Leveraging Information Technology to Support Agents of World Benefit

There is much debate about social responsibility in the context of business and industry but not much in the context of information technology. We address this void by examining developments and innovations at the interface between information technologies and positive social change. In particular, the paper explores the role of information technology in three critical domains: connectivity, education, and economic development. The underlying premise of the authors is that information and communication technologies can serve agents of social innovation in underserved communities and that their consideration is vital to the success of many efforts that pursue global and sustainable change. We also submit that such issues ought to be integrated more centrally into the practice and scholarly mission of the IS discipline.

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