Information technology in a developing economy

Abstract

There is considerable debate about the value of information technology (IT) in developing economies. Some argue opti­mistically that without IT, developing economies will not grow. Others, somewhat pessimistically, warn that IT can play a negative role in developing countries and prevent economic growth. This paper attempts to identify a realistic value of IT (somewhere between the extremes of optimism and pessimism ). Rather than refer to developing economies generally, the focus here is on the economy of the New South Africa. The paper ends with a call to the IT industry to provide a platform for the realistic use of IT in our economy.