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Revisiting CGNet Swara and its impact in rural India

Published:15 May 2015Publication History

ABSTRACT

CGNet Swara is a voice-based platform for citizen journalism, launched in rural India in 2010. Since then, CGNet Swara has logged over 575,000 phone calls, over 6,900 published stories, and 287 reports of specific problems that were solved via the system. In this paper, we characterize the ongoing impact of CGNet Swara using a mixed-methods approach that includes 70 interviews with contributors, listeners, moderators, journalists, officials, and other actors. Our analysis also draws on the content of published posts, two focus groups, and a 9-day field immersion. Our results highlight personal narratives of the transformative benefits CGNet Swara has brought to rural communities. While the resolution of grievances is the most visible impact, we also uncover a diverse portfolio of other impacts connected to contributing and listening to the platform, as well as opportunities to further enhance impact. Our work contributes to the dialogue surrounding the impact of ICTD projects, especially those that span multiple years.

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      cover image ACM Other conferences
      ICTD '15: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development
      May 2015
      429 pages
      ISBN:9781450331630
      DOI:10.1145/2737856

      Copyright © 2015 ACM

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      Publication History

      • Published: 15 May 2015

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      ICTD '15 Paper Acceptance Rate22of116submissions,19%Overall Acceptance Rate22of116submissions,19%

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