Influence of external actors on national information and communications technology policy formulation in developing countries: case of Malawi
type: CreativeWork
description: Problem statement – A national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy is important towards attainment of socio-economic development of a country. Like other public policies, the formulation and implementation of national ICT policy is a government’s responsibility. In developing countries, the formulation of national ICT policies is mostly influenced by actors who are external to a country. The external influence may affect the soundness of the resulting public ICT policy during a policy making activity and in turn affect the needs of society in a country. There is need, therefore, for research focusing on the effects of the external influence in the formulation of a public ICT policy in Africa. Currently, there is dearth of research in this area. Purpose of the research – This study analysed how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policies in Africa by: (1) investigating the engagement between external and local actors, (2) identifying categories of influence of external actors and (3) exploring the link between country context and influence of external actors. A study analysing how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policy in developing countries may contribute towards the effectiveness of the public ICT policy that may lead to better management of interaction between internal and external actors. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a critical research approach and drew on Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice as a theoretical lens to examine how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policies in developing countries. This was a qualitative study, which used Malawi as a case study. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 respondents who took part in the formulation of the national ICT policy in Malawi. Secondary data for the research were sourced from policy documents and reports from Malawi and from other A…
abstract: Problem statement – A national Information and Communication Technology (ICT) policy is important towards attainment of socio-economic development of a country. Like other public policies, the formulation and implementation of national ICT policy is a government’s responsibility. In developing countries, the formulation of national ICT policies is mostly influenced by actors who are external to a country. The external influence may affect the soundness of the resulting public ICT policy during a policy making activity and in turn affect the needs of society in a country. There is need, therefore, for research focusing on the effects of the external influence in the formulation of a public ICT policy in Africa. Currently, there is dearth of research in this area. Purpose of the research – This study analysed how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policies in Africa by: (1) investigating the engagement between external and local actors, (2) identifying categories of influence of external actors and (3) exploring the link between country context and influence of external actors. A study analysing how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policy in developing countries may contribute towards the effectiveness of the public ICT policy that may lead to better management of interaction between internal and external actors. Design/methodology/approach – The study adopted a critical research approach and drew on Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice as a theoretical lens to examine how the influence of external actors affects the formulation of national ICT policies in developing countries. This was a qualitative study, which used Malawi as a case study. Primary data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 respondents who took part in the formulation of the national ICT policy in Malawi. Secondary data for the research were sourced from policy documents and reports from Malawi and from other A…
author: Kunyenje, Gregory
date published: 2019
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:26Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Information Systems

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30386