skargren, K. G. Ambrosiani","doi":"10.3233/ip-200262","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-200262","url":null,"abstract":"Based on the perspective of e-government practitioners at a government agency in Sweden, this article analyses the design-process with the aim of unearthing the design-principles of a Digital Index (DI). The DI is developed to address challenges of how to: understand; appraise; learn from and develop e-government – by combining digital technologies with the context of public administration. This study applies a design-science research method and analyses the initial steps of the design-process: awareness of the problem, suggestion, and development. The results show how the abstract artefact – the DI – is constructed and how it is based on three main design-principles. Firstly e-government should be contextualised with the nature of public administration – which means relating digital technologies vis-a-vis core-businesses of a public authority. Secondly: digital technologies support administrative processes and must be premised on the classification of information and law. Thirdly, apply a process view of e-government that highlights the relationship between internal administrative procedures, the interaction with citizens/companies and the sharing of government data. The discussion highlights how the DI is relevant for research on e-government by offering some concrete as well as general perspectives on how to combine e-government and public administration.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"87 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115169851","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The institutionalisation of new technologies, information systems, norms, practices and other innovations for improving governance, planning, operational efficiency and service delivery in the public sector remain a challenge. Power dynamics, and politics have also been recognised as playing a critical role in the institutionalisation of information systems for promoting digital transformation of the public sector. This study used data collected through an extensive review of literature and empirical data from a case study of South Africa’s government digital transformation journey. The study explored power dynamics and the role of politics in the institutionalisation of reforms and deinstitutionalisation of institutionalised practices that constrain transformation in institutions. Power dynamics, and politics in institutions were found to have a significant bearing on the institutionalisation of reforms that include information systems in the digital transformation of government. The study found that the digital transformation of the public is more than the implementation technology and requires the holistic view of institutions as social, economic, and political structures.
{"title":"Power, politics, and the institutionalisation of information systems for promoting digital transformation in the public sector: A case of the South African's government digital transformation journey","authors":"More Ickson Manda","doi":"10.3233/ip-200233","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-200233","url":null,"abstract":"The institutionalisation of new technologies, information systems, norms, practices and other innovations for improving governance, planning, operational efficiency and service delivery in the public sector remain a challenge. Power dynamics, and politics have also been recognised as playing a critical role in the institutionalisation of information systems for promoting digital transformation of the public sector. This study used data collected through an extensive review of literature and empirical data from a case study of South Africa’s government digital transformation journey. The study explored power dynamics and the role of politics in the institutionalisation of reforms and deinstitutionalisation of institutionalised practices that constrain transformation in institutions. Power dynamics, and politics in institutions were found to have a significant bearing on the institutionalisation of reforms that include information systems in the digital transformation of government. The study found that the digital transformation of the public is more than the implementation technology and requires the holistic view of institutions as social, economic, and political structures.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"94 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131230453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Julián Villodre, J. I. Criado, A. Meijer, Irene Liarte
Social media institutionalization in public administrations has been conceptualized as the final stage of the adoption process. However, an understanding of organizational models for social media institutionalization in public administration is lacking. This exploratory study of Dutch local governments contributes to the literature by identifying how governments organize social media institutionalization. Drawing on an original questionnaire on social media adoption, two advanced cases were selected based on their high level of social media institutionalization: Utrecht and Eindhoven. For each case, in-depth semi structured interviews were carried out aiming at detecting institutionalization patterns. Our study highlights that, in contrast with the literature on stages of technological maturity, social media institutionalization shows two different organizational models: a centralized model, based on trust, with highly structured and formalized policy guides, low experimentation, formal training and evaluation supported by standardized reports; and a distributed model, based on control, with simple guiding principles, higher levels of experimentation, training build on a “learn by doing” basis, and individual evaluation mechanisms. These results enrich current academic understanding of social media institutionalization and may guide public officials involved in social media institutionalization practices.
