Political economy and ICTs for development: India's space program, 1975-2000

At its inception, the Indian space program aimed to assist in national socio-economic development. Between 1975 and the end of the 1980s, India built and launched satellites to satisfy ambitious development goals, but following the liberalization and globalization of the Indian economy in 1991, the space program became increasingly commercialized. This paper shows how changing national political economy played a critical role in determining if India employed its satellites for development or commercial profit. Understanding this link is critical to ensure the validity of future discussions about the role that ICTs can play in socio-economic development.