A new set of questions: Ict4D research and policy

Abstract

There is a growing interest within researchers to find ways for their work to be relevant to society. The possibility of influencing policy is one option to catalyse change in the use of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D). This paper proposes a set of questions to aid the ICT4D community in exploring the complexity of the policy processes where their research could be of use. The final aim is to better inform all stakeholders by understanding the context where they participate in policymaking. The main argument is that influencing policy requires intent from the onset of a research project and not only ex post communication strategies. After all, not all research can or should influence policy. In the case of ICT4D, the review of the existing literature shows that policy has not been an explicit area of interest in the domain due to the notions of “policy” and “development” that prevail. The framework developed in this chapter is aimed at allowing the research community interested in policy impact to take into consideration aspects of the policymaking process and to not only communicate results wisely but also identify meaningful and timely research questions and their connection with policies and pinpoint appropriate methods.