Understanding the policy implications of ICT for development

Information and communication technologies are thought by some to offer a new solution to world poverty.<br />It is argued that information and communication technologies (ICT) allow poor countries to ‘leap-frog’<br />traditional stages of development and become immediately engaged with the ‘new economy’. Such an<br />optimistic view requires appropriate government policies to facilitate this shift. Interventions required<br />would include improving access levels and quality of telecommunication and electricity infrastructure,<br />improved quality of education and numbers of those accessing education, and providing both direct<br />and indirect support to encourage local firms to become engaged with the global economy. Ironically,<br />these policies are consistent with current orthodox development policies currently pursued within the<br />‘traditional’ economy. This chapter therefore considers what exactly is new about ICT in terms of its<br />potential impact on the poor.