Building participatory HIS networks: A case study from Kerala, India

Information and Organization

Volumn 19, Issue 2, 2009, Pages 63-83

  Puri, Satish K ^a   Sahay, Sundeep ^a   Lewis, John ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF OSLO   (Norway)

Author keywords

Health Information Systems; India; Kerala; Participatory design; Participatory networks

Indexed keywords

EID: 67349265637     PISSN: 14717727     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/j.infoandorg.2008.06.002     Document Type: Article

References (108)

1. Asaro P.M. Transforming society by transforming technology: The science and politics of participatory design. Accounting, Management and Information Technologies 10 (2000) 257-290
2. Asthana S. Primary healthcare and selective PHC: Community participation in health and development. In: Philips D., and Venthasselt Y. (Eds). Health and development (1994), Routledge 182-196
3. Avgerou C. Information systems and global diversity (2002), Oxford University Press, Cambridge, UK
4. Avgerou C., and Land F. Examining the appropriateness of information technology. In: Bhatnagar S.C., and Odedra M. (Eds). Social implications of computers in developing countries (1992), Tata McGraw-Hill, New Delhi 26-41
5. Avgerou C., and Walsham G. Introduction: IT in developing countries. In: Avgerou C., and Walsham G. (Eds). Information technology in context: Studies from the perspective of developing countries (2000), Ashgate, Hants 1-8
6. Baber Z. Colonizing nature: Scientific knowledge, colonial power and the Incorporation of India into the modern world-system. British Journal of Sociology 52 1 (2001) 37-58
7. Barki H., and Hartwick J. Measuring user participation, user involvement, and user attitude. MIS Quarterly 18 1 (1994) 59-82
8. Baroudi J.J., Olson M.H., and Ives B. An empirical study of the impact of user involvement on system usage and information satisfaction. Communications of the ACM 29 3 (1986) 232-238
9. Bass B.M., and Shackleton V.J. Industrial democracy and participative management: A case for synthesis. The Academy of Management Review 4 3 (1979) 393-404
10. Beck E. P for political: Participation is not enough. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 14 (2002) 77-92
11. Bjerknes G., and Bratteteig T. User participation and democracy: A discussion of Scandinavian research on system development. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 7 1 (1995) 73-98
12. Bødker S. Creating conditions for participation - Conflicts and resources in systems development. Human-Computer Interaction 11 3 (1996) 215-236
13. Boland R.J. Some sources of the unity in plurality of Scandinavian research on information systems development. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 10 1-2 (1998) 187-192
14. Boon J.A. Information and development. The Information Society 8 4 (1992) 227-241
15. Braa, J. (1996). Community-based participatory design in the third world. In J. Blomberg, F. Kensing, & E. A. Dykstra-Erickson (Eds.), PDC'96 Proceedings of the participatory design conference (pp. 15-24). 13-15 November 1996, Cambridge, MA, Palo Alto, CA.
16. Braa J., and Hedberg C. The struggle for district-based health information systems in South Africa. The Information Society 18 2 (2002) 113-127
17. Braa J., Monteiro E., and Sahay S. Networks of action: Sustainable health information systems across developing countries. MIS Quarterly 28 3 (2004) 337-362
18. Braa J., Titlestad O.H., and Sæbø J. Participatory design. Proceedings of the eighth conference on participatory design: Artful integration: Interweaving media materials and practices Vol. 1 (2004), ACM, New York pp. 53-64
19. Byrne, E. (2005). A participatory approach to the design of a child-health community-based information system for the care of vulnerable children. Unpublished Ph.D. thesis, University of the Western Cape, South Africa.
20. Byrne, E., & Sahay, S. (2003). Health information systems for primary healthcare: Thinking about participation. In M. Korpela, R. Montealegre, & A. Poulymenakou (Eds.), Proceedings of the IFIP TC8 & TC9/WG 8.2 & WG 9.4 working conference on organizational information systems in the context of globalization, In-progress research papers (pp. 237-249), 15-17 June 2003, Athens, Greece.
21. Byrne E., and Sahay S. Participatory design for social development: A South African case study on community-based health information systems. IT for Development 13 1 (2007) 71-94
22. Carroll, J. M., & Rosson, M. B. (2006). Dimensions of participation in information systems design. In P. Zhang, & D. Galletta (Eds.), Advances in management information systems- human-computer interaction and management information systems: Foundations (p. 5).
23. Chambers R. Rural development: Putting the last first (1983), Longman, London
