Skip to main content

Evaluating Online Human Rights Resource Centres

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Information Systems Development
  • 841 Accesses

Abstract

Online human rights resource centres (OHRRCs) serve a variety of information and communication needs for grassroots activists, policy formulators, researchers, advocates and others within the human rights and development movements. However, there are no effective models with which to evaluate the impact of these systems, or to determine how they support their ‘business ’ objective which is the promotion and protection of human rights. Drawing on three areas of literature, namely information systems evaluation (ISE), evaluation of information and communications technologies in non-profit organisations and human rights impact assessment (HRIA), this paper proposes a framework to address the problem. The model focuses on the need for stakeholder participation, and for ongoing evaluation triggered at key points in an iterative development life cycle.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Andersen, E. A. and Sano, H.-O. (2006) Human Rights Indicators at Programme and Project Level, The Danish Institute for Human Rights, Denmark.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andreassen, B. A. and Sano, H.-O. (2004) What's the Goal? What's the Purpose? Observations on Human Rights Impact Assessment, Norwegian Centre for Human Rights, University of Oslo, Norway.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ball, P., Girouard, M. and Chapman, A. (1997) Information technology, information management, and human rights: a response to Metzl. Human Rights Quarterly 19(4), 836–859.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ballantine, J., Levy, M. and Powell, P. (1998) Evaluating information systems in small and medium-sized enterprises: issues and evidence. European Journal of Information Systems 7, 241–251.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brophy, P. and Halpin, E. F. (1999) Through the Net to Freedom: information, the Internet and human rights. Journal of Information Science 25(5), 351–364.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brown, A. (2005) IS Evaluation in Practice. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation. 8(3), 169–178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chabanov, S. (2004) Information: an obstacle for human rights?, eumap.org. Available from: http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2004/infohr1/infohr2/.

  • Dahlberg, L. (2001) Computer-mediated communications and the public sphere: a critical analysis. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication 7(1). Available from: http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol7/issue1/dahlberg.html

  • Dameri, R. P. (2005) Using the balanced scorecard to evaluate ICT investments in non profit organisations. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation 8(2), 107–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davenport, T. H., Eccles, R. G. and Prusak, L. (1992) Information politics. Sloan Management Review 34(1), 53–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald, G. (1998) Evaluating information systems projects: a multidimensional approach. Journal of Information Technology 13, 15–27.

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Halpin, E. F. (2003a) An evaluation of the child rights information network: examining information management in a global NGO-Part 1. Canadian Journal of Library and Information Science 27(3), 25–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Halpin, E. F. (2003b) An evaluation of the child rights information network: examining information management in a global NGO-Part 2. Canadian Journal of Library and Information Science 27(4), 31–54.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hedman, J. and Borell, A. (2005) Broadening information systems evaluation through narratives. The Electronic Journal of Information Systems Evaluation 8(2), 115–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hick, S., Halpin, E. F. and Hoskins, E. (eds.) (2000) Human Rights and the Internt, MacMillan, Houndmills.

    Google Scholar 

  • Irani, Z. and Love, P. E. D. (2001) Information systems evaluation: past, present and future. European Journal of Information Systems 10, 183–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Irani, Z., Sharif, A. M. and Love, P. E. D. (2005) Linking knowledge transformation to information systems evaluation. European Journal of Information Systems 14, 213–228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joshi, S. (2004) Towards A Global Network of Rights: The Experience of Nepal, eumap.org. Available from: http://www.eumap.org/journal/features/2004/infohr1/infohr2/

  • Kirkpatrick, C. and Hulme, D. (2001) Basic Impact Assessment at Project Level, Enterprise Development Impact Assessment Information Service (DFID).

    Google Scholar 

  • Landman, T. and Abraham, M. (2004) Evaluation of Nine Non-governmental Human Rights Organisations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lannon, J. and Halpin, E. F. (2006) Human rights movements and the Internet: from local contexts to global engagement. In: Gascó-Hernández, M., Equiza-López, F. and Acevedo-Ruiz, M. (eds.) Information Communication Technologies and Human Development: Opportunities and Challenges, pp. 182–209. Idea Group Publishing, Hershey.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Metzl, J. F. (1996) Information technology and human rights. Human Rights Quarterly 18(4), 705–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Milis, K. and Mercken, R. (2004) The use of the balanced scorecard for the evaluation of Information and communication technology projects. International Journal of Project Management 22, 87–97.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pace, W. R. and Panganiban, R. (2002) The power of global activist networks: the campaign for an international criminal court. In: Hajnal, P. I. (ed.), Civil Society in the Information Age, pp. 109–125. Ashgate, Hampshire.

    Google Scholar 

  • Remenyi, D. and Sherwood-Smith, M. (1999) Maximise information systems value by continuous participative evaluation. Logistics Information Management 12(1), 14–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rutherford, K. R. (2000) Internet activism: NGOs and the Mine Ban Treaty. The International Journal on Grey Literature. 1(3), 99–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Selian, A. N. (2002) ICTs in Support of Human Rights, Democracy and Good Governance, International Telecommunications Union, Paris.

    Google Scholar 

  • Serafeimidis, V. and Smithson, S. (2000) Information systems evaluation in practice: a case study of organisational change. Journal of Information Technology 15, 93–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serafeimidis, V. and Smithson, S. (2003) Information systems evaluation as an organisational institution - experience from a case study. Information Systems Journal 13, 251–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smithson, S. and Hirschheim, R. (1998) Analysing information systems evaluation: another look at an old problem. European Journal of Information Systems 7, 158–174.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vasconcelos, J. B. d., Seixas, P. C. and Lemos, P. G. (2005) Knowledge management in non-governmental organisations. In: Proceedings of 7th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems (ICEIS 2005), Miami.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warnick, B. (1998) Appearance or reality? Political parody on the Web in campaign '96. Critical Studies in Mass Communication 15(3), 306'324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman, H. (2005) Connecting African activism with global networks: ICTs and South African social movements. Africa Development. XXX(1 & 2), 163–182.

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Westbrook, J. I., Braithwaite, J., Iedema, R. and Coiera, E. W. (2004) Evaluating the impact of information communication technologies on complex organisational systems: a multi-disciplinary, multi-method framework. In: Fieschi, M., Coiera, E. and Li, Y.-C. (eds.) MEDINFO, pp. 1323–1327. IOS Press, Washington.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weyker, S. (2002) The ironies of information technology. In: Brysk, A. (ed.), Globalization and Human Rights, pp. 115–132. University of California Press, Berkeley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, M. and Howcroft, D. (2004) The politics of IS evaluation: a social shaping perspective. In: Proceedings of Twenty First International Conference on Information Systems, December 2000, pp. 94–103. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Lannon, J. (2009). Evaluating Online Human Rights Resource Centres. In: Barry, C., Lang, M., Wojtkowski, W., Conboy, K., Wojtkowski, G. (eds) Information Systems Development. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78578-3_3

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78578-3_3

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-78577-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-78578-3

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics