Urban entrepreneurs, ICTs, and emerging theories: a new direction for development communication

Abstract

The case is presented for reorienting the current paradigm of development communica-tion to place greater reliance on new theoretical perspectives about the network society and to bring those theories to bear on studies of information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially mobile phones, in the relatively under-examined research setting of urban entrepreneurial activity. Support for this argument is made by reviewing the current and near-future state of information and communication technologies and services, by examining the implications for development of increased urbanization in the global South, and by considering promising new scholarly theorizing relevant to ICTs for economic development. Research questions are offered regarding the use and impact of ICTs in urban micro- and small enterprises.