We investigate how the effects of the business environment depend on whether the measure is de jure or de facto, and how the business environment effects differ by ownership. Four aspects of the business environment are found to be relatively robust by multiple data sources: access to finance,...

Thee worldwide development of information and communication technology (ICT) has accelerated dramatically over the past decade. Increased ICT production and use has the potential to influence economic growth positively. This paper focuses on the linkage between ICT and output growth and...

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are increasingly seen as integral to the development process. This paper reviews some of the evidence for the link between telecommunications and the Internet and economic growth, the likely impact of the new ICTs on income inequality and...

China's recent economic growth has expanded industrialization and urbanization, upgraded consumption, increased social mobility, and initiated a shift from an economy based on agriculture to one based on industry and services. Still more than half of China's people still live in rural areas...

This report presents a comprehensive overview of the information, communication and technological sector in China, and the role it has played during economic and social transformation in the past decade. It provides guidance on the kind of reforms policy makers in China may wish to consider in...

This book aims to help policy makers take advantage of the opportunities presented by increased cross-border trade in information technology (IT) services and IT-enabled services (ITES). It begins by defining the two industries and estimating the potential global market opportunities for trade...

We investigate the determinants of regulatory reforms between 1990 and 1998 in 50 developing countries. We find that the reforms are attributable to differences in the configurations of interest groups and in the political structure - in particular, the decision-making mechanisms and the...

IT-based services : global outlook -- Country competitiveness in the global market of IT-based services -- Policy options to enhance competitiveness -- Dimensions of the LRI : what is needed to be competitive? The LRI model -- Applying the LRI model to the United States, India, Indonesia, and...

This book aims to help policy makers take advantage of the opportunities presented by the global IT services and IT-enabled services (ITES) industry. It analyzes factors crucial to a country's competitiveness-including skills, cost, infrastructure, business environment; and presents a Location...