Bits and Atoms: Information and Communication Technology in Areas of Limited Statehood (Oxford Studies in Digital Politics) - Softcover

Steven Livingston is Professor of Media and Public and International Affairs at the School of Public Affairs & Elliott School of International Affairs, The George Washington University, and he is the author of When The Press Fails: Political Power and the News Media from Iraq to Katrina (Chicago, 2007), Clarifying the CNN Effect (Harvard, 1997), Terrorism Spectacle (Westview, 1994).

Gregor Walter-Drop is the Managing Director of the Collaborative Research Center 700 "Governance in Areas of Limited Statehood" at Freie Universität Berlin

"This pathbreaking book brings an innovative group of scholars and practitioners together to explore ways in which information and communication technologies are addressing governance problems that occur when states fail to deliver basic services or provide acceptable levels of social order and public input. The diverse cases illustrate both the capacities and limits of communication technologies in building various forms of social and political organization. These studies cast a much needed light on the spectrum of political problems and creative possibilities that shape the lives of the majority of people living outside of functional democratic political regimes. The book adds significantly to how we think about governance, the role of technology in social and political organization, and the nature of political communication."-- W. Lance Bennett, Professor of Political Science and Ruddick C. Lawrence Professor of Communication, University of Washington

"For readers versed in digital media and politics, this engaging book is about the rest of the world: Haiti, Nigeria, and other areas where states exercise limited authority. Through their special focus on such places, the contributors challenge assumptions about collective action. They show the power and limits of digital media to foster social action when authority is limited and collective goods are different than in well-functioning states. This is an innovative contribution to our understanding of collective action."--Bruce Bimber, Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Santa Barbara

"Bits and Atoms makes significant contributions to multiple audiences. It is a must-read for development practitioners and students. If these dynamic chapters do not help them think of new, creative ways to harness the power of local voices, they are probably in the wrong field." - Perspectives on Politics