Chrisanthi Avgerou

Information Systems in Developing Countries: a Critical Research Review

In this paper I review the Information Systems (IS) research on how developing countries have attempted to benefit from information and communication technologies (ICTs). First I identify three discourses on IS implementation and associated organizational and social change that coexist in information systems in developing countries (ISDC) research, namely as a process of technology and knowledge transfer and adaptation to local social conditions; as a process of socially embedded action; and as a process of transformative techno-organizational intervention associated with global politics and economics. I then point out the distinctive research agenda that has been formed in ISDC studies, both in the more familiar IS themes – failure, outsourcing, and strategic value of ICT – and also in studies of themes relevant specifically to the context of developing countries, such as the development of community ICT and information resources. Finally, I call the readers attention to the potentially significant theoretical contributions of ISDC research for understanding IS innovation in relation to social context and in relation to socio-economic development theories and policies.

The significance of context in information systems and organizational change

This paper argues that it is of crucial importance that information systems (IS) research and practice associates technology innovation with the context within which it is embedded. It identifies three principles to be followed in order to address the contextual processes involved in IS implementation: first, technology innovation should be considered in relation to socio‐organizational change; second, analysis should consider not only the local organizational, but also the national and international context; and third, analysis should consider both the technical/rational decisions and actions involved in the innovation process and the cultural, social and cognitive forces of such a process. These principles are demonstrated with the analysis of a case study of organizational reform in Cyprus.

IT and organizational change: an institutionalist perspective

This article challenges the tendency of the information systems literature to subsume IT innovation in processes of organizational change, either with the role of “enabler” of organizational objectives, or as an instrument appropriated by situated organizational actors. Using institutionalist theory, the relationship between information systems development and organizational transformation is studied as the interaction of two institutionalization processes: the increasing momentum and legitimation of IT innovation; and the organizational efforts for the substitution of established structures and activities with new ones which often do not command adequate legitimacy. Such analysis suggests that IT innovation in organizations is to a large extent sustainable by its own institutional forces, irrespective of contribution to the processes of organizational change. This perspective is demonstrated with the case study of the Mexican oil company, Pemex, where IT projects have played a large part in its transformation from a state‐owned to private enterprise.

How can IT enable economic growth in developing countries

In this paper we review theories on the economic significance of IT and telecommunications, and discuss the nature of the economic effects that should be expected from the diffusion of these technologies and increased emphasis on information activities. Economic and social theory both lead to the suggestion that the diffusion of IT and telecommunications, and intensification of information activities do not lead deterministically to economic growth. Rather, organisations are faced with pressures to work out changes in the ways they do business or deliver their services, and policymakers must plan for a macro-economic environment that facilitates economic and social changes. A crucial question which emerges in this context is whether organisations in developing countries acquiring information and communication technologies (ICT) should also seek to transfer ‘best practice’ for doing business. In this paper we question the feasibility and desirability of such an approach, and suggest that developing countries should make efforts to develop organisational practices which are locally appropriate.

The Link between ICT and Economic Growth in the Discourse of Development

In this paper, I examine the validity of the relationship between ICT and economic development that has been constructed in the discourse of some influential international development organizations. I argue that the tool-and-effect association suggested in such discourse is dubious and misleading. It is based on narrow economic theory and ignores both the controversies that surround it and empirical evidence of alternative development policies. I point out that the policy analyses and recommendations of major development organizations influence the interventions of information systems professionals in developing countries with misguided perceptions and prescriptions that stifle the undertaking of situated efforts to put ICT to effective use.

Power, rationality, and the art of living through socio-technical change

Most information systems research takes for granted the assumption that IS practice and associated organizational change can be effectively understood as a process of technical reasoning and acting governed by a mix of concerns about software construction, administrative control, and economic gain. Its mission has been to empower managers, IS engineers, and information and communication technology users with knowledge and techniques for effective decision making. However, empirical research frequently encounters human activity that is at odds with the assumed pattern of rational behavior. Recent work tries to explain behavior in IS and organizational change in terms of social processes rather than as a consideration of rational techniques of professional practice. In this paper we address this ambivalence of the IS field with regard to technical/rational knowledge and practice. We draw from the theoretical work of Michel Foucault on power/knowledge and the aesthetics of existence to argue that the rational techniques of IS practice and the power dynamics of an organization and its social context are closely intertwined, requiring each other to be sustained. Furthermore, we develop a context-specific notion of rationality in IS innovation, through which interested parties judge the value of an innovation for their lives and consequently support or subvert its course. We demonstrate these ideas with a case study of a social security organization in Greece.

Information systems: what sort of science is it?

The academic field of Information Systems (IS) is concerned with a large range of multifaceted questions regarding the development, use and implications of information and communication technologies in organisations. Responsive to the challenge that profound technological innovation in the last 30 years posed to all types of social life, IS studies have developed a wealth of detailed knowledge at the organisational level. Yet, the field of IS is not well understood by academics and professionals in other fields, even in fields related to IS, such as Operational Research, Management, or Psychology. In this paper, written mainly for academics and professionals who are not IS specialists, we outline the IS field in terms of its main thematic areas, theories, and investigation approaches and discuss its institutional characteristics. We argue that the major strength of the field is its responsiveness to a large variety of issues emerging in organisations as they learn to exploit the new technological potential. However, being so far mainly issue oriented rather than theory driven, IS lacks the distinctiveness and rigour usually associated with scientific disciplines and remains institutionally weak.

The ranking of top IS journals: a perspective from the London School of Economics

The Information Systems and Innovation Group at the London School of Economics has developed a distinct profile of social theory driven research across a wide range of mainstream and specialist IS topics. In this paper, we explain why we do not find existing IS journal rankings appropriate for the assessment of quality of the publications of our Group. We present a set of lists of internationally recognised outlets that we provide to the committee responsible for promotions decisions in our university and we use to advise junior staff and students on where they should publish their work. In addition to these lists, decisions on research quality in our university require the opinion of specialist experts on both the particular outlet of a publication and the publication itself. We argue for the merits of our research quality assessment approach and reflect on its risks.

Recognising Alternative Rationalities in the Deployment of Information Systems

Information systems research and practice have been developed under the combination of scientific and economic reasoning that forms the bedrock of western modernity. Alternative ways of perceiving the value of technical innovation, often manifested in the deployment of ICT in the social context of developing countries, are poorly understood and tend to be dismissed as ‘irrational’. In this paper I review the literature that challenges the supremacy of the mutually dependent techno‐scientific and economic rationalities of modernity and I argue for a shift from a universalistic and a‐contextual notion of rationality to considering rationality as a system of reasoning arising from particular historical experiences and related to culture.

Doing critical research in information systems: some further thoughts

Abstract. In her paper in this volume, McGrath argues for more explicit methodological accounts of critical research in information systems. In this short paper, I voice my concern that emphasis on methodological accountability may well inhibit criticality, and I argue for the need to recognize that researchers bring into their investigation tacit knowledge, emotions, and moral and political convictions that cannot be rationalized in methodological descriptions. Moreover, I suggest that critical research should maintain suspicion to instrumental reasoning and that it should place its effort to producing knowledge on an alternative agenda of substantive social issues by the interplay of theory and empirical evidence.