Posted on December 15, 2003

Science/Technology

From the United States to Southeast Asia, technology provides considerable prospects for economic development around the globe. The Global Information Technology Report, 2003-2004, the third annual report produced by the World Economic Forum in conjunction with INSEAD and the World Bank's infoDev program, assesses the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on economic development in more than one hundred countries, providing valuable comparisons for policy makers, business leaders, and others. The report assigns each country a Networked Readiness Index score that measures how prepared its economy is to participate in and benefit from information and communication technology developments, taking into account the country's general macroeconomic and regulatory environment as well as how key constituents approach the use of technology. The report also features profiles of each country's technology development, as well as an in-depth case study of Finland's success in leveraging ICT for economic development.