"In 2020, the 46 LDCs had a combined population of 1.06 billion people and are highly vulnerable, with low levels of human development. And yet,
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geography, population size and income vary within the group, and these different conditions affect digital development.
National data infrastructure is an essential component for a digital economy, as it comprises the facilities for transporting, exchanging and storing data. There are significant gaps in national transmission networks, Internet exchange points (IXPs) and data centres. Coverage and density of national transmission networks are lagging in the LDCs. This has ramifications for Internet access and the quality of service. IXPs play a major role in lowering the cost of Internet access as well as reducing data exchange delay, yet 19 LDCs lack them. Furthermore, in those LDCs with IXPs, many of the facilities are not having the impact they should. Data centres, facilities to store data, are in short supply in the LDCs. There are less than 100 in the group, of which over a quarter are in Bangladesh. Eighteen LDCs do not have Internet-connected data centres.
Quarantine measures during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in people around the world turning to online shopping. However, this was not possible for many in the LDCs, due to a lack of online shops, as well as demand-side constraints, such as awareness, distrust and payment methods. An encouraging initiative is the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) diagnostics and concrete recommendations for enhancing e-commerce in many LDCs.
The private sector is essential for boosting digital connectivity in the LDCs. Telecommunications in the LDCs are mainly operated by private companies, a reverse of the situation three decades ago. Yet most policy reports make scarce mention of the companies building the connectivity infrastructure in LDCs." (Introduction)
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"The Republic of Korea has been successful in investing in its people and its talents. It is now investing in the potential for the youth to be great entrepreneurs. We hope that this report will be useful to developing countries
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and encourage them to look into new growth opportunities and sustainable development based on creative new industries. There is no one single model for success in the creative economy. What really matters is what can be achieved by developing and investing in a creative and innovative economy, new jobs, new export opportunities and a more inclusive society. The Creative Economy report for the Republic of Korea is structured in five chapters. Chapter 1 gives a general introduction of the country's economic growth and success and the reasons for a shift to a new economic model and the creation of new jobs. Chapter 2 introduces the creative economy promotion strategy of the Republic of Korea that utilizes its science, information and communications technology capacity, all of which are the country's strengths. Whilst addressing strategic added value. Chapter 3 addresses the government strategy which is oriented to promoting small and medium-sized industries and start-ups, particularly in the creative content industries. Chapter 4 describes the 'creative economy valley' which is a government driven strategy to support the 'convergence of science and technology with industry, the fusion of culture, and industry and creativity and entrepreneurship. Chapter 5 provides conclusions and recommendations for future steps." (Executive summary)
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"International trade in creative industries showed sustained growth in the last decade. The global market for traded creative goods and services totaled a record $547billion in 2012, as compared t
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o $302 billion in 2003. Exports from developing countries, led by Asian countries, were growing faster than exports from developed countries. Among developed country regions, Europe is the largest exporter of creative goods. In 2012, the top 5 creative goods exporters included Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. Exports of creative goods from developed economies grew during the period 2003 to 2012, with export earnings rising from $134 billion to $197 billion. Among developing countries, China is the largest exporter of creative goods. In 2012, the top 5 exporters were China, Hong Kong, China, India, Turkey and South Korea. Exports of creative goods from developing economies grew during the period 2003 to 2012, with export earnings rising from $87 billion to $272 billion. Developing countries are playing an increasingly important role in international trade in creative industries." (Executive summary)
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"This paper explores why measuring the impacts of information and communication technology (ICT) is important for development – and why it is
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statistically challenging. Measuring impacts in any field is difficult, but for ICT there are added complications because of its diversity and rapidly changing nature. A number of impact areas are identified in section 1, and their relationships explored, in the context of their place in the social, economic and environmental realms. The result is a complex web of relationships between individual impact areas, such as economic growth and poverty alleviation, and background factors, such as a country’s level of education and government regulation.
