Researching ICT Micro-enterprise in Developing Countries: Themes, Wider Concepts and Future Directions

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of knowledge on ICT micro-enterprise in developing countries and provide guidance for future research. It does this by reviewing two strands of literature. In the first, it reviews the literature related to ICT micro-enterprises, focussing particularly on two sub-sectors that might be considered successful, mobile entrepreneurship and the Nigerian video-film industry. It draws out three key themes that are addressed in the literature – the significance of local networks and supply chains; strategies of niches and appropriation; and the importance of context. This analysis also reveals a significant weakness in the literature. Studies have generally made a close focus on the local practices and technology actions of such micro-enterprises, but there has been little analysis of such micro-enterprise within wider conceptual frameworks, which means that there are significant gaps relating to understanding of the developmental role and potential of such ICT micro-enterprise. Thus, the broader development literature is reviewed related to the three key themes that were identified. This wider literature highlights three conceptual literatures – enterprise clustering and upgrading, base-of-the-pyramid markets, and urban development – that are able to offer some useful lenses for researching ICT micro-enterprise, as well as highlighting potential future research directions.