Dissertation Research: Digital Development: ICT Policy in East Africa

这项科学与社会论文改进基金支持为一个论文研究项目收集实证数据，该项目旨在研究南非、尼日利亚、肯尼亚、卢旺达、乌干达和坦桑尼亚的信息和通信技术（ICT）政策制定过程。与发达国家相比，大多数非洲国家没有足够的机会获得诸如计算机、互联网、固定和移动电话线以及其他通信技术等技术。这些基础设施方面的差距严重影响了经济增长和在日益全球化的世界市场上的竞争力。活动人士还认为，这项技术可以用来促进经济和社会发展，提高政府效率，创造就业机会，并赋予妇女和青年权力。为了应对来自跨国和当地行动者的压力，至少有23个非洲国家政府做出了政策承诺，在本国制定正式的信息通信技术政策。本论文承认信息通信技术是非洲经济乃至政治变革的重要力量。然而，本研究进行了更深入的探讨，提出了谁在推动信息通信技术政策，他们为什么要推动，谁可能从制定信息通信技术政策中受益等问题。本研究的重点是6个非洲国家政府为制定正式的ICT政策所做的努力。这项研究在两个重要但尚未研究的领域有所发现。首先，本文发展了一个关于跨国组织、捐助者、地方政府和地方政治行动者推动和追求信息通信技术作为非洲国家政策议程项目的动机的理论。其次，本研究确定并探讨了影响信息通信技术政策通过速度及其内容的因素。研究人员采用比较案例研究方法。此外，这项NSF资助的数据收集除了采访外，还侧重于文献来源。使用的文献来源包括国内和国际印刷和电子媒体的剪报，政府文件和选择性使用的二手来源。所使用的经验和定性来源包括与主要利益攸关方的访谈、出席主要国家的会议和专题小组。数据分析将通过过程追溯和对照的方式进行。正在从一级和二级来源收集数据，并在肯尼亚的关键案例中顺利进行，与政府、学术界、民间社会和私营部门的利益攸关方进行了46次半结构化访谈。从理论上讲，本研究对科学技术研究和电信政策的研究具有启示意义，此外还有关于发展、非营利部门、议程设置和良好治理的政治学研究。研究人员假设，国内良好的治理、捐助者和跨国组织的存在和参与、民主国家对选民的反应、国内公民社会的活动水平以及执政政党的意识形态倾向等问题都会影响信息通信技术政策的内容和实施。技术对非洲的影响没有得到充分的研究，该地区的决策过程也是如此。这项研究纠正了这些缺陷。这项研究的结果应该引起捐助者的兴趣，特别是资助ICT相关活动的美国国际开发署。此外，这项研究将对非政府组织部门、目前处于ICT决策过程中的非洲政府以及塞拉利昂、埃塞俄比亚、索马里和苏丹等可能在不久的将来考虑此类决策过程的政府感兴趣。

This Science and Society Dissertation Improvement Grant supports the gathering of empirical data for a dissertation research project that examines the policymaking process for information and communication technology (ICT) policy in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania. Most African countries have inadequate access to technologies such as computers, the Internet, fixed and mobile telephone lines and other communications technologies in comparison to developed nations. These gaps in infrastructure have serious impacts on economic growth and competitiveness in an increasingly globalized world market. Activists also believe that this technology can be harnessed to help promote economic and social development, improve government efficiency, create jobs, and empower women and youth. In response to pressure from transnational and local actors, at least twenty-three African governments have made policy commitments to developing formal ICT policies in their nations. This dissertation acknowledges that ICT is an important force for economic and perhaps political change in Africa. Yet, this research probes deeper, asking questions about who is pushing for an ICT policy, why they are pushing, and who is likely to benefits from developing an ICT policy. This research focuses on the efforts of 6 African governments to develop formal ICT policies. This research makes findings in two important yet unstudied areas. First, this dissertation develops a theory regarding the motivations of transnational organizations, donors, local governments, and local political actors for promoting and pursuing ICT as a policy agenda item for African nations. Second, this research identifies and explores factors which affect the speed with which ICT policies as passed as well as their content. The researchers utilize comparative case study methodology. Further, data collection supported by this NSF grants focuses on documentary sources in addition to interviews. Documentary sources used include clippings from the national and international print and electronic media, government documents and selective useof secondary sources. Empirical and qualitative sources used include interviews with key stakeholders, attendance at meetings and conferences in key countries, and focus groups. Data analysis will be conducted by means of process tracing and controlled comparison. Data collection is ongoing from both primary and secondary sources and is well-underway in the crucial case of Kenya with 46 semi-structured interviews conducted with stakeholders in government, academia, civil society and the private sector. Theoretically, this study has implications for research in science and technology studies and telecommunications policy, in addition to political science research on development, the nonprofit sector, agenda setting and good governance. The researchers hypothesize that issues such as domestic good governance, the presence and engagement of donors and transnational organizations, the responsiveness of a democracy to voters, the activity level in domestic civil society, and the ideological leanings of the ruling political party can affect the content and implementation of ICT policies. The impact of technology in Africa is understudied, as is the policymaking process in the region. This research corrects those deficiencies. The outcomes of this research should be of interest to donors-- particularly USAID that funds ICT related activities. In addition, this research will be of interest to the NGO sector, as well as African governments currently in the midst of the ICT policymaking process and governments such as Sierra Leone, Ethiopia, Somalia and Sudan that may be contemplating such policymaking processes in the near future.