Global Information Technology Report 2008 2009

Comprehensive assessment of networked readiness, covering eighty-two of the leading economies of the world.

Places a particular focus on the role of networked readiness in spurring innovation.

The Global information Technology is published by the World Economics Forum where it is a special project within the framework of the Global Competitiveness Programme. The GITR is the result of a collaboration between the World Economics Forum, infoDev and INSEAD. Firs published in 2001, The global Information Technology Report has become the most authoritative and comprehensive assessment of the networked readiness of national economies araund the world. The Report has since expanded its coverage this year to 102 countries, The Report, which captures new insights and best serve as a tollo for policymakers and business leaders. The overall goal of the Reports is to establish a process whereby key stakeholders con evaluate progress on a continual basis.

The use and application of ICT continues to be an important factor driving economic growth. The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with INSEAD, is pleased to announce the release of its fourth edition of the annual Global Information Technology Report - a comprehensive tool for measuring the progress of and identifying the obstacles to ICT development in over 100 countries worldwide. The Networked Readiness Index of the report provides the most comprehensive assessment of how prepared an economy is to capture the benefits of technology to promote economic growth and productivity. This study explicitly considers the roles played by the major stakeholders - individuals, businesses and governments, in relation to three dimensions: the environment for the development and use of ICT, the readiness of stakeholders to leverage the potential of ICT, and the degree of usage of ICT. The selection of essays, detailed country profiles for 104 economies and data tables on 70 different ICT indicators presented in the report provide a useful guide for the design and structure of policy measures for the key ICT stakeholders, individuals, businesses, and governments, in order to capture the benefits of ICT.

"This book provides diverse insights from researchers and practitioners around the world to offer their knowledge on the comparisons of international enterprises, to managers and practitioners to improve business practices and keep an open dialogue about global information management"--Provided by publisher.

No Miracle examines the role of institutions in bridging the 'digital divide' between rich and poor nations and what that means for the country's integration into a global economy. Shifting the debate from whether institutions are important to economic development to which institutions are important and how to build them, Mitchell Wigdor expertly addresses fundamental shortcomings in the existing development literature by identifying specific institutions that mediate the relationship between Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and economic growth. In doing so he challenges those concerned with development to shift their gaze from whether institutions are important to economic development to which institutions might be the focus of government efforts and how to build them. Detailed case studies of the economic development strategies of Singapore and Malaysia from 1960 demonstrate that institution-building and economic development may be as much about process as the specific policies governments pursue. Written in accessible, non-technical, language this book should be read by everyone concerned with economic growth both in less economically developed countries and the more prosperous including those in government, international organizations, NGOs, universities, policy makers and the private sector.