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Communications of the Association for Information Systems

Author ORCID Identifier

Sanjay Vijaypur Prabhakar: https://orcid.org/0009-0005-5430-8689

Amit Prakash: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5583-2486

Abstract

Situated in critical interpretivist traditions, this paper examines a state-mandated programme to transform agricultural markets into E-markets in Karnataka, India. We problematise the top-down, deterministic framing of this ICTD initiative, in which the state’s dominant success narratives marginalise local voices and explore how situated actors within the societal system perceive and respond to this transformation. We undertake a layered analysis, first applying Scott’s counter-discourse theory to establish a dissonance between state narratives and local realities. This analysis serves as the foundation for a two-pronged inquiry. The first prong, informed by Scott’s resistance theory, demonstrates that dissonance with programme objectives leads local actors to adopt everyday resistance tactics such as foot-dragging, false reporting, and false compliance, producing a condition of ‘cosmetic compliance’ amid low adoption. The second prong, based on Rittel and Webber’s wicked problem lens, shows that the templated ICT intervention has deepened existing traits of wickedness and generated new ones rooted in resistance. We argue that these new traits are not merely disruptive but reflect adaptive local agency and the evolving character of wicked problems. The study challenges the top-down orientation and epistemic preferences of state-led development, advocating greater attention to indigenous practices, situated knowledge, and the evolving nature of wickedness in societal systems when designing ICTD strategies.

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