Estimación de la permitividad para distintas muestras

We have used ecosystem metaphor to emphasize that current research explores ICT contribution to socio-economic development entirely and holistically. Open epolicy Group (2005) defines ICT ecosystem as well:

“An ICT ecosystem encompasses the policies, strategies, processes, information, technologies, applications and stakeholders that together make up a technology environment for a country, government or an enterprise”

According to above definition an ICT ecosystem is more than just a technological system. Smith and Elder (2010) believe that “ICT ecosystem is a social system within which ICTs are embedded”.

Benkler (2006) and Shirky (2008) believe the increasing expansion of new generation of information and communication technologies which are “participatory” and “collaborative” such as mobile phones and the emergence of the social networks are reshaping how individual access and share information. Also, these technologies are rapidly changing how they collaborate and organize.

Open epolicy groups (2005) explain when these new technologies constitute part of an ICT ecosystem, they provide a space for new social activities that bring gains like innovation, productivity, growth and eventually sustainable development.

Heeks (2008) States these new technologies “decentralize innovation models” and enhance development.

Benkler (2006) argues that if knowledge is a driver of development, more democratic access to information is one dimension of more equal development.

In this context, Khalil and Kenny (2008) state a very substantial question, “How can we catalyze the impact of ICTs on development?”

Smith and Elder (2010) answer to this question and believe

“Open ICT ecosystems provide the space for the transformation of social activities that can help to catalyze the development impacts of ICTs”.

They mentioned the term “open is a range of openness that shows degree of openness, from less to more open”.

The ecosystem metaphor is helpful in understanding the forces that cause movement in the socio-economic context. Fransman (2010) argues “the ecosystem metaphor refers to a number of organisms that interact within an environment”. He believes the ecosystem metaphor is helpful in understanding the forces that cause movement in the socio-economy. He states when

we decide to employ the ecosystem metaphor, three basic questions must be answered. These questions are;

1) What are the “organisms” which are interacting in an environment/context?

2) What are the “symbiotic⁹interactions” between organisms?

3) What are the living forces in which cause this system settling into movement?

9. The term symbiosis comes from the Greek meaning living together

Chapter 3

Research Design

3 Research Design

In this chapter the research method in qualitative phase and quantitative phase regarding the three major research questions has been explained. Moreover, the method that has been used to gather qualitative and quantitative data, details of interview protocols and participants of study have been addressed

ICT contribution to socio-economic development is associated to many internal and external factors. In order to grasp all these factors, it is vital to apply “multi-method” and “mixed-method”

approaches to analyze ICT contribution to socio-economic development.

“Multi-method” and “mixed method” research are the most commonly used labels. In the Handbook of Mixed Methods research, distinctions were made between these two terms (Morse, 2003). Multi-method research involves multiple types of qualitative inquiry (e.g. interviews and observations) or multiple types of quantitative inquiry (e.g. surveys and experiments) and mixed methods which involve the mixing of the two types of data. “Mixed-method” research has become the most popular term for mixing qualitative and quantitative data in a single study (Johnson, Onwuegbuzie, & Turner, 2007). Mixed methods research is the type of research in which a researcher or team of researchers combines elements of qualitative and quantitative research approaches (e.g., use of qualitative and quantitative viewpoints, data collection, analysis, inference techniques) for the broad purpose of depth of understanding and providing much evidence to support results. (Johnson et al., 2007, pp. 123)

Both “multi-method” and “mixed method” approach were used to respond to the following three research questions. It means to answer first two research questions we have employed two types of qualitative inquiries (interpretive research method) such as grounded theory method and Delphi research method. To investigate last research question we have applied quantitative research approach.

Mason (1998) discusses that paying attention to make balance between “tightness of control”

and “richness in reality” in research methods are vital. Applying “multi-method” and “mixed method” in this research were increased the balance between “tightness of control” and

“richness in reality”.

1. What are the main elements included of ICT-based socio-economic development (ISED) ecosystem framework?

 What are the interacting entities of ISED ecosystem framework?

 How do ICT for development (ICTD) experts define interactions among entities of ISED ecosystem framework?

 What are the main components of capital portfolio of ISED ecosystem?

The degree to which an ISED ecosystem framework is effective and efficient depends on components of its national capital portfolio. These components of capital portfolio play a key role in determining particular development path. They work as the potential to make desired ICT-based socio-economic development.

 What are the main dimensions and sub-dimensions of ICT-based socio-economic development as the outcome/impacts (both progressive and disruptive) of ISED ecosystem framework? (concerning to various aspects of development simultaneously such as social aspects, economic aspects, political aspects and cultural aspects)

2. What are the appropriate indicators to measure elements of ISED ecosystem framework?

 What are the appropriate indicators to measure interacting entities?

 What are the appropriate indicators to measure components of capital portfolio?

3. What interrelations and associations are there among main elements of ISED ecosystem framework?

 How do ICT-based socio-economic development indicators vary in various countries of MENA region?

 How do indicators of capital portfolio vary in various countries of MENA region?

 How do interacting entities indicators of ISED ecosystem framework vary in various countries of MENA region?