The use and application of ICT continues to be an important factor driving economic growth. The World Economic Forum, in collaboration with INSEAD and CISCO, is pleased to announce the release of its fourth edition of the annual Global Information Technology Report - a comprehensive tool for measuring the progress of and identifying the obstacles to ICT development in over 100 countries worldwide. The Networked Readiness Index of the Report provides the most comprehensive assessment of how prepared an economy is to capture the benefits of technology to promote economic growth and productivity. This study explicitly considers the roles played by the major stakeholders - individuals, businesses and governments, in relation to three dimensions: the environment for the development and use of ICT, the readiness of stakeholders to leverage the potential of ICT, and the degree of usage of ICT. The selection of essays, detailed country profiles for 104 economies and data tables on over 70 different ICT indicators presented in the Report provide a useful guide for the design and structure of policy measures for the key ICT stakeholders, individuals, businesses, and governments, in order to capture the benefits of ICT.

'[The] Global Information Technology Report is a must-read for decision makers in the Information and Communications Technologies arena. It provides a valuable roadmap for public-private partnerships to continue progress towards a more equitable information society.' - Erkki Liikanen, Former European Commissioner for Enterprise and the Information Society

'The Global Information Technology Report series of the World Economic Forum aims to monitor the progress of networked readiness in more than 100 countries, highlighting the policy, institutional, and structural obstacles
that prevent countries from fully capturing the benefits of ICT. It is thus a benchmarking tool that also gauges the extent to which best practices are spreading all over the world. Beyond the mere provision of an annual international cross-section of networked readiness, the publication of the Report also may be seen as a vehicle whereby governments, businesses and individuals can assess progress on a regular basis.' - Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum

Preface
Forewords
Executive Summary
The Networked Readiness Index Rankings
PART 1: CHAPTERS
An Analysis of the Diffusion and Usage of Information and Communications Technologies of Nations; INSEAD
Net Impact: European eGovernment: How People, Process and Technology Achieve Greater Productivity in the European Public Sector; CISCO
The ICT Sector and the Global Economy: Counting the Gains; IMF
Is a New Telecommunications Regulatory Framework Needed for the Twenty-first Century?; MCKINSEY
Building a Sound Foundation for the Information Society; Internet Society
Next Generation IT Outsourcing: Profits or Perils?; Booz Allen Hamilton
Case Study: Rearing Taiwan's ICT Industry; Institute for Information Industry
PART 2: COUNTRY PROFILES
How to Read the Country Tables
List of Countries
PART 3: DATA PRESENTATION
How to Read the Data Tables
List of Data Tables
About the Authors
Partner Institutes
Acknowledgement

SOUMITRA DUTTA, INSEAD, Fontainebleau, France

AUGUSTO LOPEZ-CARLOS, World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland