2009 Information and Communications for Development : Extending Reach and Increasing Impact
The information and communication technology (ICT) is transforming interactions between people, governments, and firms worldwide. In developing countries, farmers receive updated crop prices and public health officials monitor medical inventories b...
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| Format: | Publication |
| Language: | English |
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World Bank
2012
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| Online Access: | http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000333037_20090609013107 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2636 |
| Summary: | The information and communication
technology (ICT) is transforming interactions between
people, governments, and firms worldwide. In developing
countries, farmers receive updated crop prices and public
health officials monitor medical inventories by text
messages. Women are empowered to make decisions and access
new opportunities through online information. Entrepreneurs
obtain business licenses in a fraction of the standard time
by applying for them through municipal government web sites.
And in an increasingly integrated global economy, ICT
enables people to access and share knowledge and services
around the world. The first report, Information and
Communications for Development (IC4D) 2006: global trends
and policies, analyzed lessons on developing access to ICT,
examined the roles of the public and private sectors in this
process, and identified the benefits and challenges of
adopting and expanding ICT use in businesses. This second
report, IC4D 2009: extending reach and increasing impact,
takes a close look at mobile and broadband connectivity. It
analyzes the development impact of high-speed Internet
access in developing countries and provides policy options
for rolling out broadband networks and addressing the
opportunities and challenges of convergence between
telecommunications, media, and computing. The report also
presents a framework of e-government applications and
discusses various country experiences with the institutional
and policy arrangements for e-government and for the
development of the local information technology (IT) and
IT-enabled services (ITES) industries. The common thread
running through these topics is the development impact of
ICT. Finally, the report presents summary tables on ICT
sector indicators in 150 economies and introduces new
performance measures in terms of access, affordability, and
ICT adoption in government and business. |
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