Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are perceived as a catalyst for economic growth. Number of studies, carried out by worldand Europeanleading institutions such as Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) or European Commission, addresses this issue in their reports. (OECD, 2004), studies the influence and measures the impact of ICT on firms. The development o...

In this paper we investigate the factors that impact ICT growth rates in developing countries and compare those with factors affecting industrialized countries. Four categories of factors, human development, social structure, institutional factors, and national infrastructure, were considered with respect to their impact on three ICTs: cell phones, PCs, and the Internet. ICT infrastructure infl...

This study develops an ICT industry-specific optimal R&D index for midto long-term policy implementation. We propose R&D infrastructure for ICT sector’s global markets and top priority areas for long-term ICT policy. The extreme value theory is used for the analysis and for the development of the optimal R&D index based on the specifics of the ICT industry. In addition, results are applied to t...

A variety of single-item composite indices for measurement of information and communication technologies (ICTs) at the country level are currently used to gauge the extent of technological development in developing countries. However, the values that are obtained from these measures typically are not comparable for the purpose of development and growth policy analysis. To remedy this, in 2003 t...

the major purpose of this study was conducted to identify the challenges in application of icts inrural areas of iran. a questionnaire was developed and data collected from 187 extensionspecialists. the challenges was categorized by using factor analysis and results show challengeswere classified into organizational, technical, social, financial, regulatory and human factors byorder of their im...

Using panel data for 52 developed and developing countries over the period 1998-2006, this article examines the links between information and communication technology diffusion and human development. We conducted a panel regression analysis of the investments per capita in healthcare, education and information and communication technology against human development index scores. Using a quantile...

the information and communication technologies (icts) are being increasingly used by the governments to deliver its services to both rural and urban people. obviously, access and application of ict will provide services to improve the income and welfare of rural poor. this will help reducing rural poverty and improve quality of life. in iran, importance of using rural ict benefits and advantage...

overcoming spatial and temporal limitation, information and communication technology is today considered as the axis and key to sustained development and as the most important criterion for development which has reshaped the world and life patterns and it is, in fact, considered both the cause and the effect of development. identifying and proper using of new opportunities for sustained develop...

organizations to measure the relative level of development of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector in individual economies. The multitude of efforts is evidence of the importance of ICT in a country’s economic and social transformation and as a cohesive force for integrating a country into the global economy. This report introduces a new approach—the World Bank’s country IC...