EJISDC: The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries 

About: EJISDC: The Electronic Journal on Information Systems in Developing Countries is an academic journal published by Wiley-Blackwell. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Information system & Information and Communications Technology. It has an ISSN identifier of 1681-4835. Over the lifetime, 617 publications have been published receiving 17389 citations. The journal is also known as: EJISDC & The Electronic journal of information systems in developing countries.

E-Government for Developing Countries: Opportunities and Challenges

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTION The explosion of digital connectivity, the significant improvements in communication and information technologies and the enforced global competition are revolutionizing the way business is performed and the way organizations compete. A new, complex and rapidly changing economic order has emerged based on disruptive innovation, discontinuities, abrupt and seditious change. In this new landscape, knowledge constitutes the most important factor, while learning, which emerges through cooperation, together with the increased reliability and trust, is the most important process (Lundvall and Johnson, 1994). The competitive survival and ongoing sustenance of an organisation primarily depend on its ability to redefine and adopt continuously goals, purposes and its way of doing things (Malhotra, 2001). These trends suggest that private and public organizations have to reinvent themselves through 'continuous non-linear innovation' in order to sustain themselves and achieve strategic competitive advantage. The extant literature highlights the great potential of ICT tools for operational efficiency, cost reduction, quality of services, convenience, innovation and learning in private and public sectors. However, scholarly investigations have focused primarily on the effects and outcomes of ICTs (Information & Communication Technology) for the private sector. The public sector has been sidelined because it tends to lag behind in the process of technology adoption and business reinvention. Only recently has the public sector come to recognize the potential importance of ICT and e-business models as a means of improving the quality and responsiveness of the services they provide to their citizens, expanding the reach and accessibility of their services and public infrastructure and allowing citizens to experience a faster and more transparent form of access to government services. The initiatives of government agencies and departments to use ICT tools and applications, Internet and mobile devices to support good governance, strengthen existing relationships and build new partnerships within civil society, are known as eGovernment initiatives. As with e-commerce, eGovernment represents the introduction of a great wave of technological innovation as well as government reinvention. It represents a tremendous impetus to move forward in the 21 st century with higher quality, cost effective government services and a better relationship between citizens and government (Fang, 2002). Many government agencies in developed countries have taken progressive steps toward the web and ICT use, adding coherence to all local activities on the Internet, widening local access and skills, opening up interactive services for local debates, and increasing the participation of citizens on promotion and management …

The Failure of E-Government in Developing Countries: A Literature Review

Abstract: This paper provides an insight to the trends that exist within academic writing in the much talked about area of e-government, and the potential they hold for developing countries. While there is much hype about success stories, the bitter truth that presents itself is that the majority of e-government projects in developing countries fail. After an introduction to Ciborra's (2005) view on e-government, this paper proceeds to use Heeks' (2003) 'archetypes of failure', which are brought about by gaps between the design of the technology itself and reality of the context, to classify some of the current literature. This classification provides a brief overview of themes manifested within this body of knowledge, serving as a useful background for practitioners and implementers of e-government in developing countries.

Participatory Mapping and Geographic Information Systems: Whose Map? Who is Empowered and Who Disempowered? Who Gains and Who Loses?

Abstract: In recent years, changes in participatory methodologies (PMs) may have been even more rapid than those in spatial technologies. Local people's abilities to make maps only became widely known and facilitated in the early 1990s. Participatory mapping has spread like a pandemic with many variants and applications not only in natural resource management but also in many other domains. With mapping as one element, there are now signs of a new pluralist eclecticism and creativity in PMs. The medium and means of mapping, whether ground, paper or GIS and the style and mode of facilitation, influence who takes part, the nature of outcomes and power relationships. Much depends on the behaviour and attitudes of facilitators and who controls the process. Many ethical issues present troubling dilemmas, and lead to overarching questions about empowerment and ownership. Questions to be asked, again and again, are: Who is empowered and who disempowered? And, who gains and who loses?

Participatory Spatial Information Management and Communication in Developing Countries

Abstract: The merging of participatory development methods with geo-spatial technologies has come to be known as Participatory GIS and is now an emergent development practice in its own right. PGIS combines a range of geo-spatial information management tools and methods such as sketch maps, participatory 3D models, community-based air photo and satellite imagery interpretation, GPS transect walks and GIS-based cognitive mapping. Participatory GIS implies making GIT&S available to disadvantaged groups in society in order to enhance their capacity in generating, managing, analysing and communicating spatial information. PGIS practice is geared towards community empowerment through measured, demand-driven, user-friendly and integrated applications of geo-spatial technologies. GIS-based maps and spatial analysis thus become major conduits in the process. A good PGIS practice is embedded into long-lasting and locally driven spatial decision-making processes, is flexible, adapts to different socio-cultural and bio-physical environments, depends on multidisciplinary facilitation and skills and builds essentially on visual language. If appropriately utilized, the practice should exert profound impacts on community empowerment, innovation and social change. More importantly, by placing control of access and use of culturally sensitive spatial information in the hands of those who generated them, PGIS practice can protect traditional knowledge and wisdom from external exploitation. Effective participation is the key to good PGIS practice. Whilst the focus of traditional GIS applications is often on the outcome, PGIS initiatives tend to emphasize the processes by which outcomes are attained. At times the participatory process can obfuscate systematic inequalities through unequal and superficial participation. For example, PGIS applications may be used to legitimise decisions which in fact were taken by outsiders. The process can also easily be hijacked by community elites. For PGIS practices to be successful, they must be placed in a well thought out and demand-driven process based on the proactive collaboration of the custodians of local and traditional knowledge and of facilitators skilled in applying PGIS and transferring technical know-how to local actors. Participation thus cuts across the process from gaining a clear understanding of the existing legal and regulatory frameworks, to jointly setting project objectives, defining strategies and choosing appropriate geo-spatial information management tools. The integrated and multifaceted nature of PGIS provides legitimacy for local knowledge and generates a great sense of confidence and pride which prepares participant communities in dealing with outsiders. The process is intended to build self-esteem, raise awareness about pressing issues in the community and produce concrete and sustainable spatial solutions.

A Conceptual Framework for E-Learning in Developing Countries: A Critical Review of Research Challenges

Abstract: This paper presents a critical review of research on challenges for e-learning with a particular focus on developing countries. A comprehensive literature review including 60 papers on e-learning challenges was undertaken for the purpose of understanding how to implement e-learning in developing countries. Research questions were: what has existing research identified as the major challenges for e-learning, and, what differences, if any, are there between developing countries and developed countries in this respect? The literature study found 278 papers which were condensed to 60 based on exclusion and inclusion criteria designed to find papers of best quality as well as papers that clearly investigated well-defined challenges. The research found 30 specific challenges which were grouped into four categories, viz.: courses, individuals, technology and context. The overall conclusion is that these challenges are equally valid for both developed and developing countries; however in developing countries more papers focus on access to technology and context whereas in developed countries more papers concern individuals. A further finding is that most papers focus on one or two categories of challenges; few papers exhibit a comprehensive view. Because challenges are interrelated, based on the findings we propose a conceptual framework of emerging issues for e-learning in developed and developing countries. The framework is useful to guide both practice and research.