Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
social sciences
The small group subtlety of using ICT for participatory governance: A South African experience
Government Information Quarterly, Volume 29, No. 2, Year 2012
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
The greater number of government efforts to stimulate participative governance in communities using Information and Communication Technology (ICT) often fall short of expectations. In South Africa extending e-government to communities has been in the form of more and/or better equipped ICT-enabled community centres, called Thusong Service Centres. In this paper, based on action research experiences, we report outcomes of interpretive research into ICT-enabled approaches to participative governance in communities. Using the Diffusion of Innovations theory as an analytic lens, the findings reveal a subtlety that is not often mentioned in the call for participative e-governance; people from communities prefer to work in groups rather than individually. The collectiveness inclination is a common denominator of many developing countries where people choose to come together to leverage the few available resources. Individuals become apprehensive when made to work on their own using the ICT. The research reveals the necessity to re-design ICT to suit small groups as part of participative e-governance rather than the normative ICT design that suits individual work styles. Additionally, the research reveals that by working in groups, communities are more willing to accept the government initiatives that are being energised with the use of ICT. Methodologically, the research revealed the ethical issue that arises from action research in its raising of unrealistic expectations in a community. © 2012 Elsevier Inc.
Authors & Co-Authors
Twinomurinzi, Hossana
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Phahlamohlaka, Jackie
South Africa, Pretoria
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
Byrne, Elaine
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Ireland, Dublin
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Statistics
Citations: 33
Authors: 3
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.giq.2011.09.010
ISSN:
0740624X
Research Areas
Health System And Policy
Study Locations
South Africa