24. Chambers R. The origins and practice of participatory rural appraisal. World Development 22 7 (1994) 953-969
25. Dahlbom B. From users to consumers. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 15 1 (2003) 105-108
26. Ehn P. Scandinavian Design: On Participation and Skill. In: Schuler D., and Namioka A. (Eds). Participatory design: Principles and practice (1993), Lawrence Erlbaum, New Jersey 41-77
27. Escobar A. Discourse and power in development: Michel Foucault and the relevance of his work to the third world. Alternatives 10 3 (1984) 377-400
28. Escobar A. Power and visibility: Development and the invention and management of the third world. Cultural Anthropology 3 4 (1988) 428-443
29. Escobar A. Encountering development: The making and unmaking of the third world (1995), Princeton University Press, Princeton, New Jersey 1995
30. Ferguson J. The anti-politics machine: development, depoliticization and bureaucratic power in lesotho (1990), Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
31. Fitzgerald B., Russo N.L., and Stolterman E. Information systems development: Methods in action (2002), McGraw-Hill, London
32. Floyd C., Wolf-Michael M., Fanny-Michaela R., Schmidt G., and Wolf G. Out of Scandinavia: Alternative approaches to software design and system development. Human-Computer Interactions 4 4 (1989) 253-350
33. Franz C.R., and Robey D. Organizational context user involvement, and the usefulness of information systems. Decision Sciences 17 (1986) 329-356
34. Garrity E.J. User participation, management support and system types. Information Resources Management Journal 7 3 (1994) 34-43
35. Georgiadou Y., Puri S.K., and Sahay S. The rainbow metaphor: Spatial data infrastructure organization and implementation in India. International Studies of Management and Organization 35 4 (2006) 48-70
36. Giddens A. Modernity and self-identity (1991), Stanford University Press, Stanford
37. In: Greenbaum J., and Kyng M. (Eds). Design at work (1991), Lawrence Erlbaum, New Jersey
38. Greene R. Effective community health participation strategies: A Cuban example. International Journal of Health Planning and Management 18 (2003) 105-116
39. Gregory, J. (2003). Scandinavian approaches to participatory design. International Journal of Engineering Education, 19(1), 62-74. In C. Dym, & L. Winner (Eds.), Special issue on social dimensions of engineering design.
40. Guijt I., and Shah M. The myth of community: Gender issues in participatory development (1998), Intermediate Technology, London
41. Hanseth, E., & Monteiro, E. (2004). Understanding information infrastructure (forthcoming book). Manuscript available at (consulted December 10, 2007).
42. Hanseth O. The economics of standards. In: Ciborra C.U., Braa K., Cordella A., Dahlbom B., Failla A., Hanseth O., Hepso V., Ljungberg J., Monteiro E., and Simon K.A. (Eds). From control to drift (2000), Oxford University Press 56-70
43. Heeks, R. (1999). The tyranny of participation in information systems: Learning from development projects. Development informatics working paper No. 4, IDPM, University of Manchester.
44. Heeks R. Information systems and developing countries: Failure, success, and local improvisations. The Information Society 18 2 (2002) 101-112
45. Hirschheim R., and Klein H. Paradigmatic influences on information systems development methodologies: Evolution and conceptual advances. In: Yovits M.C. (Ed). Advances in computers. 34 (1992), Academic Press Inc. 293-392
46. Hirschheim R., and Klein H. Realizing emancipatory principles in information systems development: The case for ETHICS. MIS Quarterly 18 1 (1994) 83-109
47. Howcroft D., and Wilson M. Participation: 'bounded freedom' or hidden constraints on user involvement. New Technology Work and Employment 18 1 (2003) 2-19
48. Hunton J.E., and Beeler J.D. Effects of user participation in systems development: A longitudinal field experiment. MIS Quarterly 21 4 (1997) 359-388
49. Hutchinson C.F., and Toledano J. Guidelines for demonstrating geographical information systems based on participatory development. International Journal of Geographical Information Systems 7 5 (1993) 453-461
50. Iivari J. The relationship between organizational culture and the deployment of systems development methodologies. MIS Quarterly 31 1 (2007) 35-58
51. Iivari J., and Lyytinen K. Research on information systems development in Scandinavia - Unity in plurality. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 10 1-2 (1998) 135-186
52. Ishman M.D., Pegels C.C., and Sanders G.L. Managerial information system success factors within cultural context of North America and a former Soviet Republic. Journal of Strategic Information Systems 10 4 (2001) 291-312
53. Kanungo S. On the emancipatory role of rural information systems. Information Technology and People 17 4 (2004) 407-422
