ICT Leapfrogging Policy and Development in the Third World

‘Leapfrogging’ is the term used to describe development policies, and the processes of their implementation, that aim to move lesser developed societies to a higher stage of development without them transitioning through the spectrum of changes that have underpinned the development of industrialized societies. Information and communication technology (ICT) leapfrogging strategies have the potential to bypass intermediate stages of development that are often resource intensive (in terms of capital investment in hardware and labor), environmentally unsustainable, and involve the building of infrastructure that is prone to become obsolete in a relatively short time. A number of organizations, including (and not only including) the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN, 2000), Group of Eight (G8, 2000), the United Nations (UN, 2000), and aid agencies, advocate ICT leapfrogging in the developing world. The rise and increasing reach of globalization has seen the emergence and widespread uptake of ICTs. Indeed, for many commentators the proliferation of ICTs is a key mechanism of the social, cultural, political, and economic transformations that characterize globalization. In this context, as Nulens and van Audenhove (1999, p. 451) note: