Search

Objectives: nearly 50% of people in developing countries suffer from extreme poverty. Consequently, a debate has emerged about the potential of ICT to improve socio-economic conditions prevailing in impoverished nations. This discussion has given rise to a burgeoning field of research known as ICT for development (ICT4D). However, most academics in the ICT4D arena do not come from developing countries, nor do they reside in these regions -- the main beneficiaries of ICT4D initiatives. This is the case of Brazil, a country characterized by significant socioeconomic disparities, where this field of study has aroused little interest among the scientific community and thus continues to be largely under-researched. Thus, the objective of this paper is to make sense of that phenomenon. Provocations: as most of the ICT4D knowledge base has been generated either by academics who are not originally from developing countries or by academics native to developing countries who currently reside in developed countries, a provocation can be made, namely, considering that ICT4D initiatives can improve the quality of life of people, why haven't Brazilian scholars prioritized research in this area? Conclusion: as a provocative paper, our main objective is to debate on the aforementioned issue. For this, we should listen to the Brazilian Academy of Management -- mainly the academics of the ANPAD's Information Management division -- to address and solve this puzzle, so that ICT4D research in Brazil can be encouraged with a view to causing a real impact on our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: nearly 50% of people in developing countries suffer from extreme poverty. Consequently, a debate has emerged about the potential of ICT to improve socio-economic conditions prevailing in impoverished nations. This discussion has given rise to a burgeoning field of research known as ICT for development (ICT4D). However, most academics in the ICT4D arena do not come from developing countries, nor do they reside in these regions — the main beneficiaries of ICT4D initiatives. This is the case of Brazil, a country characterized by significant socioeconomic disparities, where this field of study has aroused little interest among the scientific community and thus continues to be largely under-researched. Thus, the objective of this paper is to make sense of that phenomenon. Provocations: as most of the ICT4D knowledge base has been generated either by academics who are not originally from developing countries or by academics native to developing countries who currently reside in developed countries, a provocation can be made, namely, considering that ICT4D initiatives can improve the quality of life of people, why haven’t Brazilian scholars prioritized research in this area? Conclusion: as a provocative paper, our main objective is to debate on the aforementioned issue. For this, we should listen to the Brazilian Academy of Management — mainly the academics of the ANPAD’s Information Management division — to address and solve this puzzle, so that ICT4D research in Brazil can be encouraged with a view to causing a real impact on our society.

Objectives: We aim to propose the thesis that the trajectories of the Anthropocene and the current mainstream understandings of development are intertwined from the beginning. It means that the Anthropocene and the "development" are coetaneous: the implementation of development policies for the so-considered underdeveloped regions started to happen at the same time of what is known as The Great Acceleration of production, consumption and environmental degradation in a global level. Method: In this conceptual paper, we adopt a decolonial critique as an analytical lens and argue that different geopolitical positions may be necessary for approaching the issue of the Anthropocene from epistemological reflections that can include the cultural and political context of the production and reproduction of local knowledge. Results: Our theoretical argumentation sheds light on the role of Global North and South relations in shaping the environmental crisis. Latin America (LA) exemplifies the modus operandi of the intertwinement of the practical effects of development policies and the environmental consequences underlying the Anthropocene, in which natural resources are over-explored to satisfy export-oriented trade, from the South toward the North. LA is not only a propitious context to show the validity of our thesis, but also the source of alternatives to such developmental model. Conclusion: The emphasis on development as a cause of the Anthropocene supports The Great Acceleration thesis. The proposition of the name Developmentocene comes from the thesis that development and Anthropocene are coetaneous, the intertwinement of both resulting in the very definition of the new epoch. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have addressed the university-industry technology transfer (UITT) process in developing countries (Póvoa & Rapini, 2010); especially, in Brazilian private universities (Closs & Ferreira, 2010). This paper seeks to identify and analyze elements in processes involving academic patents through a case study investigating researchers and the TTO manager of PUCRS. Many results were similar to those identified by other national and international studies. Among the drivers that stand out are scientific challenges and competition to produce patents. An innovative environment was favored by institutional policies. Access to information structures, laboratories, skilled staff and multidisciplinary research groups favored invention. The existence of the technology park in the university also facilitated the dissemination of tacit knowledge between universities and companies. Reconciling research, teaching, and patenting with each other is an issue that requires special attention, because researchers were essential to successful commercialization of academic technology. We suggest the creation of policies which allow researchers more time for UITT and developing their interpersonal and commercial skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]