This report analyses and evaluates information and communication technology (ICT) development using indicators of ICT diffusion across countries. It reviews and evaluates existing sources on measurement of ICT development, including work by academia, the private sector and international organizations. On the basis of this overview, it formulates a theoretical framework and develops indices for connectivity, access, usage and policy.
The report also seeks to evaluate the extent and evolution of the digital divide, using basic measures of the quantity of hardware and the numbers of Internet users in each country, to determine how the digital divide is evolving over time.
This report was prepared in conjunction with the work programme of the Commission on Science and Technology for Development for the intersessional period 2001-2003 on "Technology development and capacity-building for competitiveness in a digital society".
