Drawing from development: towards unifying theory and development of ICT4D

Heffernan, C., Lin, Y. and Thomson, K. (2016) Drawing from development: towards unifying theory and development of ICT4D. Journal of International Development, 28 (6). pp. 902-918. ISSN 1099-1328 doi: 10.1002/jid.2882

Abstract/Summary

Within the literature, many authors have argued that the rapid growth of the field of Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICT4D) has resulted in an emphasis on the applications rather than on theory. However, it is clear that it is not theories, rather the integration of theory and practice, that is often lacking. To address this gap, the authors begin by exploring some of the popular theoretical approaches to ICT4D with a view to identifying those theories relevant to shared impacts: development, delivery and communication. To unify practice and theory, we offer a framework to directly assess the impact of ICT4D on development.