Exploring the tensions and incongruities of Internet governance in Africa

Drawing on a series of in-depth interviews and statistical analysis of policy reports and documents, this paper examines how African nation states interact with Internet governance at the international level. There is a dominant paradigm at work that values the multistakeholder approach and encourages dialogue and equal representation. While, in principle, this model has developed for the good of all participating countries, we illuminate tensions and incongruities experienced by African nation states. We use three analytical frames that focus on the way countries are measured and ranked as ICT ready - what we refer to as accumulating evaluative value, the forms of resistance that emerge in order to counter the universalising values of Internet governance, and the way spatial geographies of internet use and access are mapped out politically. We draw attention to a paradox of stakeholder participation arguing that African nations experience continual disempowerment and alienation in their compliance with international directives

Exploring metaverse-based digital governance of Gambia: obstacles, Citizen perspectives, and key factors for success

The metaverse concept has recently garnered substantial attention, with growing interest in its potential application in governance. This study examines the obstacles, citizen perspectives, and crucial factors that may facilitate or impede the success of metaverse-based digital governance in a country. Through an in-depth analysis of survey data, the research reveals that weak internet connections and insufficient infrastructure constitute the primary barriers to adopting metaverse-based digital governance in The Gambia. However, addressing these challenges could significantly contribute to its successful implementation. The findings indicate that citizens' familiarity with the metaverse has a mixed impact on their confidence in the government's capacity to utilize the technology effectively. Additionally, a positive correlation was observed between satisfaction with existing digital governance and the public's propensity to engage in metaverse-driven initiatives. Privacy and security concerns surfaced as notable factors influencing citizens' willingness to participate in digital governance efforts within the metaverse. To ensure the effective adoption or execution of metaverse-based digital governance in The Gambia, the study proposes a roadmap prioritizing digital literacy programs, and infrastructure development, addressing privacy and security concerns, and cultivating trust in the government's ability to manage the transition competently. This research may serve as a valuable resource for other nations considering the adoption of metaverse-based digital governance systems

African female university students’ experiences of online education at home during the COVID-19 pandemic

Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, universities in South Africa introduced remote online learning to ensure the continuation of the teaching endeavour. However, learning from home during a pandemic may be a challenge, especially for female students. The purpose of this research was to examine how African female university students’ home environments in a pandemic impact their experiences of remote online education and was underpinned by an African feminist theoretical framework. Using a critical paradigm, qualitative approach and single case study design, the data was generated from questionnaires and metaphors. An inductive thematic analysis of the data showed that home environments play an important role in the education of African female students, particularly in a context characterised by gender inequities and inequities in material resources. However, a sense of agency, displayed by some participants, is suggestive of  their determination to overcome the many forms of marginalisation and discrimination they experience

SME finance and the construction of value in Rwanda

Purpose This article explores how entrepreneurs, banks, the government and alternative lending respond to finance gaps for Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). This article considers valuation as a sociological construct where actors use different calculative devices, forming an assemblage that partly positions valuation of entrepreneurial finance as a contested and socially constructed process. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the concept of ‘calculative devices’, the study articulates discursive institutional practices embedded within SME lending. This case study draws on analyses of 30 semi-structured interviews and archival data, government reports, and newspaper articles. Findings The study identified three triggers in Rwanda that were rooted in the informal and unincorporated nature of the SME governance structure; the lack of capacity for SME owners to manage their own projects; and normalising language around collateral requirements that marginalised the realities of SMEs; contributing to stagnation for SME finance. Practical implications The research provides direction for understanding how calculative devices create new forms of valuation of entrepreneurship in developing countries, particularly when human and non-human actors come together in an assemblage. The study calls for further research to demonstrate the embedded power of valuation practices and the performance of value in entrepreneurial finance. Originality/value The study brings new findings to the market creation literature by extending the notion of distributive calculative agency to SME finance. The study mobilises theory to interpret how discursive institutional practices are embedded within a country’s finance infrastructure, yielding unintended consequences for SME growth

Learning from Opening Data in the Context of E-Governance : Finland, with Special Reference to Government Location Data

The purpose of this chapter is to construct a framework to examine change in e-governance, apply this framework in a one-country case study on opening government location data, and draw conclusions. The conceptual framework is comprised of four dimensions: influential historical, social and political mechanisms; the diffusion of innovations; stages of e-governance development; and facilitators of change. The research material is comprised of documents and interviews. According to the results, the will for e-governance change must accumulate in government and elsewhere, e-governance change has to be legitimated with accounts of its benefits, the costs of the change have to be accounted for, and organizational and individual facilitators may be needed. Conclusions are drawn for future research and concerning e-governance practice in developed and developing countries.Peer reviewe

Chaos & Control: The Competing Tensions of Internet Governance in Iran

This report offers a comprehensive overview of Iran’s engagements with internet governance issues by tracking Iran’s public statements at internet governance forums, studying its delegations to international events, and comparing its international policy stances against its domestic practices. The report also examines the Iranian public’s engagement with internet governance issues, and the state of multistakeholderism in Iran. It achieves this by monitoring Iranian press coverage of internet governance debates and appraising Iran’s emerging domestic multistakeholder initiatives

Trends in South African child welfare from 2001-2010.

