Digital Review of Asia Pacific 2007/2008

"The Digital Review of Asia Pacific" provides an overview of how information and communication technology (ICT) is being diffused throughout the Asia Pacific region to facilitate socio-economic development. In its first edition (2003/2004), DirAP reported on the status of ICT4D initiatives in 23 countries and economies. It reviewed issues related to governance, open source and Internet politics in the Asia Pacific region. In the second DirAP (2005/2006), a qualitative analysis of the state of ICTs in 29 countries was complemented by a quantitative analysis. The analysis provided a visual representation which revealed the wide gaps in the growth and development of ICTs across countries in the region. The second edition also included reviews of two sub-regional groups, ASEAN and APEC, and chapters based on: bridging the digital divide in Asia Pacific; Internet governance; the social, political, and cultural aspects of ICT; and, appropriate ICTs for Asia Pacific.The third review (2007/2008) continues the tradition of providing an analytical overview of the state of ICT4D in the Asia Pacific region. It covers 31 countries and economies including - for the first time - North Korea. Each country is dealt within a separate chapter, which attempts to provide comprehensive coverage of the various aspects of ICT4D in the concerned country at the time of writing (in 2006). The chapters have been written by a team of authors representing different sectors, such as government, academia, industry, and civil society. Also included are five chapters that provide a synthesis of some of the key issues in ICT4D in the Asia Pacific region today.