This book uses comparative case study methodology and extensive field work to examine and compare outcomes of four East African nations (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda) that implemented formal Information and Communications Technology policies in the 1990s.

Chapter 1: Introduction: Information and Communication Technologies as a Tool for Development.- Chapter 2: The History of ICT in East Africa from 1950-1990.- Chapter 3: A Policy Paradox (Theoretical Framework).- Chapter 4: Constructing a Policy for an ICT led vision—Centralization and Hierarchy in Rwanda.- Chapter 5: Technological Lessons from the Past: The Tanzanian Experience.- Chapter 6: Measuring the ICT Led Vision.- Chapter 7: Citizen Participation in ICT Policymaking.- Chapter 8: Cyber-Pessimism: Using ICT in Uganda for Surveillance and Control and Suppression.- Chapter 9: Conclusion and Recommendations.

“This book provides a framework for analyzing infrastructure policymaking that will guide development scholars for years to come.” —Michael Craw, ​Faculty Member and Director of the Master of Public Administration program, The Evergreen State College, USA “Bowman’s comparative evaluation of ICTs in East Africa is a must read for anyone interested in the intersection of culture, technology, law, and politics.”  —L. Jean Camp, ​Professor of Informatics and Director of Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University Bloomington, USA “Dr. Bowman’s careful fieldwork and analysis unpacks the political economy of ICT implementation in East Africa. She expertly integrates historical, sociological, political, and economic realities that inform ICT policy development and implementation.” —Dorina Bekoe is a researchstaff member with the Africa program at the Institutefor Defense Analyses USA, and author of Voting in Fear: Electoral Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa (2012) This book uses comparative case study methodology and extensive field work to examine and compare outcomes of four East African nations (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda) that implemented formal Information and Communications Technology policies in the 1990s. Based on extensive fieldwork, the book assesses the emergence of a new policy and technological arena from the turn of the millennium to the present. In addition to tracing the implementation and reception of these policies, Bowman considers to what extent the politics of infrastructure in four connected but distinct African nations have resulted in global participation and equitable distribution and access of infrastructure to all citizens, as well as the impact a recent history of war or peace have on the technological outcomes in these communities. The book provides us with invaluable new data on how policy and politics function in emerging democracies, and illuminates long-overlooked opportunities and conditions necessary for the distribution of new and potentially beneficial technologies in other developing countries.   Warigia M. Bowman is Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Sustainable Energy and Natural Resources Law Program at the University of Tulsa, USA.

“Dr. Bowman’s analysis breaks new ground in the study of both policymaking processes and information and communication infrastructure development in East Africa. Drawing on ​scores of interviews, Dr. Bowman’s work demonstrates that ‘who gets what, when, how’ in access to new technologies depends on national political institutional arrangements as much as it does on private investment. This book provides a framework for analyzing infrastructure policymaking that will guide development scholars for years to come.”   —Michael Craw, ​Faculty Member and Director of the Master of Public Administration program, The Evergreen State College, USA   “Bowman’s comparative evaluation of ICTs in East Africa is uniquely informed by a combination of legal scholarship, technical insights, and cultural nuance. She weaves extensive fieldwork with policy analysis and technical expertise into insights on development and information technology initiatives in disparate systems. Her book is a must read for anyone interested in the intersection of culture, technology, law, and politics.”  —L. Jean Camp, ​Professor of Informatics and Director of Center for Security and Privacy in Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, Indiana University Bloomington, USA   “ICT is a critical piece of Africa’s development, promising connectivity, technological growth, and economic advancement. Dr. Bowman’s careful fieldwork and analysis unpacks the political economy of ICT implementation in East Africa. She expertly integrates historical, sociological, political, and economic realities that inform ICT policy development and implementation.”   —Dorina Bekoe is a research staff member with the Africa program at the Institute for Defense Analyses USA, and author of Voting in Fear: Electoral Violence in Sub-Saharan Africa (2012), Implementing Peace Agreements: Lessons from Mozambique, Angola, and Liberia (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008), and East Africa and the Horn: Confronting Challenges to Good Governance (2005)

Offers a new theoretical framework that can be applied and tested across disciplines in other African regions Gives a close study of four African nations’ technological challenges through their views on comparative politics Fills a current vacuum in policy and research literature on developing nations’ technological participation

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