Articles authored by Heeks, Richard

Huge amounts are being invested in information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as mobile phones and their telecommunications infrastructure. Development agencies provide a conventional view on the ‘climate’ needed to encourage such investment; particularly that good governance and security are required. We question this conventional view with a study of mobile telecommunications in three insecure states that score very badly in the Worldwide Governance Indicators.

The author examines the perception that information technology (IT) can be used to stamp out corruption in organisations. Using examples of corrupt practices, he argues that, invariably, development managers should consider the underlying organisational and environmental causes of corruption rather than seeing the introduction of IT systems as a solution in itself. This article also appears in the Development in Practice Reader Development and Management.

The paper examines whether the concept of social capital can facilitate our understanding of online networks in development. Much of the knowledge generation and social learning in development takes place in networks, which are increasingly online. Although these networks are assumed to be a positive force in development, there are many unknowns about them, partly because they are in their infancy. The concept of social capital has traditionally been applied to examine the functioning of groups and societies.