ICTs, Statebuilding and Peacebuilding in Africa
Document Type
Working Paper
Date of this Version
1-2015
Abstract
By reviewing and comparing literature on the role of ICTs in statebuilding and peacebuilding in Africa, with a particular focus on neighboring Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, this paper examines whether the claims of the transformative power of ICTs are backed by evidence and whether local knowledge – e.g., traditional mechanisms for conflict resolution – is taken into consideration by ICT-based initiatives. Several key findings emerged, including: 1) empirical evidence on the successful use of ICTs to promote peacebuilding and statebuilding is thin; 2) few differences exist between scholarship emanating from the Global North and from Africa; and 3) the literature exhibits a simplistic assumption that ICTs will drive democratic development without sufficient consideration of how ICTs are actually used by the public.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gagliardone, Iginio; Kalemera, Ashnah; Kogen, Lauren; Nalwoga, Lillian; Stremlau, Nicole; and Wairagala, Wakabi. (2015). In Search of Local Knowledge on ICTs in Africa. ICTs, Statebuilding and Peacebuilding in Africa.
Retrieved from https://repository.upenn.edu/africaictresearch/4
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Date Posted: 06 February 2017