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Understanding the role of ICT and study circles in enabling economic opportunities: Lessons learned from an educational project in Kenya
Örebro University, Örebro University School of Business. (Informatik)ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1076-3442
Department of Information Systems, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Department of Information Systems, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
2020 (English)In: Information Systems Journal, ISSN 1350-1917, E-ISSN 1365-2575, Vol. 30, no 4, p. 664-698Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In this paper, we explore how the combination of Informa-tion and Communication Technologies (ICT) and self-organised study circles improves rural communities' abilityto enhance their economic opportunities. We present thecase study of an adult study-circle project in the Kwale County of Kenya with the objective of providing rural communities with viable and sustainable livelihoods. Study circles can be seen as a democratic and emancipatory method for learning, where community groups regularly meet for participatory discussions to educate themselves on a variety of topics of their own interest. The main goal of the study-circle members was to increase economic opportunities using ICT and, more specifically, to start micro-businesses, improve production efficacy and methods, and obtain employment. Using the capability approach and affordances as theoretical lenses, our analysis of the explorative case study shows that the outcomes of the study circle were dependent on various conversion factors and facilitating conditions, such as resources, skills, socio-cultural norms, and infrastructure. The main contributions from our work are represented by the five practical lessons learned from the study-circle members' goals (starting micro-businesses, product efficiency, and obtaining employment) from the self-organised training approach (study circles) and from our theoretical approach (combining the capability approach and affordances).

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Blackwell Publishing, 2020. Vol. 30, no 4, p. 664-698
Keywords [en]
affordances, capability approach, economic opportunities, ICT4D, Kenya, study circles
National Category
Information Systems, Social aspects
Research subject
Informatics
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-78879DOI: 10.1111/isj.12277ISI: 000502462200001Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85077073321OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-78879DiVA, id: diva2:1382915
Available from: 2020-01-07 Created: 2020-01-07 Last updated: 2020-08-24Bibliographically approved

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Hatakka, Mathias

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