Édney Santos

Bio: Édney Santos is an academic researcher. The author has contributed to research in topics: Archival research & Digital divide. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 14 citations.

Diffusion of innovations and labor market challenges: a multiple case study from Angola

Abstract: The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study was to gain a deeper understanding of the views of stakeholders residing within impoverished communities in Angola on rapid technology diffusion and its implication on labor market challenges within their regions. To address this gap, and consistent with the qualitative paradigm, this paper conducted methodological triangulation of the study’s multiple data sources, including semistructured interviews and archival data in the form of government labor reports, reflective field notes and archival data to establish the trustworthiness of the study’s data analysis and findings.,A gap in the literature exists between the general diffusion of technological innovations and socioeconomic development that results in an ambiguous connection between theory, academia and professional practice among sub-Saharan African countries. To inform governments in developing countries on how to effectively achieve the diffusion of innovations (DoI), this integrative literature review supports a broader qualitative multiple case study that offers insights into the views of stakeholders residing within impoverished communities in Angola, on rapid technology diffusion and its implication for labor market challenges. This overview of existing research offers a targeted knowledge base that can support future research and help promote the potential for socioeconomic development in low-income countries. By addressing the patterns of the relationship between various economic imbalances and the adoption of technology that promote the social divide, along with highlighting the importance of understanding the overall technological dualism between various social groups, promises effective policies for successful DoI in impoverished sub-Saharan African regions by evaluating its impact on local labor market challenges.,The results of this multiple case study research oversee a thematic analysis of the data collected based on the study’s multiple sources, following a cross-case analysis in which this paper synthesizes the findings of the initial thematic analysis of data to answer the study’s central research question. The multiple case study approach in this research follows the concept of replication logic discussed by Yin (2017) in which the same findings are replicated across multiple cases as similarities and differences are traced across cases, and the study results obtained in this way are deemed robust and reliable.,A potential key limitation in this study was associated to the participants’ limited experiences about the study’s central phenomenon, which if inadequate, could not have been reflective of the challenges faced and shared by the target population. This study mitigates the limitation with an observation in which a much sharper understanding of the participants’ knowledge about the topic of interest was developed. Another limitation was the sample size that could have been small and may not be representative of the entire population. This study mitigates the limitation through careful interpretation of the data and strong conclusion of results.,For practical implications, this study emphasized the importance of participative approaches to ICT implementation that if well adapted by policymakers could lead to a more contextually anchored ICT-supported poverty alleviation within different dimensions of poverty.,This study addresses an under-researched area on why innovation policy initiatives calling for technology diffusion in Angola continue to stall rather than combating labor market challenges in impoverished communities. This study brings the voices of local populations on technology diffusion in impoverished regions of Angola to the extant literature, launching the development of a body of knowledge that may point the way to a promising avenue of social change through innovation and technology diffusion.,This research is original and significant in that it addresses an under-researched area on innovation policy initiatives calling for technology diffusion in Angola that continue to stall rather than combating labor market challenges in impoverished communities. This study also makes an original contribution to Rogers’s seminal theory and concept of diffusion of innovations. The study’s results guided further research in technology adoption and innovation diffusion within Angola, a nation faced with poor human capital development and an increasing proportion of the world’s poorest people and unemployment.

Internet adoption and usage patterns in Africa: Evidence from Cameroon

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to understand what factors stimulate or hinder the adoption and usage of the Internet in Africa. We adopt a micro-econometric approach and use household survey data from Cameroon. Our results show that young and educated individuals are more likely to use the Internet in Cameroon. The probability of using the Internet is also higher for male, as well as for English-speaking and computer savvy individuals. Moreover, Internet users are more likely to have family abroad. We also find that Internet usage patterns differ across gender, age and education. For instance, older generations are less likely to use the Internet as a leisure activity (video, game, music). College educated people are also more likely to go online to search information than to have entertainment usage. These results provide evidence of digital divide in the Internet access, but also in the usage patterns on the African continent in particular in African countries that are at the early stages of Internet diffusion.

Institutions and African Economies: An Overview

Abstract: This article presents an overview of the current special issue ‘Institutions and African Economies’. The findings include: (1) greater prevalence of democratic regimes improved both agricultural productivity and the overall growth of African economies, consistent with ‘new institutionalism’; (2) higher institutional quality involving more binding constraints on the executive branch of government would raise economic growth via increased prevalence of ‘syndrome-free’ regimes; (3) in more democratic regimes, there is less corruption, but greater risk of conflict, from resource rents; (4) Nigeria represents a good illustrative case of the potentially corrosive nature of resource rents, with the policy implication that distributing the rents to the public might provide a solution to the resource-curse problem; and (5) while employment protection regulation does not appear consequential, greater difficulty in doing business results in less job growth in African manufacturing in the long term.