A social network analysis of ICTD conferences (2006–2017). Issue 4 (1st October 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mukerji, Maitrayee; Chauhan, Unnati
• Is Part Of: Information technology for development. Volume 26:Issue 4(2020)
• Page Start: 788
• Page End: 810
• Publication Date: 2020-10-01
• Subjects: Social network analysis -- ICTD conference -- collaboration -- co-Authorship; Information technology -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; Electronic data processing -- Developing countries -- Periodicals; 004
• DOI: 10.1080/02681102.2019.1685930
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0268-1102

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Information and Communication Technologies for Development is an interdisciplinary area of research associated with engineering, application, and adoption of ICTs in developing regions and/or for development. The International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development (ICTD) was started in 2006 with the objective to build a community of scholars and practitioners from diverse disciplinary backgrounds. In this paper, we examine the social dimension of ICTD as manifest in co-authorship ties in the papers published in conference proceedings. This research community has 1053 unique authors from 302 institutions in 55 countries. Almost 85% of 456 papers are co-authored by two or more people. Initially, the research community displayed small-world characteristics but the social network subsequently displays a distinct core-periphery structure. Further, collaborative ties among academic institutions in developing countries are comparatively less. A key implication is that institutional support is imperative to initiate and maintain collaborative research ties.