In a world in which 50 percent of the population is virtually excluded from the benefits of information and communication technology, bridging the digital gap has become an imperative for the international community, particularly for the industrialized countries. The objective of this study is...

The promise of technology and the need for caution in its application were the topics of the Seminar on Education in the Information Age held in Cartagena, Colombia on July 1997, sponsored by the IDB and the Global Information Infrastructure Commission. This book brings together the experience...

This technical note outlines a framework for the analysis of cybersecurity, presenting considerations that are crucial to the success of a holistic and transversal cybersecurity strategy. It describes two essential pieces of the analysis: the broadband ecosystem and the basic terminology and...

This discussion paper describes the methodology used to compute the Broadband Development Index (IDBA, Indice de Desarrollo de la Banda Ancha). The main goal of the IDBA is to size the Digital Divide in Latin America and the Caribbean by measuring the state of broadband development in the 26...

Previous studies indicate that Colombian farmers make production decisions based on informal sources of information, such as family and neighbors or tradition. In this paper the authors randomize recipients of price and weather information using text messages (SMS technology). The authors find...

Honduran farmers are at a disadvantage when dealing with intermediaries because they lack timely information about market prices. This paper first analyzes which information and communications technology (ICT) would be most suitable for sending price information to producers scattered throughout...

In spite of deep structural reforms, Central American countries have failed to experience rapid and stable growth in recent years. This paper explores whether and to what extent we can consider lack of innovation and technology adoption as a main reason for this disappointing experience. The...

This paper first offers a historical perspective of regulation, the early steps of Colombian industry and the way it grew. The environment was not conducive to the application of legislation that attempted to regulate monopoly or oligopoly, much less to regulate economic power. A discussion of...