The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009

The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009 is produced by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, the leading international business school, and is sponsored by Cisco Systems. It presents rankings of countries' networked readiness and continues to be one of the most comprehensive assessments of the impact of ICT on the development process. The Report is 8th of a series.

According to the Report, Denmark and Sweden lead the rankings followed by the United States. At no. 4 is Singapore. The Report reaffirms the crucial role of ICT for general competitiveness and progress amidst the global economic downturn, and the importance of investing in  ICT  infrastructure, services and innovation. 

This year's Report carries the theme “Mobility in a Networked World”, focusing on the relationship between mobility and ICT. Part 1 features the Networked Readiness Index for 2008–09; Part 2 presents best practices and policies in networked readiness and competitiveness, focusing on specific country case studies; Part 3 includes  profiles for each of the 134 economies covered in this year’s Report; and Part 4 features detailed tables for each of the 68 variables composing the NRI this year, with rankings for the 134 economies covered in the Report, as well as technical notes and sources.

Measuring the Information Society-The ICT Development Index

'Measuring the Information Society-The ICT Development Index' is the 2009 edition of the new International Telecommunication Union (ITU) ICT Development Index (IDI). The Index features ICT use  in more than 150 countries worldwide and compares progress made between 2002 and 2007. It combines 11 indicators into a single measure that can be used as a benchmarking tool at the country, regional, and global levels. The Philippines is ranked 91 out of 154 countries, with an IDI of 2.63 in 2007. 

The Report indicates that there has been significant progress on ICT access, with all countries showing improved ICT levels during the past five years. ICT access includes fixed and mobile telephony, Internet bandwidth, and households with computers and Internet. On the other hand, ICT use, which includes the number of Internet users, and fixed and mobile broadband, their progress has been slower. Broadband technology, according to the report, still has to take off in many countries. Countries with low ICT levels are primarily from the developing world. The report may be downloaded at the ITU website.

The Global Information Society Watch 2008

The Global Information Society Watch 2008, or GISWatch 2008, was launched at the Third Internet Governance Forum in Hyderabad, India on 3 December 2008. GISWatch is available in print and online, and is published by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), the Third World Institute (ITeM), and Dutch development organisation Hivos, The report is a collection of views and perspectives of ICT academics, analysts, activists and civil society organisations from all over the world. Five thematic reports focusing on critical issues concerning the Internet and ICTs provide an overview of the 'burning issues' in our path towards digital inclusion. These themes are net neutrality, open standards, spectrum management, trends in technology and accessing content.

There are 38 country reports representing a diverse, cross-section of countries around the world. In addition, there are six regional reports (North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, some countries of the former Soviet Union, countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia, South-East Asia and the Pacific.

According to its website, 'GISWatch aims to build networking and advocacy capacity among civil society organisations who work for a just and inclusive information society. This is reflected in the growing number of participating organisations writing country reports – sixteen more than last year, the first year that GISWatch appeared'. GISWatch 2008 is the second report on the worldwide status of digital inclusion, with the first report released in 2007, also by the APC.

GISWatch is available as a free download in PDF (in parts, or as a whole) at the Global Information Society Watch website.

UNCTAD Information Economy Report 2007-2008: Science and Technology for Development: The New Paradigm of ICT

The Information Economy Report 2007-2008: Science and Technology for Development: The New paradigm of ICT, analyses the current and potential contribution of information technology to knowledge creation and diffusion.

The Report analyzes the contribution of ICTs to growth, development, and innovation, taking into consideration other factors such as human capital, externalties, other by-products of the innovation process, as well as the policy environments that support innovation. The Report stresses the critical importance of open access to knowledge, especially among developing countries.

This report is published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). It is produced by the staff of the UNCTAD ICT and E-business Branch, and provides an analysis of current themes and issues on the effects of ICT on trade, economic performance and development. For more information about this Report, as well as those published in 2005 and 2006, please email the Science, Technology and ICT Branch, Division for Technology and Logistics (DTL) at ecommerce@unctad.org.

Gender and ICT

'Gender and ICTs for Development: A Global Sourcebook' is a collection of case studies on how ICT has affected women in developing countries. The publication documents the experiences of practitioners and experts in the South with respect to gender and ICTs in development. Published by KIT (Royal Tropical Institute) of the Netherlands and Oxfam GB, the book suggests that ICTs and policies can have critical effects on women and men in the areas of employment, education, health, environmental sustainability and community development.

The book is made up of five chapters, covering topics including: 1) the effect of ICT on women’s enterprise creation (China), 2) e-business piloting and readiness for rural women weavers (Bhutan), 3) lessons learned fishers and radios (Ghana), 4) development through radio (Sierra Leone), and 5) gender, ICTs and health (Caribbean).

The publication is available for download on the Eldis Website. Eldis is an important resource site for development professionals and practitioners with 26,000 summarised documents from over 7,500 development organisations available for download.