Recent Articles From EvanCarmichael.com http://www.evancarmichael.com/ http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/BIBLIOGRAPHY--ECOMMERCE-FOR-DEVELOPMENT-PROSPECTS-AND-POLICY-ISSUES.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/BIBLIOGRAPHY--ECOMMERCE-FOR-DEVELOPMENT-PROSPECTS-AND-POLICY-ISSUES.html References http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/VII-CONCLUSION--ECOMMERCE-FOR-DEVELOPMENT-PROSPECTS-AND-POLICY-ISSUES.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/VII-CONCLUSION--ECOMMERCE-FOR-DEVELOPMENT-PROSPECTS-AND-POLICY-ISSUES.html What have we learned about the potential that ICT and e-commerce hold for poor countries? While the danger of hyperbole looms large, e-commerce does present real opportunities to small entrepreneurs in developing countries. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/VI-NEW-CHALLENGES-FOR-SOCIETIES-AND-DEVELOPMENT-ASSISTANCE.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/VI-NEW-CHALLENGES-FOR-SOCIETIES-AND-DEVELOPMENT-ASSISTANCE.html The current ICT-centred technological revolution, of which the Internet is but one manifestation, is reshaping not only the sphere of economic organisation but also, and relatedly, the sphere of social relations. The impact is likely to be at least as great in developing countries as in OECD ones. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/Vb-The-International-Dimension-of-Internet-Regulation-Taxes-and-Domain-Names.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/Vb-The-International-Dimension-of-Internet-Regulation-Taxes-and-Domain-Names.html The intersection of a global, multipurpose medium, the Internet, with systems designed for the physical, territorial world poses further policy questions. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/Va-Weaving-a-Web-of-Trust-Consumer-Protection-and-Competition-Policy.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/Va-Weaving-a-Web-of-Trust-Consumer-Protection-and-Competition-Policy.html Trust is needed at many levels, including hardware and software security, the regulatory regime, familiarity and users’ perceptions. Factors affecting the level of trust required and provided include: http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/V-INSTITUTIONAL-AND-POLICY-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-ECOMMERCE-DEVELOPMENT.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/V-INSTITUTIONAL-AND-POLICY-REQUIREMENTS-FOR-ECOMMERCE-DEVELOPMENT.html Even assuming the physical infrastructure bottlenecks to Internet expansion are overcome and access prices become more affordable in developing countries, a number of other significant policy challenges must be met if governments are to create an environment conducive to e-commerce. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IV-RELIEVING-INFRASTRUCTURE-BOTTLENECKS-ENCOURAGING-ISPs-AND-REDUCING-ACCESS-COSTS.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IV-RELIEVING-INFRASTRUCTURE-BOTTLENECKS-ENCOURAGING-ISPs-AND-REDUCING-ACCESS-COSTS.html A country’s readiness for e-commerce depends fundamentally on network infrastructure, including narrow and broadband, and on costs of Internet access. The quality and range of services available depends on the emergence of innovative Internet service providers (ISPs). http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIId-ECommerce-in-the-Service-Sector-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIId-ECommerce-in-the-Service-Sector-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html Certain segments of the service sector are especially amenable to the introduction of ICT, to the establishment of a Web presence, and to transacting business electronically. http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIIc-Linking-into-B2B-Supply-Chains-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIIc-Linking-into-B2B-Supply-Chains-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html For countries undergoing rapid structural transformation, the expansion of industrial employment still holds vast potential for raising living standards of the poor. To what extent can the Internet and e-commerce serve to raise productivity and competitiveness in the industrial sectors of developing countries? http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIIb-ECommerce-and-Primary-Commodity-Markets-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html http://www.evancarmichael.com/African-Accounts/1693/IIIb-ECommerce-and-Primary-Commodity-Markets-ECOMMERCE-AND-SMALL-ENTREPRENEURS.html Most low-income developing countries continue to be primary commodity exporters (including oil, gas and other minerals, and agricultural products). Thus, short of wholesale diversification into manufactures and services, their immediate interest is in how e-commerce may affect competitiveness in their traditional export markets.