Cooperation on the Web: trends and practice in the development sector

Abstract

To deal with the challenges and opportunities posed by the Internet, the authors argue that the information and communication ‘strategies’ of development organisations must be based around notions of cooperation and communities. This paper introduces some information-sharing and management trends on the Internet, exploring the growth in gateways and portals, and briefly profiling several cooperative efforts. Discussion is focused on the institutional dimensions of this cooperation, looking at issues like ownership, participation, sustainability, and ‘cooperativity’. The authors conclude by calling for more joint action in which development organizations, together, seek to harness the power of the Internet.