Background Paper: ICT Policies - The Role of Parliaments

Information communication technologies (ICTs) enable communication through the electronic processing and transmission of information. “The revolutionary potential of ICTs lies in their capacity to instantaneously connect vast networks of individuals and organisations across great geographic distances at very little cost” (UNDP-APDIP, 2004: 1). Their significance in contemporary society relates to the age-old notion that ‘information is power’, which has become amplified in this era of the information society and knowledge economy. ICTs have enabled unprecedented access to vast array of information, literally at the press of a button, creating the potential for a more effective citizenry and a more informed consumer than ever before. While this potential is acknowledged, concerns increasingly focus on the emerging domestic and international digital divides between those with and without access to ICTs and the risk that they will reinforce existing and inequalities within nation-states and within the global economy. It is this unevenness of the development of ICTs that underlies what has become known as the ‘digital divide’ - a primary concern of those responsible for national development.

While ICT can be an enabler of development, facilitating flows in capital, ideas, people and products, as we have seen in the case of India for example, in and of themselves ICTs have no intrinsic qualities that make them sensitive or insensitive to development challenges. Rather, they are tools in the hands of people – individuals, companies, government, development agencies, academics, policy-makers and decision-makers such as parliamentarians – people who must lead the agenda for growth and development and who can use ICTs as tools in support of their efforts.

The emerging consensus that ICTs can play this increasingly pivotal role in the social and economic development of nations relates to their cross cutting nature, their ability to complement initiatives in other sectors, and their potential to extend health and education services, reduce transaction costs and catalyse economic activity. It is important to recognise however, that the potential of ICTs is linked to mixture of international, national and local conditions. (UNDP-ADIP 2004:1). Countries that are currently failing to harness this potential are usually those lagging on global development indices. The question for countries’ decision-makers can no longer be what the cost of deploying ICTs is, but what the cost of not doing so is. The opportunity costs of not developing an appropriate policy and regulatory framework are high and are globally evidenced in what has been termed the digital divide.

As indicated, while ICTs on their own are not going to overcome the developmental challenges faced by the continent there is evidence that combined with other developmental initiatives they can contribute to the reduction of social and economic inequalities. For this reason the mainstreaming of ICTs is included in the development strategy of the United Nations encompassed in the Millennium Development Goals1 and specifically in relation to income generation, poverty reduction, improved delivery of health and education services, environmental protection and gender equity.