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Laura Hosman

Laura Hosman

Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures

laura.hosman@asu.edu

School for the Future of Innovation in Society
Arizona State University
PO Box 875603
Tempe, AZ 85287-5603

Titles

  • Senior Global Futures Scientist, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory
  • Associate Professor, School for the Future of Innovation in Society, College of Global Futures
  • Associate Professor, The Polytechnic School, Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering

Biography

With an emphasis on action-oriented, in-the-field work, Laura Hosman’s research focuses on the role for information and communications technology (ICT) in developing countries, particularly in terms of its potential effects on socio-cultural factors, human development, and economic growth.

Hosman brings her passion for experiential learning to the classroom and beyond by leading real-world focused, project-based courses, and by employing experiential learning whenever possible. Her current work involves students in the design, creation, and deployment of an all-in-one solar-powered digital library, the SolarSPELL (Solar Powered Educational Learning Library), which has already been introduced into over 275 primary schools and health care clinics across the Pacific Islands and East Africa. These libraries contain localized content to ensure that they're meeting the needs of remote, rural communities, and enable the teaching of information literacy and internet-ready skills, even in the absence of connectivity or external electricity.

Hosman has received multiple awards for both teaching and research. She has held prior academic positions at California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), Illinois Institute of Technology, the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Southern California (USC).

She has carried out field-work in Comoros, the Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Haiti, Macedonia, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, the Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Her research has been supported by grants from USAID, Google, the Internet Society, The Information Society Innovation Fund for Asia, The Pacific Telecommunications Council, the National Science Foundation, the University of North Carolina McDowell Research Center for Global IT Management, and Association for Information Systems (AIS)-Microsoft Unlimited Potential. Her research has been published in Information Technology for Development, Review of Policy Research, Perspectives on Global Development and Technology, Information Technology for International Development, International Journal of Media and Cultural Politics, and Journal of Business Systems Governance and Ethics, among others.

Education

  • PhD (with distinction), Poltical Economy and Public Policy, University of Southern California, 2006
  • MA, Economics, University of Southern California, 2004
  • MA (cum laude), International Relations (Fulbright Scholar), University of Amsterdam, 2000
  • BA (magna cum laude), Political Science, Wheaton College, 1997

Expertise

Journal Articles

2018

Hosman, L. and G. Jacobs. 2018. From active learning to taking action: Incorporating poltical context into project-based, interdisciplinary, international service learning courses. Journal of Political Science Eduation 14(4):473-490. DOI: 10.1080/15512169.2017.1419876. (link )

2017

Hosman, L. and L. E. Armey. 2017. Taking technology to the field: hardware challenges in developing countries. Information Technology for Development 23(4):648-667. DOI: 10.1080/02681102.2017.1363028. (link )

2016

Armey, L. E. and L. Hosman. 2016. The centrality of electricity to ICT use in low-income countries. Telecommunications Policy 40(7):617-627. DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2015.08.005. (link )

2014

Hosman, L. 2014. Improving partnerships: Applying lessons learned to improve partnerships in innovative educational experiences. Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement 5(1):24-50. DOI: http://libjournal.uncg.edu/prt/article/view/725.

Hosman, L. 2014. International service-learning partnerships: Lessons of successes and challenges that defy simple categorization. Partnerships: A Journal of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement 5(1):24-50. (link )

Hosman, L. and P. N. Howard. 2014. Telecom policy across the former Yugoslavia: Incentives, challenges, and lessons learned. Journal of Information Policy 4(2014):67-104. DOI: 10.5325/jinfopoli.4.2014.0067. (link )

2013

Hosman, L. and B. Baikie. 2013. Solar-powered cloud computing datacenters. IT Professional 15(2):15-21. DOI: 10.1109/MITP.2011.116. (link )

Hosman, L. and M. Cvetanoska. 2013. Technology, teachers, and training: Combining theory with Macedonia's experience. International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication Technology 9(3):28-49. (link )

2012

Hosman, L. and E. Fife. 2012. The use of mobile phones for development in Africa: Top-down meets bottom-up partnering. The Journal of Community Informatics 8(3):. (link )

2011

Hosman, L. 2011. Making the transition from pilot to scale: examining sustainability and scalability issues in a public–private telecenter partnership in Sri Lanka. Information Technology for Development 17(3):232-248. DOI: 10.1080/02681102.2011.568225. (link )

2010

Hosman, L. 2010. Policies, partnerships, and pragmatism: Lessons from an ICT-in-Education Project in rural Uganda. Infromation Technologies & International Development 6(1):48-64. (link )

Hosman, L. 2010. Policy considerations from a nationwide IT-in-Education Intiative: Macedonia connects. Journal of Information Technology & Politics 7(4):369-383. DOI: 10.1080/19331681.2010.489407. (link )

2009

Hosman, L. 2009. Dividing the oils: Dynamic bargaining as policy formation in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Review of Policy Research 26(5):609-632. DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-1338.2009.00408.x. (link )

Hosman, L. 2009. Dynamic bargaining and the prospect for learning in the petroleum industry: The case of Kazakhstan. Perspectives on Global Development and Technology 8(1):1-25. DOI: 10.1163/156914909X403162. (link )

2008

Hosman, L. and E. Fife. 2008. Improving the prospects for sustainable ICT projects in the developing world. International Journal of Media & Cultural Politics 4(1):51-69. DOI: 10.1386/macp.4.1.51_1. (link )

Hosman, L., E. Fife and L. E. Armey. 2008. The case for a multi-methodological, cross-disciplinary approach to the analysis of ICT investment and projects in the developing world. Information Technology for Development 14(4):308-327. DOI: 10.1002/itdj.20109. (link )

2007

Fife, E. and L. Hosman. 2007. Public private partnerships and the prospects for sustainable ICT projects in the developing world. Journal of Law and Governance 2(3):57-70. (link )

2000

Hosman, L. 2000. Dividing the oils: Dynamic bargining as policy formation in the Nigerian petroleum industry. Review of Policy Research 26(5):609-632. DOI: 10.1111/j.1541-1338.2009.00408.x. (link )

Book Chapters

2018

Hosman, L. 2018. Impatience as a virtue: Addressing persistent ICT-in-Education challenges in small developing countries. Pp. 169-193 In: Lubin, I. A. ed., ICT-Supported Innovations in Small Countries and Developing Regions: Perspectives and Recommendations for International Education. Springer Nature. ISBN: 978-3319676562.

2010

Hosman, L. 2010. A national ICT-in-Education Initiative: Macedonia. Pp. 1-16 In: Kamel, S. ed., E-Strategies for Technological Diffusion and Adoption: National ICT Approaches for Socioeconomic Development. IGI Global. Hershey, PA. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-388-3.ch001.

2008

Fife, E., L. Hosman and F. Pereira. 2008. Governmental and cultural factors in broadband adoption. Pp. 260-277 In: Dwivedi, Y. K., A. Papazafeiropoulou and J. Choudric eds., Handbook of Research on Global Diffusion of Broadband Data Transmission. IGI Global. ISBN: 978-1599048512.

Report Chapters

2015

Vergine, D. and L. Hosman. 2015. Designing technology for inclusive growth. Pp. 93-100 In: Dutta, S., T. Geiger and B. Lanvin eds., The Global Information Technology Report 2015: ICTs for Inclusive Growth. World Economic Forum and INSEAD. Insight Report (link )