Digital India

Pradip Ninan Thomas is an internationally recognised scholar and academic, and is currently based at the School of Communication & Arts (SCA), University of Queensland. He has published widely in areas including communication and social change, the political economy of communication, media and religion, and Indian media. He has published in the world’s top ranked journals including the Journal of Communication, Media, Culture & Society; the International Communications Gazette; the International Journal of Communication; and the European Journal of Communication along with key Indian journals such as the Economic and Political Weekly. He sits on numerous editorial boards and is an Associate Editor of the International Communications Gazette. He is known specifically for his attempts to expand, redraw and renew theory in communication and social change, and his many writings have introduced both theorists such as E. P. Thompson and Raymond Williams and concepts such as ‘contentious action’ from social movement studies to communication and social change theory. He has previously published a trilogy on Indian media with SAGE, and his forthcoming publications include a study of telecommunications history in India. He is currently a coeditor of the book series—the Palgrave Studies on Communication and Social Change (along with Elske van de Fliert). As a former Vice President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), he is a well-known academic on the international circuit—his works have been widely referenced, cited and used as texts in communication-related courses throughout the world. This is his sixth publication with SAGE. Apart from writing, research and teaching, Pradip is keenly interested in natural history and bush walking, and is an amateur photographer and a Blues music fan. He lives in Brisbane with his wife Preetha and his golden retriever Moss.

A holistic view of the information technology era in the second most populous country, and analyses the cross-links between information, communication and social change...a book on the topic can become obsolete between the time it is finished and hits the shelves. But it is to the author’s credit here that most information presented in the book remains relevant.... Digital India is a book worth reading to get a bird’s eye view of an industry that has built itself over the past three decades and a nation that is figuring out ways to reap benefits from the assets created.

• Foreword Dan SchillerPrefaceAn introduction to the Digital Moment in India Part I: Information Technology In A Liberalised Economy The Software Industry in India Mobile Phones in India: Issues related to Access and Use Part II: Government 1.0 and Information Technology Telecommunications and Universal Service Obligations in India A Critique of ICTs in Development Part III: Government 2.0 and Information Technology E-Government, E-Governance and Governmentality Intellectual Property Conundrums and the State in the Era of the Digital Public Sector Software in India Part IV: Contested Information Technology Piracy in the Contested City: Access, Distribution and EquityIndex