{"title":"Organizational models for social media institutionalization: An exploratory analysis of Dutch local governments","authors":"Julián Villodre, J. I. Criado, A. Meijer, Irene Liarte","doi":"10.3233/IP-210316","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-210316","url":null,"abstract":"Social media institutionalization in public administrations has been conceptualized as the final stage of the adoption process. However, an understanding of organizational models for social media institutionalization in public administration is lacking. This exploratory study of Dutch local governments contributes to the literature by identifying how governments organize social media institutionalization. Drawing on an original questionnaire on social media adoption, two advanced cases were selected based on their high level of social media institutionalization: Utrecht and Eindhoven. For each case, in-depth semi structured interviews were carried out aiming at detecting institutionalization patterns. Our study highlights that, in contrast with the literature on stages of technological maturity, social media institutionalization shows two different organizational models: a centralized model, based on trust, with highly structured and formalized policy guides, low experimentation, formal training and evaluation supported by standardized reports; and a distributed model, based on control, with simple guiding principles, higher levels of experimentation, training build on a “learn by doing” basis, and individual evaluation mechanisms. These results enrich current academic understanding of social media institutionalization and may guide public officials involved in social media institutionalization practices.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114557390","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Public service delivery is an essential component of e-governance initiatives but the digital divide limits citizens’ access to e-government services, especially in rural communities. The Digital India initiative launched Common Service Centers (CSCs) to mitigate the physical-digital divide issue. The privately operated local kiosks are meant to ensure easy access to digital government services in India’s remote pockets. Although the literature indicates that females generally have lower perceptions and adoption rates of digital government, existing studies commonly assume women directly interact with government websites. We know little about gender-specific experiences of digital government through the user assisted and privately operated local kiosks. This survey study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the gender-specific acceptance of public service through local kiosks in rural India. This paper argues that user-assisted kiosks help mitigate the gender digital divide by increasing the usefulness and ease of use of e-government, which improves rural women’s acceptance and use of digital government services. This field research brings insights from the developing world while recording women’s voices from underserved communities.
{"title":"Women and digital government in rural India: Extending TAM with user assisted service","authors":"S. Soni, Austin M. Mitchell","doi":"10.3233/IP-200302","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-200302","url":null,"abstract":"Public service delivery is an essential component of e-governance initiatives but the digital divide limits citizens’ access to e-government services, especially in rural communities. The Digital India initiative launched Common Service Centers (CSCs) to mitigate the physical-digital divide issue. The privately operated local kiosks are meant to ensure easy access to digital government services in India’s remote pockets. Although the literature indicates that females generally have lower perceptions and adoption rates of digital government, existing studies commonly assume women directly interact with government websites. We know little about gender-specific experiences of digital government through the user assisted and privately operated local kiosks. This survey study utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to explore the gender-specific acceptance of public service through local kiosks in rural India. This paper argues that user-assisted kiosks help mitigate the gender digital divide by increasing the usefulness and ease of use of e-government, which improves rural women’s acceptance and use of digital government services. This field research brings insights from the developing world while recording women’s voices from underserved communities.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"117237687","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Public engagement is a gendered experience, whether offline or online, something which is reflected in women’s experiences of social media. In this article, we seek to systematically explore the experiences from politically engaged women twitter users in New Zealand in order to draw some lessons, through a thematic and interpretative analytical approach, at four different strategic levels on how to deflect intimidating and aggressive behaviour. We conclude that understanding strategically how structural social locations like gender effect the ability to contribute to political participation and engagement, if addressed, can produce more inclusive and productive online political and policy spaces. Further, this strategic approach involves connecting together different levels of response to online negativity such as platform tools, space-curation, and monitoring, having these made coherent with each other, as well as with this strategic understanding of how structural social location plays into access and use of online political and policy spaces.
