1800 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Third Floor
12:00 noon–1:30 p.m.
(Lunch will be served)
Speakers:
Joachim von Braun - Director General, International Food Policy Research Institute
Bruno Lanvin (Discussant) - Senior Advisor, E-Strategies, World Bank
Please RSVP to Sarah Dean at events@cgdev.org by February 21st.
ABSTRACT: The development and proliferation of electronically communicated information has accelerated economic and social change across all areas of human activity worldwide—and it continues to do so at a rapid pace. While the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) remains concentrated largely in the developed world, ICT diffusion is beginning to reach developing countries, including poor rural areas, bringing with it high hopes of positive development outcomes. Yet although technological innovations, such as cellular telephones and wireless broadband access, are playing an important role in building ICT levels globally, strong inequality still remains. This presentation will address five questions: 1) What link exists between ICT growth and economic growth? 2) Do weak institutions block effective use of ICTs? 3) Have ICTs been adapted to low-income countries, and have they had an impact on Small/Medium Enterprises? 4) Does household access to ICTs remain constrained? 5) Can ICTs play a role in providing pro-poor public goods and services?
Link to a policy brief based on Dr. von Braun’s forthcoming book: www.ifpri.org/pubs/ib/ib40.pdf
*The Massachusetts Avenue Development Seminar (MADS) series is an effort by the Center for Global Development and The Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies to take advantage of the incredible concentration of great international development scholars in the Metro Washington, DC area. The series seeks to bring together members of this community and improve communication between them.
