Several studies suggest that the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries (DCs) can help such countries achieve national development goals - especially if accompanied by appropriate government policies designed to regulate and promote the use and the diffusion of ICTs in the national context. Over the past few years 'ICT policy' has thus become something worthy of academic attention, in particular in the ambit of ICT-for-development (ICT4D) literature. Scholarly studies on the subject have so far focused however primarily on policy content, and have often been prescriptive and/or evaluative in nature. Relatively less attention has been paid instead to the processes by which ICT policy is made in DCs - a lacuna reflected also in the relative scarcity, in the realm of ICT4D literature, of detailed theoretical frameworks with which to study ICT policymaking practice in DCs. This study intends to help fill this lacuna, by proposing an innovative framework for the analysis of ICT policy processes in DCs, and subjecting such a framework to a first 'proof of concept', through its application to a particular case (ICT policymaking in Uganda). In recognition of the importance of the cognitive aspects of policy practice, the framework proposed is interpretive in nature, and is organised around three 'movements', or steps: an analysis of the linguistic and non-linguistic constructs employed by policy actors to articulate discourse on ICT policymaking; an analysis of the key discourses around ICT policy constructed by policy actors in specific settings; and an analysis of the composition and the strength of the 'alliances', or coalitions, of actors that construct and propagate specific discourses in such settings. The ultimate purpose of this type of analysis is to understand how specific discourses on, or 'versions' of the ICT policy process gain particular purchase and acceptance in given national settings, thereby providing ICT policy actors with elements for reflection on the practices they are involved in. The framework proposed is particularly innovative in that integrates elements derived from mainstream political science and policy analysis literature - thus going some way in solidifying theorization in the ambit of ICT4D research. The study draws conclusions at two levels: at case level, findings indicate that Ugandan discourse around ICT policymaking appears to be constrained by the existence of a powerful, overall political discourse that defines ICT policy as necessarily 'participative'; at the level of theory and method, findings suggest that the framework proposed appears to be a viable and useful one for research on ICT policymaking practice in DCs.

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No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Agência-Barco-Aprovada.pdf: 4270624 bytes, checksum: cafe099ca1c9d7e52e77a38bea7575fc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-11-19 / The challenge in offering public services infrastructure in less developed areas in Brazil, often furthest from the large urban centers, mobilizes society sectors in search of new and creative approaches that can reduce large interregional disparities. One of the shortcomings faced by some brazilians is the lack of access to the financial system, compromising their capacity of full insertion in the economy and making it more difficult to create and accumulate wealth, prevailing situation in Ilha de Marajó, in the state of Pará, which most of its sixteen municipalities presents low or very low Human Development Index (HDI). In order to change this reality, a traveling bank branch installed on a boat was designed in an innovative way, for the purpose of meeting the needs of the riverside people that lives in vast territorial extension, low population density, transportation difficulties and limited supply of information and communication technology (ICT). Thereby, through an exploratory and descriptive approach, this research aims to identify, from the ICT perspective, how the financial inclusion indicators are influenced by the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat) in Ilha de Marajó. In addition to the theoretical study, empirical research was carried out by means of direct observation and semistructured interviews applied to users and employees of the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat), over four days in two cities of Ilha de Marajó. Interviews content analysis techniques were applied in order to data analysis and identify financial inclusion elements, transposing the results to a heuristic model of dynamic infoinclusion (2iD), which was adapted to comprise inclusion financial constructs. The research outcome shows that the Agência Barco (bank branch on a boat) can provides the necessary access to financial services and products for Ilha de Marajó inhabitants, at the same time identifies opportunities to expand aspects related to financial education, enabling strengthen the dynamic components of the financial inclusion process, increasing awareness and, then, increasing demand for financial services and products. / O desafio de ofertar infraestrutura de serviços públicos nas regiões menos desenvolvidas do Brasil, geralmente mais afastadas dos grandes centros urbanos, mobiliza setores da sociedade na busca de abordagens novas e criativas que possam diminuir as grandes disparidades inter-regionais. Uma das carências vivenciadas por parte da população brasileira é a falta de acesso ao sistema financeiro, comprometendo a capacidade de plena participação dessas pessoas na economia, dificultando a geração e acúmulo de riqueza, situação essa presente na Ilha de Marajó, no estado do Pará, cuja maioria de seus dezesseis municípios apresenta Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano (IDH) baixo ou muito baixo. Para mudar essa realidade, uma iniciativa inovadora é a agência bancária itinerante instalada em barco, para atendimento a populações ribeirinhas de regiões com vasta extensão territorial, baixa densidade demográfica, dificuldades de transporte e limitações na oferta de tecnologia da informação e comunicação (TIC). Assim, essa pesquisa, com propósito exploratório e descritivo, tem como objetivo principal identificar, sob o ponto de vista das TIC, como os indicadores de inclusão financeira são influenciados pela atuação da Agência Barco na Ilha de Marajó. Além do estudo teórico, foi realizada investigação empírica, por meio de observação direta e entrevistas semiestruturadas com clientes e funcionários da Agência Barco, realizadas ao longo de quatro dias, em duas cidades da Ilha de Marajó. Para análise dos dados, foram aplicadas técnicas de análise de conteúdo às entrevistas, com objetivo de identificar a presença de elementos de inclusão financeira, transpondo os resultados para um modelo heurístico de infoinclusão dinâmica (2iD), o qual foi adaptado para contemplar constructos de inclusão financeira. O resultado da pesquisa demonstra que a Agência Barco consegue suprir as necessidades de acesso a serviços e produtos financeiros pela população da Ilha de Marajó, ao mesmo tempo em que se identifica oportunidades para ampliação de aspectos relacionados à educação financeira, possibilitando fortalecer os componentes dinâmicos do processo de inclusão financeira, com aumento da conscientização e consequente aumento da demanda por serviços e produtos financeiros.