{"title":"Producing deflective online strategies: Lessons from New Zealand women's management of social media engagement","authors":"S. Bickerton, K. Löfgren","doi":"10.3233/ip-210320","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-210320","url":null,"abstract":"Public engagement is a gendered experience, whether offline or online, something which is reflected in women’s experiences of social media. In this article, we seek to systematically explore the experiences from politically engaged women twitter users in New Zealand in order to draw some lessons, through a thematic and interpretative analytical approach, at four different strategic levels on how to deflect intimidating and aggressive behaviour. We conclude that understanding strategically how structural social locations like gender effect the ability to contribute to political participation and engagement, if addressed, can produce more inclusive and productive online political and policy spaces. Further, this strategic approach involves connecting together different levels of response to online negativity such as platform tools, space-curation, and monitoring, having these made coherent with each other, as well as with this strategic understanding of how structural social location plays into access and use of online political and policy spaces.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"295 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127411910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This study aims to reveal patterns of e-petition co-signing behavior that are indicative of the mobilization of online “communities” engaging in collective action to express policy preferences on We the People (WtP), the first web-enabled US government petitioning system initiated by Obama. This Internet-based tool allowed users to petition the Obama Administration and solicit support for policy suggestions. Using petition data from WtP, this case study examines a set of 125 petitions that were created by individuals that are associated with a white supremacist group called The White Genocide Project (The White Genocide Project has recently changed their name to Fight White Genocide). Using data mining techniques, namely market basket analysis and social network analysis, I found evidence of the mobilization of “communities” of an extremist group of white supremacists who systematically and strategically used the WtP platform to broadcast their message by creating and co-signing petitions every month for almost four years.
{"title":"Electronic petitioning as online collective action: Examining the e-petitioning behavior of an extremist group in we the people","authors":"Catherine L. Dumas","doi":"10.3233/ip-210330","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-210330","url":null,"abstract":"This study aims to reveal patterns of e-petition co-signing behavior that are indicative of the mobilization of online “communities” engaging in collective action to express policy preferences on We the People (WtP), the first web-enabled US government petitioning system initiated by Obama. This Internet-based tool allowed users to petition the Obama Administration and solicit support for policy suggestions. Using petition data from WtP, this case study examines a set of 125 petitions that were created by individuals that are associated with a white supremacist group called The White Genocide Project (The White Genocide Project has recently changed their name to Fight White Genocide). Using data mining techniques, namely market basket analysis and social network analysis, I found evidence of the mobilization of “communities” of an extremist group of white supremacists who systematically and strategically used the WtP platform to broadcast their message by creating and co-signing petitions every month for almost four years.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"26 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130183582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The use of social media (SM) in modern political activities has reshaped how politicians run electoral campaigns. This study aims to improve the understanding of online campaigns and their correlation with electoral results. We focus on the 2018 Brazilian presidential campaign, which is well known for its strong online presence, and analyze how candidates used their SM profiles, as well as how citizens interacted with them. We propose a new set of metrics for modeling SM performance and identify statistical correlations between SM performance and votes received. For this, we analyzed more than 40,000 posts made by the 13 candidates on Brazil’s three major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) from January to October 2018. Results indicate that candidates used SM heavily throughout the year but focused on engaging words and avoided contentious topics. The most voted-for candidate received more than half (55%) of the interactions received by all the candidates. Posts’ interactions were highest on Instagram, where users were increasing the attention given to political content. Lastly, we found strong correlations between the proposed metrics and votes received. Thus, proposed metrics may support new models for predicting electoral results using combined data from many social networks.
{"title":"Correlations of social media performance and electoral results in Brazilian presidential elections","authors":"K. Brito, S. Meira, P. Adeodato","doi":"10.3233/ip-210315","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/ip-210315","url":null,"abstract":"The use of social media (SM) in modern political activities has reshaped how politicians run electoral campaigns. This study aims to improve the understanding of online campaigns and their correlation with electoral results. We focus on the 2018 Brazilian presidential campaign, which is well known for its strong online presence, and analyze how candidates used their SM profiles, as well as how citizens interacted with them. We propose a new set of metrics for modeling SM performance and identify statistical correlations between SM performance and votes received. For this, we analyzed more than 40,000 posts made by the 13 candidates on Brazil’s three major social networks (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram) from January to October 2018. Results indicate that candidates used SM heavily throughout the year but focused on engaging words and avoided contentious topics. The most voted-for candidate received more than half (55%) of the interactions received by all the candidates. Posts’ interactions were highest on Instagram, where users were increasing the attention given to political content. Lastly, we found strong correlations between the proposed metrics and votes received. Thus, proposed metrics may support new models for predicting electoral results using combined data from many social networks.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"51 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128266766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Public sector organizations increasingly engage in robotic innovation projects to assist or substitute for humans in service delivery. However, transitioning small-scale development projects into a large-scale context is a notoriously difficult task that often fails, with many promising robotic projects becoming lost in the diffusion “chasm.” We investigate a failed robotic diffusion project to analyze what went wrong and what can be learned from it. Despite an increased interest in learning from public sector digitalization failure, little attention has been paid to how and why seemingly successful service robot initiatives fail to move beyond the pilot stage. We identify three types of explanations for diffusion failure using an in-depth case study of a service robot initiative in the Danish eldercare sector that had a high degree of management support and commitment from key stakeholders. Our analysis demonstrates how the failure was caused by interrelated and context-specific reasons regarding the lack of technological maturity of the service robot (technology-oriented explanations), inadequate problem-solution fit in the conceptual design (scope-oriented explanations), and misalignment between the robot company and public sector organization mindsets (competing logic-oriented explanations). We outline the lessons learned for public sector digitalization and discuss the paradox between the hype surrounding robot innovations and their slow diffusion.