54. Kensing A., and Blomberg J. Participatory design: Issues and concerns. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 7 (1998) 167-185
55. Kimaro, H. C. (2006). Decentralization and sustainability of ICT based health information systems in developing countries: A case study from Tanzania. Ph.D. thesis, University of Oslo, Unipub, Oslo.
56. Klein H.K., and Myers M.D. A set of principles for conducting and evaluating interpretive field studies in information systems. MIS Quarterly 23 1 (1999) 67-93
57. Korpela M. Traditional culture or political economy? On the root causes of organizational obstacles of IT in developing countries. Information Technology for Development 7 (1996) 29-42
58. Korpela M., Mursu A., and Soriyan H.A. Information systems development as an activity. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 11 1-2 (2002) 111-128
59. Korpela M., Soriyan H.A., Olufokunbi K.C., Onayade A.A., Davies-Adetugbo A., and Adesanmi D. Community participation in health informatics in Africa: An experiment in tripartite partnership in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 7 (1998) 339-358
60. Kothari U. Power, knowledge and social control in participatory development. In: Cooke B., and Kothari U. (Eds). Participation: The new tyranny? (2001), Zed Books, London 139-152
61. Kyng M. Users and computers: A contextual approach to design of computer artifacts. Scandinavian Journal of Information Systems 10 1-2 (1998) 7-43
62. Lamb R., and Kling R. Reconceptualizing users as social actors in information systems research. MIS Quarterly 27 2 (2003) 197-235
63. Lyytinen K.J., and Klein H.K. The critical theory of Jurgen Habermas as a basis for a theory of information systems. In: Mumford E., Hirschheim R., Fitzgerald G., and Wood-Harper A.T. (Eds). Research methods in information systems (1985), North-Holland, Amsterdam 219-236
64. Madon S. Introducing administrative reform through the application of computer-based information systems: A case study in India. Public Administration and Development 13 (1993) 37-48
65. Madon S. The Internet and socio-economic development: Exploring the interaction. Information Technology and People 13 2 (2000) 85-101
66. Madon S. Governance lessons from the experience of telecentres in Kerala. European Journal of Information Systems 14 4 (2005) 401-417
67. Markus M.L., and Mao J.Y. Participation in development and implementation - Updating an Old, Tired Concept for Today's IS Contexts. Journal of the Association for Information Systems 5 11-12 (2004) 514-544
68. Mbarika V.W.A., Okoli C., Byrd T.A., and Datta P. The neglected continent of IS research: A research agenda for sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of the Association for Information Systems 6 5 (2005) 130-170
69. McGee R. Participating in development. In: Kothari U., and Minogue M. (Eds). Development theory and practice: Critical perspectives (2002), Palgrave 92-116
70. Montgomery J.D. Technology and civil life: Making and implementing development decisions (1974), The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA and London
71. Mosse D. Authority, gender, and knowledge: Theoretical reflections on the practice of participatory rural appraisal. Development and Change 25 (1994) 497-526
72. Mosse D. Social analysis in participatory rural development. PLA Notes 24 (1995) 27-33
73. Mosse D. "People's knowledge," participation and patronage: Operations and representations in rural development. In: Cooke B., and Kothari U. (Eds). Participation: The new tyranny? (2001), Zed Books, London 16-35
74. Muller M.J., Wildman D.M., and White E.A. PICTIVE - An exploration in participatory design. CHI '91 conference proceedings (1991), Addison-Wesley
75. Mumford E. The participation of users in system design: An account of the origin, evolution and use of the ETHICS method. In: Schuler D., and Namioka A. (Eds). Participatory design: Principles and practice (1993), Lawrence Erlbaum, New Jersey 257-270
76. Mumford E., and Weir M. Computer systems in work design - The ETHICS method: Effective technical and human implementation of computer systems (1979), Associated Business Press, London
77. Nelson N., and Wright S. Participation and power. In: Nelson N., and Wright S. (Eds). Power and participatory development: Theory and practice (1995), Intermediate Technology Publications, London 1-18
78. Nhampossa, J. L. (2006). Re-thinking technology transfer as technology translation: A case study of health information systems in Mozambique. Ph.D. thesis, University of Oslo, Unipub, Oslo.
79. Oakely P. Community involvement in health development: An examination of the critical issues (1989), WHO, Geneva
80. Obermeyer N.J. The evolution of public participation in GIS. Cartography and Geographic Information Systems 25 2 (1998) 65-66
