Stakeholders and Power in Community-Based IT Projects: Examining the Role of Service Recipients

Not-for-profit organisations put considerable effort into community-based Information Technology (IT) projects to bridge the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’ of the digital divide. However, the outcomes of these IT projects are often seen as problematic with service recipients failing to gain the intended benefits. This research takes a critical research approach to examining the role of service recipients as stakeholders in community-based IT projects. In this paper, the authors address the first element of critical research, that of considering ‘what we think is known.’ Using the lens of Bourdieu’s forms of capital, the authors identify the power asymmetries among not-for-profit community stakeholders and provide an understanding of community characteristics that affect the delivery of project outcomes.

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