Commodification vs. patrimonialisation? A community capitals framework for assessing digital technologies. The case of Southern Rural Manitoba, Canada

Sherine Salmon and Mikael Akimowicz ()
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Mikael Akimowicz: LEREPS - Laboratoire d'Etude et de Recherche sur l'Economie, les Politiques et les Systèmes Sociaux - UT Capitole - Université Toulouse Capitole - UT - Université de Toulouse - UT2J - Université Toulouse - Jean Jaurès - UT - Université de Toulouse - Institut d'Études Politiques [IEP] - Toulouse - ENSFEA - École Nationale Supérieure de Formation de l'Enseignement Agricole de Toulouse-Auzeville, IUT Paul Sabatier - Institut Universitaire de Technologie - Paul Sabatier - UT3 - Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier - UT - Université de Toulouse

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Abstract: Uneven access to broadband has deepened a divide that sees rural residents struggling with digital technologies (DTs). This situation has resulted in the emergence of creative attitudes to take advantage of the potential benefits of DTs. In this article, a continuum of community capitals framed by governance characteristics is proposed to analyse the impact of the utilisation of DTs in rural communities. Focus groups and interviews were carried out with youth, seniors, and businesses in three rural communities of southern Manitoba, Canada. The results show that the interactions between the resources of rural communities are being re-shaped by the progressive adoption and utilisation of DTs. Three conditions to take full advantage of rural digital opportunities are reliable access, affordable access, and digital skills. Nuanced findings that contribute to explaining the ambivalent effects of DTs encourage the pursuit of additional investigations to further refine the proposed continuum of community capitals.

Keywords: Digital technologies; Rural broadband; Community capitals; Veblen’s (in)tangible assets; Musgrave’s typology of goods; Canadian Prairies (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Published in International Journal of Sustainable Agricultural Management and Informatics, 2022, 8 (1), pp.3-24. ⟨10.1504/IJSAMI.2021.10040844⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03667159

DOI: 10.1504/IJSAMI.2021.10040844

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