Foreword: Special Issue on Information Systems in Developing Countries

The developing countries account for the majority of the world’s population, and are important for this reason alone. In addition, developing countries contain millions of people who lack access to resources such as clean water, adequate housing, and education for satisfying basic human needs. Moreover, many people in developing countries lack the freedom to make choices in their own lives (Sen 1999). These conditions present a moral issue with which we should all be concerned. A further reason to take seriously the “majority world,” from a business and policy perspective, is that the world is becoming increasingly interconnected in economic, social, and cultural terms. Whatever view one takes of trends toward globalization, global business, or global outsourcing, there is agreement that these present important issues and problems, even if one lives in the richer countries. There was at one time some debate as to whether information and communication technologies (ICTs) were relevant to the developing countries, but this debate has been resolved with a clear “yes” answer. The question has now become not whether, but how ICTs can benefit development. ICTs have high potential value across both public and private enterprises; and at multiple levels, for example from software businesses in urban areas to health delivery in rural villages. The application of ICTs to development goals has not always succeeded to date, and indeed there are many examples of partial or complete failure (e.g., Avgerou and Walsham 2000). One particular issue concerns the need to bridge the so-called “digital divide” between those people with the ability to access and use technologies effectively, and those without. The challenge remains to tackle such difficulties and to resolve them.