Information Technology Policy and the Digital Divide: Lessons for Developing Countries

The proliferation of new information technologies throughout the world has raised some important questions for policymakers as to how developing countries can benefit from their diffusion. This important volume compares the advantages and disadvantages of the IT revolution through detailed studies of a variety of developed and developing nations and regions: Argentina, Estonia, the EU, India, Japan, Korea, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand and the USA.

The authors address a number of challenging issues such as standardization, IT in the mass media, Public Key Infrastructure, upstream connectivity and pricing, and draw out important policy implications for late-comers in this field - predominantly developing countries. They highlight the negative aspects of IT policy such as the digital divide and monopoly of ownership, but also illustrate the potential benefits such as ‘leapfrogging’ the industrialization process and the expansion of broadband capabilities.

This impressive volume will be essential reading for academics and researchers with an interest in development economics, utility regulation and technology policy. It will also be of great practical value to international policymakers and governments in the developing world who wish to learn more about the costs and benefits of regulation and deregulation in the IT industry.