81. Ojo S. Socio-cultural and organizational issues in IT applications in Nigeria. In: Bhatnagar S., and Odedra O. (Eds). Social implications of computers in developing countries (1992), Tata McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. Ltd. 55-61
82. Orlikowski W.J., and Gash D.C. Technological frames: making sense of information technology in organizations. ACM Transactions on Information Systems 2 2 (1994) 174-207
83. Orr, J. E., & Crowfoot, N. C. (1996). The politics of knowledge: Participatory design and the location of expertise. In J. Blomberg, F. Kensing, & E. A. Dykstra-Erickson (Eds.), PDC'96 proceedings of the participatory design conference (p. 205), 13-15 November 1996, Cambridge, MA, USA, Computer professionals for social responsibility, Palo Alto, CA.
84. Parayil G. The "Kerala model" of development: Development and sustainability in the third world. Third World Quarterly 17 5 (1996) 941-957
85. Preston P.W. Development theory: An introduction (1996), Blackwell Publishers
86. Procacci G. Social economy and the government of poverty. In: Burchell G., Gordon C., and Miller P. (Eds). The Foucault effect: Studies in governmentality (1991), Harvester Wheatsheaf, London 151-168
87. Puri S.K. Integrating scientific with indigenous knowledge: Constructing knowledge alliances for land management in India. MIS Quarterly 31 2 (2007) 355-379
88. Puri S.K., and Sahay S. Institutional structures and participation: Comparative case studies from India. In: Korpela M., Montealegre R., and Poulymenakou A. (Eds). Organizational information systems in the context of globalization (2003), Kluwer Academic Publishers, Athens, Greece 271-287
89. Puri S.K., and Sahay S. Participation through communicative action: A case study of GIS for addressing land/water development in India. IT for Development 10 3 (2003) 179-199
90. Puri S.K., and Sahay S. Role of ICTs in participatory development: An Indian experience. IT for Development 13 2 (2007) 133-160
91. Rahnema M. Participation. In: Sachs W. (Ed). The development dictionary: A guide to knowledge as power (1992), Zed Books, London 116-131
92. Ranjini, C. R., & Sahay, S. (2006). Computer-based health information systems: projects for computerization or health management? Empirical experiences from India. In M. Gasco-Hernandez, F. Equiza-Lopez, & M. Acevedo-Ruiz (Eds.), Information communication technologies and human development, opportunities and challenges (pp. 266-292). Hershey: Idea Group Publishing.
93. Sahay S., and Avgerou C. Introducing the special issue on information and communication technologies in developing countries. Information Society 18 2 (2000) 73-76
94. Sahay S., and Walsham G. Social structure and managerial agency in India. Organization Studies 18 3 (1997) 415-444
95. Sandiford P., Annett H., and Cibulski R. What can information systems do for primary health care? An international perspective. Social Studies and Medicine 34 10 (1992) 1077-1087
96. Sauerborn R., and Lippeveld T. Why health information systems?. In: Lippeveld T., Sauerborn R., and Bodart C. (Eds). Design and implementation of health information systems (2000), World Health Organisation, Geneva
97. Scholte, J. A. (2000). Globalization: A critical introduction. Hampshire: Palgrave, Houndmills.
98. Sen, A. K. (1999). Development as freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
99. Spinuzzi C. Tracing genres through organizations: A sociocultural approach to information design (2003), MIT Press, Cambridge, MA
100. Suchman L. Working relations of technology production and use. Computer Supported Cooperative Work 2 (1994) 21-39
101. Vohra U. Family planning success based on equity: Human development, health and governance in the Indian state of Kerala. Health for the Millions 25 2 (1999) 40-42
102. Walsham G., Symons V., and Waema T. Information systems as social systems: Implications for developing countries. Information Technology for Development 3 3 (1988) 189-204
103. Walsham G. Interpreting information systems in organizations (1993), John Wiley and Sons, Chichester, UK
104. Walsham G. The emergence of interpretivism in IS research. Information Systems Research 6 4 (1995) 376-394
105. Walsham G. Interpretive case studies in IS research: Nature and method. European Journal of Information Systems 4 2 (1995) 74-81
106. Warschauer M. Demystifying the digital divide. Scientific American August (2003) 34-39
107. Whyte J. Assessing medical rehabilitation practices: Distinctive methodologic challenges. In: Fuhrer M.J. (Ed). The promise of outcomes research (1997), Brookes, Baltimore, MD 43-59
108. Woodhouse P. People as informants. In: Thomas A., Chataway J., and Wuyts M. (Eds). Finding out fast: Investigative skills for policy and development (1998), Open University, Sage Publications