"This report focuses on women and girls using, studying and working in digital technology in five Western Balkan States (Republic of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) and three Eastern Partnership countries (Ukraine, Georgia, and Republic of Moldova). On the su
...
rface, these eight countries are well poised to take advantage of the new digital economy, as they have a high degree of digital access and connectivity and populations with strong academic foundations in mathematics and science. In fact, in five of the eight countries profiled, women comprise more than 40 per cent of university graduates in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. However, women’s involvement in STEM in the Western Balkan and Eastern Partnership countries does not translate into strong participation in technology sectors; across all eight countries profiled, the number of women working in ICT industries, founding or investing in technology start-ups or serving as high-level managers or directors in technology companies remains remarkably low. Challenges – ranging from cultural norms and biases to lack of self-confidence and online and offline harassment – hinder girls and women’s full participation. The digital acceleration fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic represents an historic opportunity to transform women’s involvement in technology in the region. STEM education is the first key area that is ripe for change; long before the pandemic hit, demand for digital skills across Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries was already prompting curriculum overhauls. While schools across all eight countries are evolving by incorporating digital literacy and twenty-first century skill-building into coursework, education ministries are not doing enough to ensure that girls benefit equally." (Executive summary)
more
"In Game Production Studies, an international group of established and emerging researchers takes a closer look at the everyday realities of video game production, ranging from commercial industries to independent creators and cultural intermediaries. Across sixteen chapters, the authors deal with i
...
ssues related to labour, game development, monetization and publishing, as well as local specificities. As the first edited collection dedicated solely to video game production, this volume provides a timely resource for anyone interested in how games are made and at what costs." (Publisher description)
more
"In recent years, Africa has seen a digital entrepreneurship boom, with hundreds of millions of dollars poured into tech cities, entrepreneurship trainings, coworking spaces, innovation prizes, and investment funds. Politicians and technologists have offered Silicon Valley–influenced narratives of
...
boundless opportunity and exponential growth, in which internet-enabled entrepreneurship allows Africa to “leapfrog” developmental stages to take a leading role in the digital revolution. This book contrasts these aspirations with empirical research about what is actually happening on the ground. The authors find that although the digital revolution has empowered local entrepreneurs, it does not untether local economies from the continent's structural legacies. Drawing on a five-year research project, the authors show how entrepreneurs creatively and productively adapt digital technologies to local markets rather than dreaming of global dominance, achieving sustainable businesses by scaling based on relationships and customizing digital platform business models for African infrastructure challenge. The authors examine African entrepreneurial ecosystems; show that African digital entrepreneurs have begun to form a new professional class, becoming part of a relatively exclusive cultural and economic elite; and discuss the impact of Silicon Valley's mythologies and expectations." (Publisher description)
more
"The findings from the study represent a mixed bag. There is much to celebrate—improved quality of life, enhanced productivity owing to factors such as reduced commute time, and, at scale, the evident reduction of the pollution load on the planet. Further, it sheds light on the possibility that gi
...
ven the right policy and incentive regimes, telecommuting will enable many more to engage in the productive economy—including those who currently do not participate in the workforce owing to caregiving or other such responsibilities. But there are areas of concern. As ‘leaving for work’ morphed into ‘living at work,’ working hours stretched, and lines between worktime and downtime blurred. A matter of great concern was that inequality manifests itself in yet newer forms—the poor fared far worse than middle- and upper-income earners, taking hits not only on incomes, but also in lacking the wherewithal to participate in the online economy." (Foreword)
more
"The paper seeks to identify the factors that motivate a person who champions ICT4D initiatives. Given the important contributions of ICT4D champions to initiative success, better understanding of their motivations holds the potential to identify, develop and deploy such individuals more effectively
...
, harnessing their potential positive contributions to ICT4D initiative success. A multiple case study strategy is used to explore the motivational factors of three successful ICT4D champions in the South African context. The Work Preference Inventory (WPI) of personal motivations was used to design in-depth interviews with the champions and semistructured interviews with 29 other stakeholders. It found ICT4D champions are motivated by the need for personal actualization, business success and to address social concerns – origins of these motives could be traced to various internal and environmental stimuli. Practical implications drawn from the research are that profiling of stakeholder motivations in an ICT4D initiative is feasible and that organizations can use such information to create a conducive environment for grooming and empower new and existing champions to function more effectively. This first investigation of ICT4D champion motivations shows its importance and the potential thereof towards improving initiative success and emphasizes the need for further research of this nature." (Abstract)
more
"While Russian computer scientists are notorious for their interference in the 2016 US presidential election, they are ubiquitous on Wall Street and coveted by international IT firms and often perceive themselves as the present manifestation of the past glory of Soviet scientific prowess. Drawing on
...
