ICTs in Developing Countries is a collection of conceptual and empirical works on the adoption and impacts of ICT use in developing societies. Bringing together a wide range of disciplines and contributors, it offers a rich examination of digital divide and ICT for development both in terms of contextual information and disciplinary perspectives.
The New Economy in Development presents conceptual and empirical analyses of the opportunities offered by information and communications technologies (ICT). Contributors include scholars and policy makers from international organizations, and the chapters include understudied cases from Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Asia.
Diploma Thesis from the year 2007 in the subject Business economics - Economic Policy, grade: 1,5, Technical University of Ilmenau (Institut f r Wirtschaftswissenschaften), 43 entries in the bibliography, language: English, abstract: This paper discusses the relevance of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for economic growth in developing economies. By reviewing the contributions from the neoclassical and endogenous growth theory and empiric evidences for the link between ICT and economic growth, the paper clearly concludes that ICTs facilitate economic growth, principally by providing incentives for capital deepening and increasing productivity through rapid technological progress. However, the impact on growth is more extensive from the long-term ICT use and networking that though requires appropriate ICT investment and complementary efforts in order that spillovers and productivity improvements are triggered and exploited totally. This paper derives the key determinants and interacting factors that, in the corresponding correct synergic combination, promote ICT's impact on growth-generating processes. For a variety of reasons, the states of these factors in developing countries provide a less ICT favourable environment for taking advantage from ICTs. These economies exhibit a lower stock of human capacities and per capita capital to trigger the productivity benefits from the ICT use. Therefore, the level of effort is higher than in the developed world to receive return on ICT investment. However, when they achieve to attract capital and knowledge by encouraging ICT investment and technology transfer supported by international openness, maintained financial and institutional systems, deregulation of markets and higher competition, they have the chance to benefit from adopting best practices and technologies from the industrialized world with complementary efforts in the reorganisation of business organisations and processes and enhanced human ICT-s
This book analyses the impact of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) on economic development. It contains theoretical and empirical studies, including panel studies on various issues facing developing countries, such as education, corruption, economic growth, government expenditure, financial inclusion, foreign direct investment, infrastructure, economic and social welfare, and inequality. Each chapter offers a well-conceived analysis of the most recent trends in both theory and empirics and addresses numerous policy implications related to the different aspects dealt with in the volume. Overall, this book will be an excellent guide for global graduate students at the Master and PhD levels, as well as academics researching various issues related to economic development while analyzing the role of ICTs. It also addresses numerous policy implications related to economic development for policymakers, investors and stakeholders.
Over the last decade, information and communication technologies (ICT) have been increasingly used to achieve development goals. Developing countries, including poorer ones, have enjoyed rapid technological progress to help pull millions of people out of poverty. ICTs help transform economic and social activities for firms, governments and citizens. Information and Communication for Development 2009: Scaling Up Impact, the second issue of the World Bank's IC4D series, focuses on the effect of increased access to advanced ICT services and development of a vibrant IT sector on sustaining growth.
This paper studies the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT), especially mobile phone rollout, on economic growth in a sample of African countries from 1988 to 2007. Further, we investigate whether financial inclusion is one of the channels through which mobile phone development influences economic growth. In estimating the impact of ICT on economic growth, we use a wide range of ICT indicators, including mobile and fixed telephone penetration rates and the cost of local calls. We address any endogeneity issues by using the System Generalized Method of Moment (GMM) estimator. Financial inclusion is captured by variables measuring access to financial services, such as the number of deposits or loans per head, compiled by Beck, Demirguc-Kunt, and Martinez Peria (2007) and the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP, 2009). The results confirm that ICT, including mobile phone development, contribute significantly to economic growth in African countries. Part of the positive effect of mobile phone penetration on growth comes from greater financial inclusion. At the same time, the development of mobile phones consolidates the impact of financial inclusion on economic growth, especially in countries where mobile financial services take hold.
Information Technologies and Economic Development in Latin America provides a collection of rigorous empirical studies that contributes to a better understanding of the role and impact of old and new information technologies on Latin American economic development. It provides evidence using randomized and quasi-experimental designed studies for different information and communication technologies interventions. In evaluating their development impact a critical concern has been to contribute to the little existing evidence. In fact, whereas many ICT projects in the developing world have been promoted by multilateral organizations, bilateral aid agencies and nongovernmental organizations in recent years, the extent to which these interventions and policies actually contribute to the development of the region is unclear. The book provides evidence on what works and what does not.
"""The report is essential reading for policy makers, government workers, and academics pursuing the goal of equitable, sustainable development across the world."" - N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman and Chief Mentor Infosys Technologies Ltd. Information and communication technology (ICT) is rapidly evolving, changing rich and poor societies alike. It has become a powerful tool for participating in the global economy and for offering new opportunities for development efforts. ICT can and should advance economic growth and reduce poverty in developing countries. It has been 20 years since the first telephone operator was privatized, a little over 10 since the World Wide Web emerged, and 5 since the telecommunications bubble burst. How have the ICT sector and its role in development evolved? What have we learned? How can we move forward? Information and Communications for Development 2006: Global Trends and Policies contains lessons from both developed and developing countries. It examines the roles of the public and private sectors, identifying the challenges and the benefits of adopting and expanding ICT use. The report assesses topics essential to building an information society, including investment, access, diffusion, and country policies and strategies. Assessing what has worked, what hasn't, and why, this report is an invaluable guide for understanding how to capture the benefits of ICT around the world."
