ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the information and communications ‘revolution’. Like the spread of economic openness, the consequences of the information revolution could pervade all countries and their economies, making them ‘informational’ and ‘communicative’. The information revolution could provide an extraordinary means of empowerment and greatly enhance the opportunities for partnership at every level. The uniqueness of the Internet is that it has become the fastest means of diffusing the information revolution, while it being part of the revolution. The information revolution has enhanced the quality of products and services, even if the attributable rises in quantities have been small. Many people in the developing countries lie outside the monetised economy and cannot translate their individual needs into effective demand for information services. The potential efficacy of modern information management for seeking out and preventing corruption in the public sector is obvious. The information revolution, and the creation of knowledge societies, requires partnership between the public and private sectors.
