The progressive diffusion of information and communication technologies will bring about far-reaching changes in society. How can the opportunities offered by the new technologies be maximised, while minimising the attendant risks?

Many of the present difficulties of the world economy have been blamed on the two oil-price explosions of the 1970s. Professor Chichilnisky shows that, at least in the case of the oil-importing developing countries, the negative effects have been overestimated. In fact, in some respects the oil...