This annual report examines how the internet is transforming the global landscape and the impact it is having on the digital economy of developing countries. It identifies policy and business options available to these countries and makes practical proposals for maximizing the contribution of e-commerce to economic and social development.
Language: English
Pages: 203
9211126029......Page 1
Contents......Page 5
Foreword......Page 3
Acknowledgements......Page 4
List of Charts......Page 9
List of Tables......Page 10
List of Abbreviations......Page 12
Explanatory notes......Page 15
Overview......Page 17
1. Recent Internet trends: Access, usage and business applications......Page 25
A. Internet access, readiness and use......Page 26
B. Sizing up global e-commerce......Page 40
C. Technology trends affecting e-business......Page 47
D. Conclusion......Page 57
Notes......Page 59
References......Page 61
A. The emergence of the information economy......Page 65
B. The productivity debate......Page 66
C. The effects of ICT on wages and work environment......Page 71
D. Conclusion......Page 74
References and bibliography......Page 77
Annex I: Recent empirical studies of the impact of ICT on economic performance......Page 81
Annex II: Recent empirical studies of the impact of ICT on wages and labour composition......Page 83
Annex III: Examples of innovative ICT initiatives in developing countries......Page 85
A. Introduction......Page 87
B. Key policy elements of ICT strategies......Page 88
C. Stakeholders and implementation of strategies......Page 106
D. Case study: Thailand's national ICT strategy......Page 107
E. Conclusions......Page 113
Notes......Page 115
References......Page 117
A. Introduction......Page 119
B. The process and the challenge......Page 120
C. A history of software production......Page 122
D. Is FOSS software better?......Page 126
E. FOSS within markets......Page 128
F. The rationale for FOSS......Page 130
G. FOSS and development......Page 133
H. Policy options for FOSS......Page 138
I. Conclusions......Page 143
Notes......Page 145
References and bibliography......Page 148
Annex I: The GNU General Public License......Page 150
Annex II: The Open Source Definition......Page 155
Annex III: Statement of the Free and Open Source Foundation for Africa (FOSSFA)......Page 158
A. Introduction......Page 159
B. ICT outsourcing opportunities......Page 160
C. BPO: What is on offer?......Page 163
D. Case studies from developing countries......Page 166
E. Conclusions......Page 169
References and bibliography......Page 174
B. The importance of agricultural exports in developing countries......Page 177
C. The marketing of developing-country agricultural exports......Page 181
D. Using the Internet to market agricultural exports......Page 185
E. Experiences in online marketing of coffee and tea......Page 188
F. Conclusions......Page 195
Notes......Page 197
References and bibliography......Page 198
Annex: Selected examples of agricultural commodity e-markets......Page 200
A. Introduction......Page 201
B. A history of ODR......Page 204
C. Choosing an ODR process for online disputes: The examples of eBay and ICANN......Page 207
D. ODR for offline disputes: Enhancing ADR and unbundling ODR......Page 209
E. Challenges for the implementation of ODR in developing countries......Page 217
F. Conclusions......Page 219
References and bibliography......Page 223