over three hundred in-depth interviews, the contributors to From Russia with Code trace the practices, education, careers, networks, migrations, and lives of Russian IT professionals at home and abroad, showing how they function as key figures in the tense political and ideological environment of technological innovation in post-Soviet Russia. Among other topics, they analyze coders' creation of both transnational communities and local networks of political activists; Moscow's use of IT funding to control peripheral regions; brain drain and the experiences of coders living abroad in the United Kingdom, United States, Israel, and Finland; and the possible meanings of Russian computing systems in a heterogeneous nation and industry. Highlighting the centrality of computer scientists to post-Soviet economic mobilization in Russia, the contributors offer new insights into the difficulties through which a new entrepreneurial culture emerges in a rapidly changing world." (Publisher description)
more
"Make-IT started as a "laboratory" for new types of partnerships between development organisations, business, finance and entrepreneurs. After 2 years of implementation experience, we can proudly say that we have successfully combined the strengths of the public and private sectors to promote digita
...
l innovation for sustainable and inclusive development. This impact report aims to highlight some of these results. GIZ implements Make-IT on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), together with more than 30 corporate and financing partners, social enterprises, hubs and networks. Meet them in chapter one! In its first two years, Make-IT focused on Kenya and Nigeria. In 2019, we expanded to Ghana and Tunisia, and Rwanda will follow. So far, Make-IT has supported tech entrepreneurs from 18 African countries. One of our first significant activities was the joint "Make-IT Accelerator" with business partners from the Make-IT Alliance. Building on this, we launched further programmes to improve the international visibility and credibility of African tech entrepreneurs, to catalyse partnerships with financing partners and to strengthen peer-to-peer learning and mentoring. These measures reached more than 400 tech entrepreneurs on the continent, 148 of whom have entered Make-IT’s highly selective start-up pipeline. Meet them in chapter two! Through our cooperation with national partners, we support African governments in establishing future-oriented institutional frameworks for digital entrepreneurship. Policy dialogues, better access to markets and finance, as well as capacity development for intermediaries in the ecosystems, such as hubs, mentors and public support organisations, help strengthen enabling environments for young entrepreneurs in the digital sector. You can find an overview in chapter three! We will continue to form partnerships and share methodologies for thriving tech entrepreneurship ecosystems in Africa. Find out how to collaborate with us in chapter four!" (Editorial)
more
"In der jordanischen Hauptstadt Amman blühen digitale Start-ups. Die hohe Arbeitslosigkeit lindert das kaum. Doch junge Leute bringen damit neue Ideen in Jordaniens Geschäftswelt." (Seite 61)
"This article examines the targets and activities of mobile app developers in two Latin American economies – Argentina and Bolivia – analysing the political, social and economic conditions that connect or disconnect app developers and the interests of local users. Findings suggest that app distr
...
ibution platforms do not favour local markets and that app developers largely focus on custom-design projects for commercial firms." (Abstract)
more
"The objective of the Study Module is to enhance the business knowledge of undergraduate and graduate students of arts, humanities and media and communications, i.e. individuals, who have potential to be (self) employed after their graduation in the field of creative industries. Special focus in the
...
study module is given to the latent entrepreneurial propensities, i.e. personal qualities and skills of the individual that would enable students to pursue an entrepreneurial career when given the opportunity or incentive to new venture creation." (Page 4)
more
"This paper investigates the decision-making process of community members who decide on using telecenters for entrepreneurial endeavors. A qualitative approach through interviews with telecenter staff and users is used to assess the barriers and enablers to economic activity through use of telecente
...
rs. An ethnographic decision tree model is developed to illustrate the process through which a community member makes a decision to use the telecenter to support economic livelihood. A predictive model for entrepreneurial behavior is proposed based on the factors which influence the usage of telecenters for entrepreneurship – social ties, opportunity recognition and support from the telecenters." (Abstract)
more
"The study “Tunisia: from revolutions to institutions” stresses how technology-oriented small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) can generate economic expansion and job growth, including in the economically-isolated interior provinces. Tunisian ICT companies are likely to find an attractive marke
...
t in Northern Africa and parts of Europe, thanks to Arabic and French language skills and lower labor costs. Entrepreneurs, however, expressed frustration with the cost of doing business and government control of critical markets, which was installed by the previous regime. They also recognized the need for a more market-responsive higher education system that produces graduates with more up-to-date and practical knowledge. Central to the Tunisian revolution of 2011, ICTs remain critically important to helping address the root causes that led to the uprising in the first place, according to the report. New technologies and applications are necessary to creating a vibrant economy that produces sustainable jobs for the country’s young population and helping to constitute an open and transparent society." (www.infodev.org, March 20, 2012)
more
"Analyzes the growth and evolution of mobile telephony, including the rise of data-based services delivered to handheld devices through “apps” (applications) and other ways. Summarizing current thinking and seeking to inform the debate on the use of mobile phones to improve livelihoods, the repo
...
rt looks, in particular, at key ecosystem-based applications in agriculture, health, financial services, employment, and government, with chapters devoted to each, and explores the consequences of the emerging “app economy” for development. The global conversation is no longer about the phone itself, but about how it is used and the content and applications that it opens up. These apps and “mash-ups” of services, driven by high-speed networks, social networking, online crowdsourcing, and innovation, are helping mobile phones transform lives in developed and developing countries alike." (Back cover)
more