Technology Policy And Practice In Africa

Technology Policy and Practice in Africa

Influencing Policy without Influencing Technology

A core political economy issue in the growth literature is how to structure the relationship between the public and private sectors to ensure optimal outcomes. While conventional arguments on the ability of the private sector to intrinsically generate efficiency gains remain valid, governments’ traditional role of providing an enabling environment to foster private risk taking for capital accumulation is no less important. African Policy Innovation and the Political Economy of Public-Private Policy Partnerships borrows from contemporary theories of policy change and raises some fundamental questions about the political economy of development in Africa. This book examines the current knowledge and research about the role of public-private policy partnerships in the policy innovation discourse. It contributes a comprehensive, cutting-edge analysis vis-à-vis the appropriateness of contemporary policy devices and paradigms, the compatibility of individualistic analytical frameworks with the African philosophy of Ubuntu, the debate on the rise of neoliberalism versus Africa's traditions and values, and the implications of path dependence for the African Renaissance. From local communities and NGOs to African governments and international development agencies, the author advances a multi-stakeholder development policy and programming framework which recognizes Africa's vastly heterogenous economies and societies. Covering topics such as policy diffusion, demographic shifts, inequality, rentier capitalism, industrial transformation, development finance innovations, venture capital ecosystems, tax policy and supply-side economics, ocean finance, the global minimum tax debate, and higher education under disruptive technologies, this premier reference source is an excellent resource for government officials, policymakers, entrepreneurs, business leaders, libraries, students and educators of higher education, researchers, and academicians.

This text asks whether science and technology education can meet the challenges of the coming century. Through a compendium of papers by leading African and international educators, this book reviews the disappointments of past decades.

""This book examines the politics, culture, language, history, socio-economic development, methodologies, and contemporary experiences of African peoples from around the world"--Provided by publisher"

Africa’s Information Revolution was recently announced as the 2016 prizewinner of the Royal Academy for Overseas Sciences - congratulations to the authors James T. Murphy and Padraig Carmody! Africa’s Information Revolution presents an in-depth examination of the development and economic geographies accompanying the rapid diffusion of new ICTs in Sub-Saharan Africa. Represents the first book-length comparative case study ICT diffusion in Africa of its kind Confronts current information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) discourse by providing a counter to largely optimistic mainstream perspectives on Africa’s prospects for m- and e-development Features comparative research based on more than 200 interviews with firms from a manufacturing and service industry in Tanzania and South Africa Raises key insights regarding the structural challenges facing Africa even in the context of the continent’s recent economic growth spurt Combines perspectives from economic and development geography and science and technology studies to demonstrate the power of integrated conceptual-theoretical frameworks Include maps, photos, diagrams and tables to highlight the concepts, field research settings, and key findings

This book examines the links between public policy and Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technological developments in Africa. It broadly assesses three key areas – policy entrepreneurship, policy tools and citizen participation – in order to better understand the interfaces between public policy and technological transformations in African countries. The book presents incisive case studies on topics including AI policies, mobile money, e-budgeting, digital economy, digital agriculture and digital ethical dilemmas in order to illuminate technological proliferation in African policy systems. Its analysis considers the broader contexts of African state politics and governance. It will appeal to students, instructors, researchers and practitioners interested in governance and digital transformations in developing countries.