Design Research
Developing economies are market-dependant: transactions are liberalized, there are few regulations and market intermediaries. A great proportion of the population are active market participants not only as wage-earners and consumers but also as entrepreneurs. As a result, the allocative role of markets is more prominent and the livelihoods of greater sections of the population are directly dependent on the smooth functioning of decentralized markets. In the absence of effective safety nets, the importance of the successful operation of markets cannot be overstated. Unfortunately, in practice, market exchange can be “costly, cumbersome, time-consuming, and unpredictable” (Fafchamps, M. (2004). Market Institutions in Sub-Saharan Africa. MIT Press.). Markets often fail thereby impacting the welfare of numerous traders in the informal sector who do their utmost to avoid sinking below the poverty line. MMD4D is focused on studying market behaviour and the design of mobile information systems because I believe that mobile technology can contribute to addressing well-documented transaction failure, coordination failure and access failure problems.
My interest in researching the design of technology-based markets dates back to November 2005. Originally, I exposed my ideas about a research programme in a document entitled, “Integrated Framework for the Design of Technology-Based Marketplaces for Development”. It concerned ITC-mediated marketplaces for agricultural produce in developing countries. The document put forward my interests in the construction of an integrated approach towards the design of institutions, market mechanisms and technologies for such marketplaces.
Subsequently, I presented the ideas in a paper called “Integrated Design of Technology-Based Marketplaces for Agriculture in Developing Countries” at the IST-Africa Conference & Exhibition, held on 9-11 May 2007, in Maputo, Mozambique.
Currently, I am considering complexity theory as a framework for the integrated design of technology-based marketplaces.
If you have similar ideas about design, an interest in collaborating, or simply a reference I should look at, please do get in touch. I would love to hear from like-minded people.
