Template:The Politics of Open Source Adoption
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The Politics of Open Source Adoption
NGO's in the developing world
My presentation will consist of presenting a report I wrote for the Social Science Research Countries on the ways in which FOSS is adopted by NGO's in developing countries. I will address the barriers that NGO's face in their FOSS adoption and look at the role that institutional mediators like Tactical Tech play in facilitating FOSS adoption (1) in the developing world, and (2) outside technically proficient, FOSS-aware communities. I argue the financial precariousness of many of these organizations and the thinness of FOSS communities in many of the settings in which these organizations operate shape the case for—and define the points of resistance to—FOSS adoption in this contexts. Despite limits, in the past three years, barriers have certainly diminished in many countries, and show signs of continuing to do so as the FOSS developer community expands, and as it becomes more responsive to the needs of non-technical users. This progress has underwritten continued and expanding NGO interest in FOSS technologies, including in the poorest and most challenging locales. This chapter is an exploration of the unique sectoral conditions underlying FOSS adoption among NGOs, focusing on an account of emerging intermediaries (often NGOs themselves) who promote FOSS and facilitate its adoption in the NGO sector.In presenting this, I will also draw on my dissertation material to talk about the ways in which FOSS has functioned as an icon by which other social groups have developed and furthered their own projects. I hope to raise awareness in the developer community about the “travels� that FOSS technologies have taken. Given the participants at WTH, I hope to learn more about this area of FOSS extension by presenting this material.
