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.