As Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and social enterprises become drivers of economic growth, the nexus provides opportunities for new models of business to bring benefits to communities in developing countries. Recognising the complex dynamics and range of actors in this diverse and emerging sector, this study chooses to document the external influences, use and impact of ICT on social enterprises. The problem investigated is the potential gap between the rhetoric of the 'promise of e-business' versus the dynamics of enactment and impacts of ICT in practice in the social enterprise sector. The methodology consists of a mixed-method data collection strategy to triangulate data sources from a diverse cross-section of organisations in the social enterprise sector in Cambodia. These include a cross-sectional survey, interviews, observations, document analysis and review of artefacts. It is unclear whether the Cambodian social enterprise sector represents a unique case or is representative of other countries. Regardless, the rich dynamics of the sector and the current lack of understanding of ICT use by this sector in developing countries per se warrant such a study. It fills a significant gap in the field of ICT and development by providing an in-depth overview of the social enterprise sector in one developing country, which may also be applicable in other developing country contexts. The research maps the e-business status of Cambodian social enterprises along a continuum from precursor activity to fully integrated e-services. It finds that Cambodian social enterprises believe ICT adds value to their operation; however access to affordable and reliable local ICT resources is an important factor determining long-term uptake. It also shows that external support is seen as vital to the success of ICT uptake by social enterprises in Cambodia. Donors have the most significant influence on social enterprises' framing of ICT, whilst NGOs, associations and the private sector are also important institutional players in shaping understanding and uptake of ICT. The main contribution of the research is to identify the real development impact of ICT use by social enterprises by measuring the role of ICTs in achieving their goals. Its major finding is that social and business missions are inextricably linked within these organisations, so to measure one in isolation of the other denies the new paradigm that social enterprises present. The most active sub-sector explored that best reflects this unique value proposition is the emerging social outsourcing potential of the IT services sub-sector. The handicraft and processing sub-sectors have yet to fully engage and use ICT to their maximum benefit. The outlook for these sub-sectors is likely to require further support to best harness the potential that ICT can bring developing countries.

Les villes frontalières thaïlandaises et leurs doublets urbains laotiens sont engagés depuis les années 1990 dans un processus d’internationalisation. Ce dernier, lié à l’intégration transnationale promue par la coopération régionale, se caractérise notamment par l’augmentation du nombre d’acteurs internationaux qui conjuguent, à l’échelle urbaine, leurs stratégies à celles des autorités centrales et locales. Dans ce contexte de régionalisation de la mondialisation, ces petites villes, jusqu’alors à l’écart des flux en raison de leur position périphérique par rapport aux têtes de réseaux, se voient dotées de fonctions inédites en support de l’intégration régionale. Leur organisation spatiale se trouve ainsi reconfigurée avec l’apparition de nouvelles formes internationalisées, comme les infrastructures de transport transfrontalières ou les zones économiques en tête de pont. L’étude à l’échelle urbaine montre cependant que ces formes varient de part et d’autre du Mékong en raison de contextes nationaux et de stratégies d’acteurs différenciés. De la même manière, les interactions à l’échelle des doublons urbains chevauchant la frontière internationale et situés sur les corridors économiques de la Région du Grand Mékong diffèrent, créant des configurations allant de la juxtaposition de villes à l’émergence de systèmes urbains transnationaux. Ces villes frontalières représentent donc à la fois une échelle d’analyse privilégiée pour l’étude des dynamiques contemporaines de la régionalisation affectant, à différents degrés et selon des rythmes variables, les villes d’Asie du Sud-Est, mais aussi un outil des gouvernements pour renforcer l’intégration nationale et régionale. / The implementation of regional cooperation frameworks such as the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in the 1990s is likely to give more functions to cities located near or on the international borders. Under this economic and institutional context, Thai bordertowns, which are third-rank cities, and their counterparts in Laos, are transformed by an internationalization process, characterized by rising cross-border flows, the empowerment of transnational stakeholders, the emergence of unprecedented urban functions and the creation of new internationalized forms (such as cross-border transport infrastructures or special economic zones). Spatial organization at the urban scale suggests however that these dynamics differ on each side of the border, resulting from diverse national backgrounds and actors’ strategies. Furthermore, the various types of interactions between the so-called “twin cities”, located on the Mekong border and on economic corridors under the GMS cooperation framework, produce different scales of integration, from cross-border to emerging transnational urban systems. Studying these cities represents a way of understanding the ongoing process of regionalization in South-East Asia and shows that the latter is not only affecting first-rank metropolis, but second or third-rank cities as well. These bordertowns’ internationalization raises thus strategic issues for governments and local authorities and represents a strategic tool for national and regional integration control.