Open Development Paper by SIRCA III PIs Reilly & Juan published in GMJ-CE

A paper titled “Intermediation in Open Development: A Knowledge Stewardship Approach” by SIRCA III Principal Investigators, Katherine Reilly and Juan Alperin, was published in the Global Media Journal — Canadian Edition (GMJ-CE).

Abstract:
Open Development (OD) is a subset of ICT4D that studies the potential of IT-enabled openness to support social change among poor or marginalized populations. Early OD work examined the potential of IT-enabled openness to decentralize power and enable public engagement by disintermediating knowledge production and dissemination. However, in practice, intermediaries have emerged to facilitate open data and related knowledge production activities in development processes. We identify five models of intermediation in OD work: decentralized, arterial, ecosystem, bridging, and communities of practice and examine the implications of each for stewardship of open processes. We conclude that studying OD through these five forms of intermediation is a productive way of understanding whether and how different patterns of knowledge stewardship influence development outcomes. We also offer suggestions for future research that can improve our understanding of how to sustain openness, facilitate public engagement, and ensure that intermediation contributes to open development.

The full journal article can be accessed here.

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Global Media Journal — Canadian Edition is a bilingual (English and French) free open-access online double-blind refereed publication that is hosted by the University of Ottawa and which is dedicated to research in the fields of communication and media studies. GMJ — CE welcomes high-quality, original submissions on a wide range of related topics to communication and media studies that develop communication and media theories, report empirical and analytical research, present critical discourses, apply theories to case studies, and set out innovative research methodologies. It aims to advance research and understanding of communication and media in Canada and around the globe.