ICT in Brazilian non-profit organizations - capability approach-based indicators in organizational settings

Fabio Senne, Alexandre Barbosa

Abstract

As a result of the rapid dissemination of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) in society, several researchers have observed opportunities for new means of citizen engagement through ICT use, in particular when the use is mediated by non-profit organizations. However, an opportunity remains to develop more systematic studies on the adoption of ICTs by non-profit organizations. Studies in the domain, which have often been disconnected from the development debate, have mostly been carried out in developed countries. This paper aims to operationalize the capability approach (CA) conceptual framework, as proposed by Amartya Sen, for the analysis of the data from the survey on ICTs in non-profit organizations from the Brazilian Internet Steering Committee (CGI.br) that was conducted by the Regional Center for Studies on the Development of the Information Society (CETIC.br) in 2013. Although several infrastructural constraints hinder the use of ICTs, this paper indicates the importance of contextual considerations (such as organization size, geographic region, and nature of activity) in relation to the perception of positive and negative outcomes (achieved functionings). The use of ICTs for communication is also significantly linked to attitudes toward ICT and the perception of outcomes in non-profit organizations.

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