Knowledge sharing for development: online networks and the dual dynamics of inclusion and exclusion

This dissertation explores the extent to which donor-funded online networks support participation by Southern stakeholders in aspects of the development project over which they previously had limited influence or control. The potential of the Internet to facilitate a more inclusive model of support for international development is well recognised in the literature. However, critics argue that most online networks that have been established by donor agencies or rely on their patronage, exclude local knowledge from the South. This research contributes to this debate through an empirical investigation of online networks at three different stages of the ‘aid delivery chain’. This is conceptualised as a chain of individuals and organisations extending from Northern donors to Southern beneficiaries, and incorporating macro-level decision-making processes and micro-level program implementation.<br><br>The research centres around three case studies of the United Nations Development Programme, the Association for Progressive Communications, and the Open Knowledge Network. Although each case experience is unique, they each demonstrate that online networks can play a valuable role in putting local knowledge at the fore. They have enabled frontline development workers to play a more influential role in shaping aid programs; grassroots organisations to have greater voice in public policy debates; and poor and marginalised communities to generate much-needed income from local solutions to local problems. However these positive outcomes are by no means inevitable. <br><br>A major finding of this research is the crucial role of incentives in shaping network participation. Although at the highest level, participants may be driven by a shared commitment to improve development performance; in reality, their choices about whether to share their knowledge are usually far more self-interested. Thus, aspirations of active participation cannot be taken for granted. On the contrary, this research indicates that many local knowledge actors view the donor preoccupation with knowledge sharing as placing demands on their time which would be better spent on more pressing activities. <br><br>This research also identifies factors that limit the ability of many local knowledge actors to contribute to online networks, regardless of their desire to do so. These usually manifested as obstacles to the benefits of participation and were borne out of the power relations in which participants are enmeshed. In each case, the dominance of the English language was a limiting factor which was compounded by tensions and constraints ranging from managerial opposition to local knowledge, resource dependencies, and social and cultural norms that limited mobility and social connections.<br><br>Beyond internal dynamics, this research also points to notable divergences in the extent to which donor-funded online networks draw on local knowledge from outside their network borders, which are often quite rigid. A related issue is the tendency for many to broadcast contributions to external audiences over the web, rather than leveraging that technology to support knowledge sharing between insider and outsider groups. To ensure that online networks fulfil their promise to strengthen development performance, Web 2.0 platforms are proposed as a means to promote dialogue between insider and outsider groups with divergent interests and worldviews.