Information technology has become a constant presence in contemporary life, infiltrating community, business and state affairs. This book discusses the uses and problems of IT in both developing and advanced countries, focusing on the ways in which IT changes society without neglecting the problematic aspects of the Internet revolution such as computer crime and the lack of professionals with computer literacy, particularly from a developing country's perspective. It examines such issues as the characteristics of network economies, connectivity pricing, Internet access, regulation, changes in supply chains, IT gaps between supply and demand, productivity increases, and the digital divide. Emanuele Giovannetti, Mitsuhiro Kagami and Masatsugu Tsuji have gathered together a group of international experts in economics and trade who discuss the impact of this revolution globally, looking at countries or regions including the UK, EU, Central and Eastern Europe, USA, Japan, India, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China.

Information technology (IT) has become a constant presence in contemporary life, infiltrating community, business and state affairs. This book discusses applications and consequences of IT in developing and advanced countries, focusing on the ways in which IT has changed society via the so-called Internet revolution. It examines the characteristics of network economies; Internet access; changes in supply chains; productivity increases; and the digital divide. It ranges through the U.K., European Union, Central and Eastern Europe, U.S., Japan, India, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China.