Existing measurement frameworks are described in section 1, and relevant statistical standards examined. The latter includes internationally agreed standards for the ICT sector, ICT products and ICT demand. The contribution of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development and its member organizations to ICT measurement, and its goals for measuring ICT impacts are outlined. Methodologies used in the measurement of ICT are discussed and compared in section 2 of the paper, and empirical evidence reviewed, in section 3. Most research conducted has found positive effects of ICT in the impact areas investigated. However, research has tended to focus on positive, rather than negative impacts; therefore, the latter tend to be indicated by anecdotal evidence. There is relatively little evidence from developing countries and there are indications that findings in respect of developed countries may not apply to developing countries. In respect of both developed and developing countries, there are few studies that provide internationally comparable evidence. The difficulties of ICT impact measurement, major data gaps and the lack of clear statistical standards suggest several issues for consideration. These are presented in the final section of the paper." (Abstract)
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"The Information Economy Report 2010 focuses on the nexus of ICTs, enterprises and poverty alleviation. Whereas the knowledge base needs to grow considerably, the evidence presented in this Report
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suggests that more attention should be given by policymakers and other stakeholders to this new set of opportunities. The Report is organized into fi ve chapters. Chapter I introduces a c onceptual framework for the analysis that follows. Chapter II reviews recent connectivity and affordability trends to gauge the degree of access and uptake of different ICTs among the poor. Chapter III turns to the role of the poor in the production of ICT goods and services (the ICT sector). In chapter IV, the focus shifts to the use of ICT by enterprises, with emphasis on those that matter most for poor people, namely small and micro-enterprises in urban and rural areas. Finally, chapter V presents the main policy implications from the analysis." (Executive summary, page X)
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"The first section in this paper examines the barriers to access to learning materials faced in the Southern African Customs Union (SACU), analyzing the responsibility of intellectual property legislation within the complex structure of systems that are consequential to consumers
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and learners. In the second section the authors remind us that the informal economy in knowledge goods is an access mechanism, prompting a conceptual consideration of the phenomenon of piracy, and then, through a case study in Uganda, they suggest possible policy lessons. The third section frames the environment described in the first two sections in a survey of intellectual property law in SACU member countries, and audits the limitations or exceptions available within the law, in the light of those that may be made use of, as a consequence of access to learning materials. The authors conclude that currently “neither does copyright legislation in SACU countries make significantly positive provisions for access to learning materials, nor does it take full advantage of the flexibilities provided by TRIPs. Ironically, it is precisely in this disabling legal environment that the SACU countries are being asked – by domestic and international publishing industry lobbies – to strengthen the enforcement of criminal sanctions for certain copyright violations, even as they constitute an access mechanism in a context that offers few alternatives." (Hans M. Zell, Publishing, Books & Reading in Sub-Saharan Africa, 3d ed. 2008, nr. 1802)
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"The important balance between access to copyrighted works and protection for authors is vital for developing countries and LDCs. Despite provisions for limitations
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and exceptions to the rights granted to authors/ owners of protected works, the WIPO treaties represent minimum standards from which countries can deviate only by providing greater rights than required as the United States has done under the DMCA. The maximalist approach to interpreting the available scope of permissible limitations and exceptions is reinforced by the similarities between TRIPS Article 13, and Articles 10 and 16 of the WCT and WPPT. The similarities suggest that it is not improbable that interpretations of the Internet treaties can be influenced by the ideology of the TRIPS Agreement. Consequently, public welfare interests will require explicit limitations and exceptions that at a minimum facilitate access and use of digital works for study, research, and educational purposes." (Executive summary, page 2)
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"This cross-country study compiles data and calculates ICT Development Indices for the following: connectivity (physical infrastructure for ICTs, in penetration rates of Internet hosts, PCs, telep
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hone mainlines and mobile phones per capita); wider access to ICTs (literacy, GDP per capita and cost of local calls, as well as actual number of Internet users); usage of ICTs (incoming and outgoing telecom traffic, as an alternative to Internet data traffic flows in the absence of publicly available statistics on these); and policy environment (a wider policy framework conducive to the adoption and absorption of ICTs, which can be evaluated in terms of the presence of a domestic Internet exchange, as well as competition in the local loop, domestic long-distance and ISP markets). This study analyses country and regional rankings based on these index measurements, and reviews results over time to identify interesting trends. It also seeks to evaluate the extent and evolution of the digital divide, using basic measures of hardware equipment and numbers of Internet users in each country, to determine how the digital divide is evolving over time." (Preface)
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