The effect of ICT on political development: a qualitative study of Iran

Abstract

In the age of information revolution, information and communication technologies are penetrating all levels of societies and affecting the process of development in every country. In this era, the government and the people of each country have an important role in the strengthening or weakening of the process. This study examines the effect of ICT on political development in Iran, as an important component of the process of development. In order to explore the effect comprehensively, the government and the people are used as two critical groups which affect political development. This study uses the interview method and employs qualitative approaches such as grounded theory and narrative inquiry. Twenty-six government officials and policy makers of Iran, and 31 ordinary citizens of Tehran (the capital of Iran) were interviewed to investigate how ICT affects political development. The results were grouped into five categories: political empowerment and public control, as two factors which affect the political development of people; and capacity building, public service, and transparency as three elements which affect political development in government. The explanation of each factor regarding the effects of ICT on political development is discussed. In the end, some ideas for further research are presented.

The Mediating Role of Voice and Accountability in the Relationship Between Internet Diffusion and Government Corruption in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa

“…These results, when combined, suggest the existence of a possible association between Internet diffusion and voice and accountability where Internet diffusion is the predictor instead of the criterion. This expectation is generally consistent with qualitative studies conducted by Pirannejad (2011) in Iran and Perez and Ben-David (2012) in India, as well as with a survey-based study conducted by Cuillier and Piotrowski (2009). This expectation is formalized through hypothesis H1; which, like the other hypotheses guiding our investigation, is framed within the context of Latin American and sub-Saharan African countries.…”

Can the internet promote democracy? A cross-country study based on dynamic panel data models

“…In the age of information revolution, web technologiesin particular the Internet and its deployment to a broader public since the early 1990sare penetrating all levels of societies and are also affecting the political aspects of each society (Chadwick, 2006;Guillén and Suárez, 2005;Pirannejad, 2011). In the new era, some studies focused on the contribution of Internet extension on some factors, which related to the political systems and citizens participation, and also explained that the wide diffusion of Internet in societies facilitates political communication (Coombs and Cutbirth, 1998;Norris, 2000;Ricci, 1998), improves the process of the gathering and dissemination of information (Baybeck and Huckfeldt, 2002;Kaye and Johnson, 2004), provides greater networking capacity to citizens through means such as online forums and discussion (Papacharissi, 2004;Woo-Young, 2005), brings about political awareness among citizens (Pirannejad, 2011), and reduces the transaction costs for citizen participation (Desanctis et al, 2003;Kaye and Johnson, 2004;Lee and Jang, 2010).…”

Technological media and development

“…Political development has been explained as the process of modernizing political systems in order to develop their ability to deal with changing demands. It is also the creation of political institutions sufficiently adaptable, complex, autonomous and coherent to absorb and to order the participation of these new groups and to promote social and economic change in the society (Pirannejad, 2011). Political development is viewed as a teleological process, applied in a context of decolonization and stretched to those areas of the globe on the path toward economic development (Hagopian, 2000).…”