Wiring the World: Access to Information Technology and Development in Poor Countries

Scholars and policy makers continue to debate whether information technology (IT) facilitates economic growth and quality of life throughout the world. “Cyber optimists” argue that access to IT promotes development whereas “cyber pessimists” assert that such access simply exacerbates global inequality. Our quantitative analysis generally supports the former perspective, showing that access to IT increases economic expansion and decreases child mortality in the developing world. However, the increasing “digital divide” between rich and poor countries threatens the capacity of IT to contribute to development and may, in the long run, provide greater support to those who criticize development efforts based on information technology.