TY - JOUR
T1 - Taking technology to the field
T2 - hardware challenges in developing countries
AU - Hosman, Laura
AU - Armey, Laura E.
N1 - Funding Information:
Research results presented in this article were developed with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Acquisition and Assistance (OAA) Fixed Obligation Grant: “Increasing Community Engagement Through ICT,” AID-OAA-F-13-00071.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 Commonwealth Secretariat.
PY - 2017/10/2
Y1 - 2017/10/2
N2 - A great deal has been written about the various socio-political, economic, and cultural reasons that information and communications technologies (ICTs) fail to achieve the potential they represent. Far less attention has been paid to the technology itself, and the role that the hardware plays in the success or failure of ICT4D. Along these lines, we find a disconnect between much of the scholarly ICT4D research and many of the needs and concerns of practitioners and intended beneficiaries. Using interviews and surveys, this article asks ICT4D practitioners and end-users about the technology and hardware needs and challenges they face in the field. These practitioners consistently suggest that electricity is the most important hardware-related concern, followed closely by cost, robustness/ruggedness, and ease of maintenance/repair. We argue for the inclusion of hardware and technology considerations in the planning and implementation of ICT4D projects. Failure to address these concerns may account for the underperformance of many technologies in the development context.
AB - A great deal has been written about the various socio-political, economic, and cultural reasons that information and communications technologies (ICTs) fail to achieve the potential they represent. Far less attention has been paid to the technology itself, and the role that the hardware plays in the success or failure of ICT4D. Along these lines, we find a disconnect between much of the scholarly ICT4D research and many of the needs and concerns of practitioners and intended beneficiaries. Using interviews and surveys, this article asks ICT4D practitioners and end-users about the technology and hardware needs and challenges they face in the field. These practitioners consistently suggest that electricity is the most important hardware-related concern, followed closely by cost, robustness/ruggedness, and ease of maintenance/repair. We argue for the inclusion of hardware and technology considerations in the planning and implementation of ICT4D projects. Failure to address these concerns may account for the underperformance of many technologies in the development context.
KW - Development
KW - electricity
KW - hardware
KW - information technology
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85027882164&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1080/02681102.2017.1363028
DO - 10.1080/02681102.2017.1363028
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85027882164
SN - 0268-1102
VL - 23
SP - 648
EP - 667
JO - Information Technology for Development
JF - Information Technology for Development
IS - 4
ER -