Contradicting Motivations in Civic Tech Software Development: Analysis of a Grassroots Project
Antti Knutas, Dominik Siemon, Natasha Tylosky, Giovanni Maccani
TL;DR
The paper investigates how motivations in grassroots civic tech evolve during in-action development, using Engeström's cultural-historical activity theory to analyze a Code for Ireland case (2018–2019). It finds that participants' big-picture motives align, but detailed decisions around planning and design generate significant contradictions within and between activity systems. By mapping motives to planning and design activities, the study highlights tensions in communication, tool choice, and division of labor, underscoring the need for skilled facilitation and a low-friction technology baseline to sustain volunteer engagement. The work extends civic tech software engineering knowledge by validating activity theory as a lens for evaluating evolving, in-action development processes and motivates broader cross-case analyses for generalizable guidance.
Abstract
Grassroots civic tech, or software for social change, is an emerging practice where people create and then use software to create positive change in their community. In this interpretive case study, we apply Engeström's expanded activity theory as a theoretical lens to analyze motivations, how they relate to for example group goals or development tool supported processes, and what contradictions emerge. Participants agreed on big picture motivations, such as learning new skills or improving the community. The main contradictions occurred inside activity systems on details of implementation or between system motives, instead of big picture motivations. Two most significant contradictions involved planning, and converging on design and technical approaches. These findings demonstrate the value of examining civic tech development processes as evolving activity systems.