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We examine whether the widespread adoption of mobile technology is associated with changes in core social networks over the main decade of mobile diffusion in India. We focus primarily on network size, as well as the type and location of relationships. Grounded in interaction ritual theory, Ling’s bounded solidarity thesis suggests that mobile communication may reconfigure social bonds, leading to a focus on family and friends over workmates and acquaintances, as well as more local networks. This study analyses data from three waves of data (2002–2013) from the state of Kerala. Our key findings are generally consistent with bounded solidarity: family ties increased at the expense of work ties, and there was a shift away from regional and international ties towards local relationships.

The article seeks to look at the current organic boom in the state of Kerala as a counter-discourse to the agrarian crisis and the impending issues of food security, food price and health hazards in the state in the wake of the liberalisation policies and World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. The Polanyan notion of countermovement (1944) is used to unearth Kerala’s agrarian crisis of the 1990s that stemmed up from the commoditisation of agriculture, which ultimately paved way for an agrarian countermovement in the form of organic farming in the late 20th century. It is argued that organic agriculture signals the emergence of an agrarian counter-discourse promoting greater engagement of the farmers from the fringes. The primary data for the article were gathered out of two empirical projects carried out in 2015–2016.

This article examines the relationship between sex and sector of employment and perceptions of the research climate among a sample of researchers in three lowincome areas: Ghana, Kenya, and Kerala India. Using data gathered in 2010 from scientists working in universities and national research institutes, we address the following questions: 1) Are there differences in men's and women's assessment of the research environment in terms of their satisfaction with funding, ratings of problems associated with communication and coordination, and sense of autonomy? 2) Do contextual factors--primarily sector of employment but also controlling for home region--account for these differences? 3) Does the effect of sex vary across sector and location? 4) Are there other factors--family status, education, and experience--that mediate the relationship between sex, context and perceptions of the work environment? Findings indicate that female scientists' satisfaction with funding is governed by national context rather than institutional context, while their sense of autonomy and experience with problems related to communication and coordination is governed by institutional contexts. By engaging with the literature on the gendered nature of bureaucracy, our results provide insight into the features of organizations that shape male and female researchers' experiences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary We examine the diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the knowledge production sectors of three developing areas. Using interviews with 918 scientists in one South Asian and two African locations, we address three fundamental questions: (1) To what degree has the research community in the developing world adopted the Internet? (2) How can the disparities in Internet adoption best be characterized? (3) To what extent is Internet use associated with research productivity? Our findings indicate that while the vast majority of scientists describe themselves as current email users, far fewer have ready access to the technology, use it in diverse ways, or have extensive experience. These results are consistent with the notion that Internet adoption should not be characterized as a single act on the part of users. The rapid development of the Internet and the cumulative skills required for its effective use are equally important, particularly its impact on productivity. These findings lead us to qualify crude generalizations about the diffusion of the Internet in developing areas.