Mainstreaming youth policy in Zimbabwe – what role for rural youth?

This article explores how urban male youth in Zimbabwe have created economies of hustle and waithood through soccer betting to ensure alternative means of survival in a country facing rapid urban growth and endless economic challenges. Data were collected using a combination of ethnographic methods, including participant and non-participant observations, betting experimentation, and informal conversations. The findings show that urban male youth in Zimbabwean cities use a variety of skills in soccer betting to increase their chances of winning and earning a living through informal economic activities while waiting for employment opportunities. The findings also demonstrate the intellectual genius and streetwise resourcefulness of young people, as they incorporate research, digital, and networking competencies to decide and place their bets. The article concludes that soccer betting is not only part of Zimbabwe’s economies of hustle, leisure, and waithood but also central in influencing the adoption of ICT products and digital skills among male youths in Zimbabwe.

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How doinformation and communication technologyplatforms shape rural e‐governance: The case ofZhao‐louVillageon theWeCountyplatform

Chen,

Cheng,

Zhang

et al. 2024

Information Systems Journal

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This study investigates the role of information and communication technology (ICT) platforms in facilitating e‐governance within a rural context. A longitudinal single‐case study approach was employed, involving 37 semi‐structured interviews from 2019 to 2022. The findings reveal that information asymmetry and persistent tensions between the government and villagers hinder cooperative behaviour in rural governance, at varying degrees throughout all stages of e‐governance. Second, a contagion effect is identified, where the government coerces non‐cooperative villagers, exacerbating tensions. The coercive and negotiating‐compromising mechanism enabled by ICT platforms illustrates how the ICT platform enables the contagion effect occurs during rural policy deployment. Third, the goal incongruence between the government and villagers necessitates the government's utilisation of ICT platforms to adopt active engagement and induce event that encourage goal articulation, which facilitates a better goal alignment between both parties. This approach promotes the observation of collaborative behaviour among villagers and ultimately fosters increased collaboration with the government, that is, mimicking villagers' behaviour. Meanwhile, government stimulation can effectively facilitate the interaction between government and villagers, promoting the negotiation and compromise between the two parties. Such compromises can foster the goal congruence between the two parties, consequently encouraging greater participation from villagers in rural governance. The case offers valuable insights into the mechanisms by which ICT facilitates rural e‐governance, thereby holding significant implications for research on ICT‐rural governance and governments grappling with challenges in implementing rural policies.

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Mainstreaming youth policy in Zimbabwe – what role for rural youth?

Cited by 7 publications

References 23 publications

Converged Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics in Harare, Zimbabwe

Converged Radio, Youth, and Participatory Politics in Harare, Zimbabwe

Unemployment, hustling, and waithood: exploring Zimbabwean urban male youth’s utilisation of ICT in soccer betting

How doinformation and communication technologyplatforms shape rural e‐governance: The case ofZhao‐louVillageon theWeCountyplatform

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