Child welfare potentially plays a key role in South Africa. While families suffered intensely under the apartheid regime, the burden on children, their caregivers and their communities seems to have increased despite the advent of democracy. Various local and global factors have resulted in an increase in poverty and a greater income divide. Increasing numbers of people have left the rural areas for opportunities in the cities. HIV and AIDs have ravished the social structures around children. Many children have lost one or both parents and require alternative care arrangements. The violence of the past has been inherited and seems to have become ingrained in social life. Identifying and implementing meaningful responses remains an ongoing challenge

The multistakeholder model of Internet governance, ICANN, and business stakeholders - practices of hegemonic power

This research examines the relationship between the Internet Corporation of Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and three groups of business stakeholders who participate in the multistakeholder model of Internet governance. The authors argue that ICANN’s use of ‘participatory evangelism’ serves as a device for the production of hegemonic power within the Internet governance model. By performing textual linguistic analysis on archival transcripts of triannual meetings from 2012 until 2016, the study operationalises hegemony as a dependent variable by linking stakeholder participation to the Internet governance policy-making agenda. By first identifying a ‘master variable’ that characterises the most general understanding of the data, statistical methods were used to construct a model with hegemony as a response variable. Furthermore, Analysis of Variance and Panel Data models were applied to measure variation in tone across the three groups of business stakeholders to understand how hegemony is produced. Our findings show that by using language that expresses hesitation and uncertainty, but at the same time is resolute with less complex discourses, the business sector stakeholders contribute to the production of hegemony that would theoretically benefit ICANN. This research underscores the importance of language and discourse as a driver of power within the Internet Governance

‘If he sees it with his own eyes, he will understand’: how gender informed the content and delivery of a maternal nutrition intervention in Burkina Faso

A growing body of literature urges policymakers, practitioners and scientists to consider gender in the design and evaluation of health interventions. We report findings from formative research to develop and refine an mHealth maternal nutrition intervention in Nouna, Burkina Faso, one of the world's most resource-poor settings. Gender was not an initial research focus, but emerged as highly salient during data collection, and thus guided lines of inquiry as the study progressed. We collected data in two stages, first using focus group discussions (FGD; n = 8) and later using FGDs (n = 2), interviews (n = 30) and observations of intervention delivery (n = 30). Respondents included pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers and Close-to-Community (CTC) providers, who execute preventative and curative tasks at the community level. We applied Morgan et al.'s gender framework to examine intervention content (what a gender-sensitive nutrition programme should entail) and delivery (how a gender-sensitive programme should be administered). Mothers emphasized that although they are often the focus of nutrition interventions, they are not empowered to make nutrition-based decisions that incur costs. They do, however, wield some control over nutrition-related tasks such as farming and cooking. Mothers described how difficult it is to consider only one's own children during meal preparation (which is communal), and all respondents described how nutrition-related requests can spark marital strife. Many respondents agreed that involving men in nutrition interventions is vital, despite men's perceived disinterest. CTC providers and others described how social norms and gender roles underpin perceptions of CTC providers and dictate with whom they can speak within homes. Mothers often prefer female CTC providers, but these health workers require spousal permission to work and need to balance professional and domestic demands. We recommend involving male partners in maternal nutrition interventions and engaging and supporting a broader cadre of female CTC providers in Burkina Faso

Perspective by incongruity in the performance of dialectical ironic analysis: a disciplined approach

The importance of dialectic to sociological thought has been recognised by many of the discipline’s most eminent thinkers. Adopting a dialectical world view infused with irony provokes insights revealing logical contradictions, so opening up possibilities for the development of alternative interpretations of the social world. There is, however, very little in the way of method to support the development of dialectical irony as a key analytical tool for the social sciences. This paper seeks to remedy this deficit. Drawing on three key examples (trained incapacity, functional stupidity and interpassivity) the paper examines Kenneth Burke’s ‘perspective by incongruity’ as a means for interrogating the dialectical moment, so contributing towards the development of dialectical ironic analysis within a methodology of humour