e-Development and the World Bank

The World Bank maintains a website on e-Development. The term was promoted within the Bank by Nagy Hanna, who championed information and communications technology for decades. Nagy has described the process by which the Bank's first e-Development project was developed in some detail in two books. Now there are another ten or so e-development projects under consideration by the Bank, in part because Bank clients are calling for those projects and in part because the experience with the first has overcome resistance within the Bank.

E-development has two possible connotations -- the development of the ICT related aspects of society (e.g. bundling e-government, e-civil society, e-business and ICT infrastrcture development) and using ICT as a tool within a holistic approach to social and economic development. How are the two related in practice in ?

"It seems to me that both aspects take place. The experience in both and shows that the integrated approach to developing ICT infrastructure, human resources, and applications does lead to social and economic development. Certainly the project by bundling these approaches achieved synergies that contribute to each of the sectoral objective.

"E-Development is also an important strategy for more general development. Governments have become more transparent and oriented toward service to the people, and thus governance has improved. In , the ICT-based private sector has become a motor for development, producing foreign exchange, employment and profits. Civil society organizations have been strengthened. All made possible in part by the increased penetration and quality of the ICT infrastructure.

"Indeed, I think riding the wave of the Information Revolution has some significant advantages as an approach to social and economic development. Certainly programs to improve governance, to strengthen innovative sectors of industry, and to strengthen civil society are likely (in our modern world) to increase demand in each sector for ICT infrastructure and applications. But all to often tackling these problems head-on has proven ineffective. Sneaking up on the development objective through overt efforts at technological innovation may work better.

"It is important that the Bank staff recognize e-development as an important approach to improving governance, building civil society and strengthening the economy -- the things the people on that staff are really interested in."

The African Ministerial Council on Science and Technology (AMCOST)

AMCOST was established in November 2003 under the auspices of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the African Union (AU). It is a high-level platform for developing policies and setting priorities on science, technology and innovation for African development. AMCOST provides political and policy leadership for the implementatio. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 9, 2008
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Network of Centres of Excellence

The Network of Centers of Excellence is a project designed to work with selected outstanding scientific and technological institutions in the developing world, using them as regional hubs of learning and training for developing country scientists and engineers. To this end, the Network organizes long- and short-term training courses scientists from. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 9, 2008
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Where Does All the Computer Power Go?

Most people misunderstand the nature of the "Digital Divide" between rich and poor nations in adoption of information and communications technologies (ICTs). There are many kinds of ICTs, and there are very different adoption rates among different types. The demand for low cost ICT's such as personal computers, Internet connections, and telephone c. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 9, 2008
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Knowledge Economy Case Studies

The World Bank Knowledge for Development program makes this collection of case studies available on its website. Included are a subset of case studies on knowledge management activities in the Bank's portfolio.

Added by  John Daly  May 7, 2008
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UNESCO and Knowledge Sharing

UNESCO has published a set of five short documents describing and assessing its own efforts in knowledge sharing: * UNESCO and knowledge sharing; 2008 * UNESCO and knowledge sharing (2): the capacity-building function; 2008 * UNESCO and knowledge sharing (3): the clearing house function; 2008 * UNESCO and kno. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 4, 2008
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The Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008

Denmark is the most networked economy in the world, followed by Sweden and Switzerland, according to the last edition of The Global Information Technology Report. Under the theme Fostering Innovation through Networked Readiness, this year’s Report places a particular focus on the role of networked readiness in spurring innovation. The Report is pro. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 3, 2008
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"Innovation in Global Industries: U.S. Firms Competing in a New World (Collected Studies)"

"The debate over offshoring of production, transfer of technological capabilities, and potential loss of U.S. competitiveness is a long-running one. Prevailing thinking is that the world is flat that is, innovative capacity is spreading uniformly; as new centers of manufacturing emerge, research and development and new product development follow. . . .

Added by  John Daly  May 3, 2008
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The Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development

The Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development (GNESD) is a UNEP facilitated knowledge network. The main objective of GNESD is to carry out policy analysis on thematic energy issues which can facilitate in reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). A number of publications are available from its website.

Added by  John Daly  May 3, 2008
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"Foreign High-Tech R&D in China"

Subtitle: 'RISKS, REWARDS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR U.S.-CHINA RELATIONS" From the Forward: "This study explores the confluence of two key aspects of the architecture of international relations in the 21st century—globalization and an increasingly trade-oriented conception of national security—within the specific context of foreign high-tech resea. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 1, 2008
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“Explaining International Broadband Leadership”

This report examines broadband policies in 9 nations, concluding that there are lessons that can be transferred between nations in this field. The report analyzes the extent to which policy and non-policy factors drive broadband performance, and how broadband policies related to national leadership, incentives, competition, rural access, and consu. . .

Added by  John Daly  May 1, 2008
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