Information Technology and World Politics

Citation

Tax Choldin, M. (2003), "Information Technology and World Politics", Journal of Documentation, Vol. 59 No. 6, pp. 745-746. https://doi.org/10.1108/00220410310506385

This small book is a collection of 12 essays on the impact of information technology on politics worldwide. The editor and contributors are political scientists, mainly defense and security specialists connected with various US government agencies.

The volume opens with an introduction by the editor, following which the essays are presented in three sections. The first deals with issues on a global level: the phenomenon of stateless nations; the concept of the “global village” in the Internet era; subnational groups and globalization; international security issues. The second section presents case studies on the dynamics of information technology and social change in a number of countries, including Peru, the Phillipines, Senegal, China, and Iran. Essays in the third section explore the relationship between the Internet and economic development, with special reference to India, Brazil, and the African continent.

The book's main value is twofold: it presents some discussion of big issues of technology and globalization; and it introduces the reader to a number of interesting recent studies documenting various aspects of the role played by information technology on the process of social and political change around the world.

This reviewer liked best some of the essays in the second and third parts: Alessandra Cabras on the importance of mobile phones in the Philippines, Senegal, and Congo; Robert Peters and Michael J. Rabasco on the Internet in China and Iran, respectively; Sudhir Mahara on the Internet and modernization in India; Ryan McMichael on the consequences of wiring Brazil.

Readers seeking a deeper understanding of these issues in specific countries, however, are likely to be disappointed. There is little evidence that the authors are competent in languages other than English and have studied the history, culture, and societies of the countries they describe. Research appears to have been conducted primarily using English‐language sources.

This volume would be most useful to readers interested in global information issues if it were seen as a survey that introduces some important concepts and current research. For a deeper understanding of these issues specific countries, the reader should seek out literature representing a deeper level of research.