Information and Communication Technologies for Development and Poverty Reduction: The Potential of Telecommunications

This book endeavours to provide the link between information and communication technologies (ICTs) and development, drawing on studies from various parts of the world where ICTs have contributed to delivering development, or reducing poverty. It includes a collection of case studies exploring the relationship between ICTs and development in Bangladesh, China, India, Ghana, Laos, Peru, and East Africa.

Based on these case studies, the immediacy and reach of ICTs are shown to promote faster and more efficient decision-making. They are shown to have potential for accelerating growth, creating jobs and reducing migration pressure from rural to urban areas. They can also boost agricultural and industrial productivity, enhance communications services, increase the diffusion of innovations, improve efficiency in public administration and make economic reforms more effective.

This book also notes that access to ICTs largely depends on education, income and wealth - and that the 'digital divide' is part of a much broader development divide. It suggests that if ICTs are to be used effectively, then connectivity, capability to use new tools, and access to relevant and useful content are equally important.