{"title":"Lost in the diffusion chasm: Lessons learned from a failed robot project in the public sector","authors":"Jon Aaen, J. A. Nielsen","doi":"10.3233/IP-200286","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-200286","url":null,"abstract":"Public sector organizations increasingly engage in robotic innovation projects to assist or substitute for humans in service delivery. However, transitioning small-scale development projects into a large-scale context is a notoriously difficult task that often fails, with many promising robotic projects becoming lost in the diffusion “chasm.” We investigate a failed robotic diffusion project to analyze what went wrong and what can be learned from it. Despite an increased interest in learning from public sector digitalization failure, little attention has been paid to how and why seemingly successful service robot initiatives fail to move beyond the pilot stage. We identify three types of explanations for diffusion failure using an in-depth case study of a service robot initiative in the Danish eldercare sector that had a high degree of management support and commitment from key stakeholders. Our analysis demonstrates how the failure was caused by interrelated and context-specific reasons regarding the lack of technological maturity of the service robot (technology-oriented explanations), inadequate problem-solution fit in the conceptual design (scope-oriented explanations), and misalignment between the robot company and public sector organization mindsets (competing logic-oriented explanations). We outline the lessons learned for public sector digitalization and discuss the paradox between the hype surrounding robot innovations and their slow diffusion.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"210 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"121853263","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mila Gascó-Hernández, Giorgia Nesti, M. Cucciniello, Yenisel Gulatee
Mila Gasco-Hernandez, Giorgia Nesti, Maria Cucciniello and Yenisel Gulatee aCenter for Technology in Government and Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA bUniversity of Padova, Padova, Italy cUniversity of Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, United Kingdom dUniversity at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA
Mila gascohernandez, Giorgia Nesti, Maria Cucciniello和Yenisel Gulatee政府技术中心和洛克菲勒公共事务与政策学院，奥尔巴尼大学，美国纽约州奥尔巴尼，纽约州立大学，意大利帕多瓦大学，帕多瓦，英国爱丁堡大学商学院，奥尔巴尼，纽约州立大学，奥尔巴尼，美国纽约州
{"title":"Introduction to the special issue on digital government and gender","authors":"Mila Gascó-Hernández, Giorgia Nesti, M. Cucciniello, Yenisel Gulatee","doi":"10.3233/IP-219007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-219007","url":null,"abstract":"Mila Gasco-Hernandez, Giorgia Nesti, Maria Cucciniello and Yenisel Gulatee aCenter for Technology in Government and Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA bUniversity of Padova, Padova, Italy cUniversity of Edinburgh Business School, Edinburgh, United Kingdom dUniversity at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY, USA","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"151 13","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134162889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Social scientists and practitioners across the world attempt to tackle the challenge of gendered digital divides, especially in achievement of e-government or people-centered governance. “African Women, ICT, And Neoliberal Politics” by Assata Zerai is the culmination of these efforts by drawing on the history of gender and digital divides in Africa. The book highlights the challenges to address the question of “how can we promote people-centered governance in Africa.” Past researchers highlight the importance of ICT and digital equity in neoliberal understanding of democratic governance (Asongu & Nwachukwu, 2016). In recognizing the discrepancies among women’s rights and the cultural stigmatization in Africa in relation to technology, Zerai presents a strong case for the importance of gender equity in achieving purposeful people-centered government. This book delights academic and practical readers actively working in feminist, government, or ICT areas. Assata Zerai writes from an African feminist academic-activist perspective, bridging the gaps between academic and practical. As a Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her research includes women’s rights, gender equity and inclusion, and ICT, much of which focuses on Africa and the African Diaspora. Beyond simply discussing the gender divides and practical impacts of addressing e-government challenges, Zerai