Diffusion of information technology: A case study of computer network and the role of government, industry, and academia in developing the Internet/NREN

This dissertation investigates the determinants, patterns, and infostructural consequences of the diffusion of information technology (IT) in the context of global development and modernization toward an information society from the standpoint of both theory and practice. Theoretically, this study seeks to fill the research gap between comparative perspectives and computer/information science; and practically, it attempts to provide conceptual and technological foundations for building development-oriented NICs like the University of Texas--Latin American Network Information Center (UT-LANIC).;Based on synthesizing the state of our knowledge on IT diffusion, this research is designed by developing a 3-Dimensional Framework. Along its economic, political, and educational dimensions, six theoretical propositions are proposed and operationalized as corresponding hypotheses, which are empirically tested via both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. Quantitatively, a generic Four-Variable Model is constructed through multiple regression and path analysis to explain IT diffusion with cross-country data. Qualitatively, a case study of the most important global computer network is conducted longitudinally from ARPANET to Internet, and toward a National Research and Education Network (NREN).;The findings are that the determinants of IT diffusion are three major factors--economy, politics, and education, which explain 91.2% variation of IT diffusion at the 95% confidence level. The pattern of IT diffusion in the Internet case follows an S-curve process from Experimentation through "Take-Off" stages, in which government is the primary driving force, to the Majority Adoption stage, in which industry plays an increasingly important role. The infostructure generated from the IT diffusion process, to which academia has made a distinctive contribution, consists of three basic components: (1) network information resources are qualitatively classified and quantitatively assessed; (2) networking access tools are evaluated by focusing on Archie, WAIS, Prospero, Gopher, and World-Wide Web; and (3) the Network Information Center's (NIC) leading role in IT diffusion is demonstrated through the UT-LANIC case.;The policy implications of this study for government, business, and academic institutions are discussed in both developed and developing country settings, and future work is suggested for both academic research and NIC practice.