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Mapping ICT knowledge infrastructure in South Asia

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Abstract

Information Communication Technology (ICT) has a significant impact on the socioeconomic development of a country. However, the inequitable access to ICT still remains a major issue in developing countries. In this context, this study examines ICT knowledge infrastructure in South Asia from a network point of view. Existing research on ICTs are useful in understanding the common facts, but are limited in revealing the hidden structures and properties of the ICT research domain in South Asia. The hidden structures and properties, like key players, network of key players for scientific collaborations, and their network characteristics are analyzed and synthesized in this study. This study applies the mixed approach of Social Network Analysis techniques and Triple Helix indicators on scholarly papers obtained from the Web of Science database. Further, burst detection algorithm is applied on keywords appearing in the titles of the South Asian ICT scholarly papers to understand the emerging trends in the ICT research domain. This study helps in providing a better understanding of current trends, strengths, and weaknesses of ICT in South Asia, which provides a better understanding to bridge the digital divide and achieve socioeconomic development through ICT.

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Correspondence to Gohar Feroz Khan.

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Swar, B., Khan, G.F. Mapping ICT knowledge infrastructure in South Asia. Scientometrics 99, 117–137 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-013-1099-0

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