Information Technology Research in Latin America : Editorial Introduction to the Special Issue

Latin America, in spite of some great strides, lags economically advanced nations in its research on information technology. This special issue of Information Technology for Development on “IT Advances in Latin America” provides insights into the practices and applications of IT, points to problems and constraints, offers findings and solutions that can be useful to practitioners, and indicates how IT is helping in development of Latin America and its countries. The introduction has two parts. Part 1 examines the status of IT research in Latin America. It suggests how IT investigators in Latin America can be motivated and encouraged, institutional networks developed, topics identified, and language differences overcome. It suggests steps for journals, conferences, and granting agencies to support the region’s IT research productivity. Part 2 introduces the articles in the special issue. All the authors of articles in this issue are from Latin America and were located in the region during the research they reported on. This supports a goal of this issue to encourage investigators in the region and their insights and discoveries based