Document details

Contribution of Information and Communication Technologies to Growth

Washington, DC: World Bank (2004), ix, 28 pp.

Contains tables, bibliogr. pp. 25-28

Series: World Bank Working Paper, 24

ISBN 0-8213-5722-0 (print); 0-8213-5723-9 (ebook)

CC BY

Signature commbox: 70-Development-E 2004

"ICT has been widely used to positively affect economic development. Its applications provide access to worldwide information and allow for collaboration between people on different continents. Greater access to information and opportunities for collaboration can create job opportunities, 28 transfer of skills, and greater efficiency and transparency in politics and business. This paper focuses on the linkage between ICT and output growth and summarizes the findings in the literature on the contributions to labor productivity growth from ICT-related capital deepening and ICT production. In developing countries, due to resource constraints, ICT’s contribution to overall economic growth is limited. Many developing countries face challenges because of their relatively small ICT investment and limited ability to achieve high ICT investment returns. Yet, opportunities exist to: strengthen institutions to create a business climate that attracts investment and promotes use; exploit network and spillover effects by creating domestic demand; promote “adaptation close to use” to match local potential and local needs. Implementing these policies would contribute to increased investment flows, greater returns on investments and sustainable economic growth. Moreover, ICTs can be used as tools to broaden, enrich and enlighten people and institutions in a way that expedites overall economic development." (Conclusion)
1 Introduction, 1
2 Assessing the Contribution, 3
3 The Contribution of ICT to Economic Growth, 7
4 Factors Influencing the Contribution of ICT to Economic Growth, 15
5 Policy Implications, 19
6 Conclusions, 23