The human development report 2001 and information technology for developing countries: an evaluation

The Human Development Report 2001 rightly focuses on the role that information technology can play in overcoming the digital divide between rich and poor countries. It also emphasises the role that some of the latter countries are themselves contributing to this end by producing low-cost and appropriate technologies. The problem, however, is that the Report neglects all the efforts currently being made in the developed countries to overcome the digital divide and in so doing leaves the policy maker with only a partial view of what technologies are actually available.