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Purpose While the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) for poverty reduction is widely recognised, limited knowledge exists on its use in the social protection schemes devised for the world’s poor. Drawing on the institutionalist vision of IS development and organisational change put forward by Avgerou (2000), the authors propose that computerisation of these schemes entails two processes, namely, the progressive affirmation of ICT innovation and a shift in the programmes' organisational structure, which moves from a subsidy-based model to one grounded on direct cash transfers. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the role of ICT in anti-poverty schemes results from concomitance of such processes. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on a study of the public distribution system (PDS), the main food security scheme in India, as it is being computerised in the state of Karnataka. Following an interpretive case study methodology, it investigates the ongoing computerisation of the Karnataka PDS through a combination of back-end and front-end technologies, based on biometric recognition of the programme’s users. Findings The data reveal that transformation of the PDS results from the simultaneous processes of institutionalisation of ICT innovation and deinstitutionalisation of the extant state-led subsidy scheme, in favour of a leaner social protection system centred on cash transfers to beneficiaries. This illustrates the point that ICT innovation is intertwined with the decline of an extant social welfare structure and the rise of a new one, based on the direct transfer of benefits. Originality/value The paper offers a new theoretical perspective to illuminate the computerisation of anti-poverty programmes, a phenomenon that affects the entitlements of millions of poor people on a global scale. In parallel, it draws practical implications for countries embarking on the digitalisation of their social protection schemes.

PurposeThis paper aims to show that the meaning of development influencing the design of ICT for development (ICT4D) projects is important in deciding what purpose they will eventually serve.Design/methodology/approachThrough a review of the literature on development and technology studies, the paper shows how different meanings of development guide technology usage and policy choice for land reforms. A case study of a land records computerization project in India is used to reinforce this claim.FindingsBy explaining alternative manifestations of interlinkages between development and technology, the paper demonstrates that the design choice, especially the content and service delivery model, for an ICT4D project gets influenced by the development context within which it is set.Research limitations/implicationsThe focus of the paper has been restricted to a limited context of information and communication technology usage – to land reforms as a development objective, in a relatively better‐off province of India. Future research will include ICT4D projects in other domains and in different socio‐economic settings.Practical implicationsThe findings will encourage ICT4D policy makers and project designers to broaden their perspectives of what constitutes development and explicitly acknowledge the importance of development contexts in influencing the outcomes of ICT4D projects.Originality/valuePrior research in ICT4D has not looked explicitly at the influence of development contexts in informing technology design. The paper attempts to fill this gap by tracing design choices to the contexts of technology use created through alternative understanding of the objectives of development. This can be of help to researchers looking at issues of technology use for societal development and for policy makers and project designers entrusted with the choice of technology.

The presence of North African colonial migrants during the interwar years spurred the Parisian Prefecture of Police to adopt some elements of colonial administration. From 1925 to approximately 1970, the Parisian police engaged in the specialized surveillance of the North African community. While official North African police services existed only from 1925 to 1945 and again from 1958 to 1962, a durable conception of North Africans as prone to violence and susceptible to anticolonial politics led the police to undertake systematic if at times unofficial surveillance of North Africans for the entire period under study. This colonial perspective on policing became integrated into the general policing of Paris and outlasted colonialism itself. Pendant l’entre-deux-guerres, la présence de migrants nord-africains incita la Préfecture de police de Paris à adopter certaines procédures de l’administration coloniale. A partir de 1925 et jusqu’aux années 1970, la police parisienne fut chargée de surveiller de façon spécifique la communauté maghrébine. Alors que les services de police relatifs aux Nord-Africains n’ont fonctionné officiellement qu’entre 1925 et 1945, puis de 1958 à 1962, l’idée, solidement ancrée, que les Maghrébins étaient enclins à la violence et susceptibles de fomenter des troubles anticoloniaux, conduisit la police à entreprendre une surveillance systématique, et parfois non officielle, des Nord-Africains pendant la période étudiée ici (1925-70). Ce dispositif colonial fut intégré au fonctionnement de la police en général et a survécu au colonialisme lui-même.

The use of digital devices by children is on the rise and a better understanding of their usage behaviour can be helpful in designing better ways of imparting education. As per data from the Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association (APJII), in 2018, almost 50% of elementary school children were using the internet. However, an introduction to digital technologies is not included under the topics covered in state elementary schools in Indonesia. Field work involving teachers and children in state and non-state elementary schools, officials in ministries, ICT vendors, parents were conducted through interviews, observations and workshops related to the use of digital technology to better understand the digital behaviour of children. It was found that elementary school children get exposed to digital technology at a very early age and while the duration of use varies according to parental involvement and awareness, the content consumed by children is, in most cases, not appropriate for their age. This study illustrates that monitoring digital use among children is currently a challenge for parents, and digital literacy, which includes introduction to both positive and negative effects of digital devices as well as appropriate digital use behaviour, should become an important part of the theme of learning in elementary schools in Indonesia to ensure digital technologies help in the shaping of children's attitudes and character, in a manner that is valued and beneficial to the society. Kata Kunci: literasi digital, pemanfaatan digital oleh anak sekolah dasar, pengenalan digital pada anak   Abstract – Use of digital devices by children is on the rise and a better understanding of their usage behaviour can be helpful in designing better ways of imparting education. As per data from the Indonesia Internet Service Provider Association (APJII), in 2018, almost 50% of elementary school children were using the internet. However, an introduction to digital technologies is not included under the topics covered in state elementary schools in Indonesia. Field work involving teachers and children in state and non-state elementary schools, officials in ministries, ICT vendors, parents were conducted over a six-month study period to better understand the digital behaviour of children. It was found that elementary school children get exposed to digital technology at a very early age and while the duration of use varies according to parental involvement and awareness, the content consumed by children is, in most cases, not appropriate for their age. This study illustrates that monitoring digital use among children is currently a challenge for parents, and digital literacy, which includes introduction to both positive and negative effects of digital devices as well as appropriate digital use behaviour, should become an important part of the theme of learning in elementary schools in Indonesia to ensure digital technologies help in the shaping of children's attitudes and character, in a manner that is valued and beneficial to the society.