Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2016

Published in 2016

The digital world of the 21st Century offers a world of opportunities through apps and services in the fields of e-governance, telemedicine, mobile banking and online education. ICTs help in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by opening doors to economic growth, socio- economic development and vast improvements in the lives of individuals and communities. To realize the full potential of the digital economy, policy-makers and regulators have a key role to play in building policy and regulatory environments in which new technologies can flourish. That is why this 16th annual edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform focuses on the theme…

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2015 Development Policy Financing Retrospective – Results and Sustainability

Published in 2015

This report is the fourth Retrospective of Development Policy Financing, one of the World Bank’s three financing instruments. Development Policy Financing (DPF), the Bank’s general budget support instrument, aims at helping clients achieve sustainable growth and poverty reduction through the support of a program of policy and institutional actions. Development Policy Financing is provided in the form of non-earmarked loans, credits, grants or policy-based guarantees. Since its introduction over 10 years ago, Development Policy Financing has proved to be a robust and flexible instrument that supports a diverse set of clients. DPF supports a wide range of countries, including middle-income…

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Toward New Sources of Competitiveness in Bangladesh: Key Insights of the Diagnostic Trade Integration Study

Published in 2015

Bangladesh can be justly proud of its track record in reducing poverty and achieving progress on key human development indicators, such as child mortality, school enrollment, and female empowerment, to name a few. In mid-2015, reflecting a decade of robust growth, the World Bank reclassified Bangladesh from low income to lower-middle-income. Over the next decade, the most important development challenge for Bangladesh will be to provide more and better jobs to its workers, as more than 20 million people join the labor force. Achieving this goal will require Bangladesh to connect more deeply to the world market for garments and…

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Opening the Black Box: Contextual Drivers of Social Accountability

Published in 2015

In 2014, the World Bank Group adopted the Strategic Framework for Mainstreaming Citizen Engagement in WBG Operations. The framework offers a roadmap for the ways we as an institution mainstream and scale up citizen engagement across our operations to improve results. Central to this commitment is achieving the target of beneficiary feedback from 100 percent of World Bank Group projects with clearly identifiable beneficiaries. When governments engage with their citizens it provides opportunities to meet the World Bank s twin goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity in a sustainable way. With this spirit in mind, Bank experts…

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Trust Voice & Incentives: Learning from Local Success Stories in Service Delivery in the Middle East and North Africa

Published in 2015

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is in a state of volatile change. This period of change is imposing hardships on the people of the region, and the outbreaks of conflict and violence represent a clear danger not only regionally, but globally as well. Under the circumstances, it is essential to focus on the welfare of the region’s youth and its economic and institutional health in order to build the foundation for lasting stability and shared prosperity. Public institutions and services are central to this effort. In particular, it is crucial to harness the ability of public institutions to…

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Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015

Published in 2015

We are now entering a new era of communications. The future of the digital world is happening now. ITU stands fully prepared to support its membership to lead and open the door to a wealth of possibilities. I am pleased to present the 15th annual edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform. This year s Trends report seeks to advance the global discussion of ICTs by focusing on how the benefits of an increasingly digital world can best be made available to users around the world in a way that gives users access to the most advanced services, provides businesses with…

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Technologies de I’Information et de la Communication, Langues Vernaculaires et Stimlation du Haut Debit au Gabon [French]

Published in 2014

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A Decade of Development in Sub-Saharan African: Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics Research

Published in 2014

This report uses the Scopus abstract and citation database to evaluate trends in research growth in SSA. While the re- port recognizes that indicators on peer-reviewed research outputs do not fully capture all research activity in SSA, this is the most systematic and objective foundation for analysis currently available. Although previous studies have also analyzed research output trends in SSA, this is the first report that provides comprehensive policy analysis and recommendations at a regional level and builds an analyti- cal foundation for stakeholder dialogue in driving the STEM agenda. Key Findings and Policy Recommendations This report presents four main…

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Information and communications in the Chinese countryside : a study of three provinces

Published in 2014

China is set to become one of the East Asia and Pacific region s most connected countries and plans to upgrade its connectivity radically over the next few years. The government s Broadband China Strategy, approved by the State Council in August, 2013, characterizes high-speed or broadband Internet as strategic public infrastructure for the economic and social development of China in a new era. Investments in broadband Internet are intended to stimulate new opportunities through connectivity, particularly in more rural and remote areas of the country in order to reduce the digital divide. Key targets include provision of broadband Internet…

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ICT Regulation Toolkit

Published in 2014

The ICT Regulation Toolkit, produced by the Information for Development Program (infoDev) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is a practical, web-based tool intended for ICT policymakers and regulators around the world. Module 1 provides an overview of the Toolkit while Modules 2-7 cover a number of specific topics including competition and pricing; authorization; universal access; radio spectrum management; legal and institutional frameworks; and new technologies. The Toolkit also contains extensive practice notes and reference materials. Under each Module abstract below are links to the full text of the module, the executive summary, and a clickable table of contents. Translated…

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