Interplay of ICTs and social capital in building and scaling peace networks within contexts of violent ethnic conflicts: a study from Kenya

Abstract

Can ICTs make the world more peaceful? Introduction and Background: A more peaceful world represents conditions of dignity, equity, civility, and tolerance of diversity that have become elusive due to intractable ethnic conflicts in LMICs. Thousands have been displaced, Lost lives, livelihoods, and social fabrics. The question is how are the bourgeoning and pervasive ICTs contributing to more peaceful conditions? In this thesis, I demonstrate that the flexibility of ICTs enables them to contribute to making the world more peaceful by being embedded in social structures where they draw on social resources for building counter networks to violence-causing systems. The thesis demonstrates how social capital can be interwoven with SMS platforms in mitigating ethnic violence. Main Results: the thesis provides a four-step process for building an ICT-enabled peace network with the capability of countering violence endorsing networks like gunrunning, livestock theft, gender-based violence, and exclusionary cartelism. The process includes building content, enrolling stakeholders, integrating ICTs, and evolving the network. The thesis provides a framework for measuring the peace outcomes like justice, equity, and business liberty, that can be applied in designing peace programs. The dissertation also offers the principles and dimensions of program scaling. Wider Implications: I believe that the results presented in the thesis will be of interest to the broad ICT4D community, especially Information systems Researchers and Peacebuilding practitioners. The methodology presented will also appeal to the general theoretical IS community.