emphasizes women’s voices in a multitude of ways: (1) she inspects how women’s access to ICT makes a difference to the success of people-centered government; and (2) she demonstrates how culture and scholarship of African women, must be understood, and implemented in the processes and goals of democratic governance. In doing so, she makes a case for woman-centered methodology. In this, Zerai formulates a database of female and gender-conscious scholars, activists, and practitioners in particular African countries to determine local values on gender equity and good governance. From this, she builds a conceptual model to analyze the impact of ICT on these values. This book is insightful in that it goes beyond simply viewing the challenges of e-government at the foundational level but works to discuss the cultural and social distinctions that affect the success of people-centered government in Africa. Zerai begins by discussing the mobile ecosystem and internet access in Africa and its relation to the gender digital divide. From there, she utilizes a variety of case studies on ICT, women’s status and rights, and governance in a variety of African countries. The most critical finding and explanation in the book, is the alliance between ICT, the diffusion of knowledge to women, gender-inclusive governance, and the resulting impact on women’s lives in select African countries.
{"title":"African women, ICT and neoliberal politics, by Assata Zerai: A review by Elisabeth Dubois","authors":"Elizabeth Dubois","doi":"10.3233/IP-219003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3233/IP-219003","url":null,"abstract":"Social scientists and practitioners across the world attempt to tackle the challenge of gendered digital divides, especially in achievement of e-government or people-centered governance. “African Women, ICT, And Neoliberal Politics” by Assata Zerai is the culmination of these efforts by drawing on the history of gender and digital divides in Africa. The book highlights the challenges to address the question of “how can we promote people-centered governance in Africa.” Past researchers highlight the importance of ICT and digital equity in neoliberal understanding of democratic governance (Asongu & Nwachukwu, 2016). In recognizing the discrepancies among women’s rights and the cultural stigmatization in Africa in relation to technology, Zerai presents a strong case for the importance of gender equity in achieving purposeful people-centered government. This book delights academic and practical readers actively working in feminist, government, or ICT areas. Assata Zerai writes from an African feminist academic-activist perspective, bridging the gaps between academic and practical. As a Professor of Sociology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, her research includes women’s rights, gender equity and inclusion, and ICT, much of which focuses on Africa and the African Diaspora. Beyond simply discussing the gender divides and practical impacts of addressing e-government challenges, Zerai emphasizes women’s voices in a multitude of ways: (1) she inspects how women’s access to ICT makes a difference to the success of people-centered government; and (2) she demonstrates how culture and scholarship of African women, must be understood, and implemented in the processes and goals of democratic governance. In doing so, she makes a case for woman-centered methodology. In this, Zerai formulates a database of female and gender-conscious scholars, activists, and practitioners in particular African countries to determine local values on gender equity and good governance. From this, she builds a conceptual model to analyze the impact of ICT on these values. This book is insightful in that it goes beyond simply viewing the challenges of e-government at the foundational level but works to discuss the cultural and social distinctions that affect the success of people-centered government in Africa. Zerai begins by discussing the mobile ecosystem and internet access in Africa and its relation to the gender digital divide. From there, she utilizes a variety of case studies on ICT, women’s status and rights, and governance in a variety of African countries. The most critical finding and explanation in the book, is the alliance between ICT, the diffusion of knowledge to women, gender-inclusive governance, and the resulting impact on women’s lives in select African countries.","PeriodicalId":418875,"journal":{"name":"Inf. Polity","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127459434","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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