On 25 October 2011, an expert meeting on mobile innovations and local governance took place at the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Key questions addressed during the expert meeting:
- How can mobile technology, in particular mobile phones and mobile internet, support the democratization processes and what are the related risks?
- How do existing mobile innovations impact local governance processes, citizen voice and (local) public authorities’ responsiveness/accountability towards citizens? How do these innovations perform in terms of inclusion/exclusion of different citizen groups (gender, class, age, languages…)?
- What are the common and locally-specific factors which contribute to the fact that a mobile innovation is reaching out to citizens (and sub-groups), making them interested and subsequently willing to adopt it? What are the common and contextual factors preponderant for mobile innovations to have a significant impact on local governance processes?
- How can mobile innovation for local governance be financed and then become financially sustainable?
Outcome & presentations from the meeting:
- Final report summarizing the presentations & discussions
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Introductory presentation - by Nicolas Porchet (KIT)
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The mobile phone revolution & (ordinary) citizenship in Africa - by Mirjam de Bruin (ASC/LU)
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MoGo - Users' perspective - by Johan Hellstrom (SPIDER/Stockholm University/Upgraid)
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Local Governance - Exploring the effects of mobile technology - by Elsbet Lodenstein (KIT)
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Programme of the Expert Meeting 25 Oct. 2011
