"There is a large body of research that has examined digital inequities, inequalities, and divides—i.e., those countries, communities, and individuals digitally left behind or disadvantaged. Whereas we know quite a lot about what is lacking and for whom, there is less focus on what works to allevi ... ate these inequalities and divides in a variety of cultural contexts. This thematic issue brings together scholarship on digital inclusion initiatives and research from over 20 countries and in the context of numerous aspects, including different types of initiatives as well as different types of target audiences for these initiatives. Each article provides unique insights into what does and does not work in various communities, making recommendations on what could be done to improve the examined initiatives. We hope that the breadth and depth of articles presented here will be useful not just for academic audiences seeking to broaden their understanding of digital inclusion and ‘what can be done’ rather than focusing on ‘what is amiss,’ but also for policymakers and digital inclusion initiatives who are eager to expand and advance their digital inclusion work within their communities." (Abstract, page 132) more

"This article is about the role played by Brazilian community radio stations as public spaces, including different action rationales and places where there are political, social and cultural discourses from various genres such as informative and opinionative, especially the latter. Such spaces are e ... mbedded by communicative and instrumental actions as Habermas notes, manifest in the tensions and approximations between public and common spaces. Based upon a cross-case study from these media, the action rationales and the dynamics of the spaces are analysed. Stemming from the way such radio stations work, it is possible to assess whether they are a ‘locus’ for public debates, involving the community and favouring communication which addresses the common interest, or, to a large extent, social arenas for welfare appeals and criticisms and fulfilling immediate needs from members of a particular locality. Data collection included unstructured and episodic interviews, radio programmes and analysis of documents from fifteen community radio stations in the Federal District and surroundings. After that, for more in-depth information, five case studies were carried out in Brazil." (Abstract) more