While information and communication technology (ICT) and globalization are believed to increase linkages and interdependence between different economies in terms of trade, research, and development, they also pose challenges to policy-makers worldwide. In the Asia-Pacific region, policy-makers are forced to tackle a whole new collection of decisions regarding issues such as workflow software, open sourcing, outsourcing, insourcing, offshoring, and supply-chaining. Most Asian and Pacific countries are also facing stifling intellectual property rights regimes, which inhibit access to the information necessary for policy-makers to make informed decisions about these issues.

 

Although several development organizations in the Asia-Pacific region have conducted research or written reports on the topic, information on the state of ICTs in Asia and the Pacific remains lacking. Much of the existent research focuses only on the larger economies of the region, or is not recent or ongoing. Much of the literature is targeted at academic audiences or the private sector, or was compiled by Western-based writers. In general, there is a dearth of current, locally-generated literature on the state of ICT development in smaller Asia-Pacific economies that can be of use to policy-makers, communications professionals, and NGOs alike.

 

Since 2001, when Phase I of this project began, PAN/IDRC has been working with ORBICOM to produce the first two volumes of the Digital Review of Asia and the Pacific (DirAP). DirAP is a bi-ennial publication that acts as a comprehensive regional reference on the development of ICTs in the Asia-Pacific region. 30 local authors contributed to the 2003/2004 edition of the publication, representing 27 various economies in the Asia-Pacific region. The 2005/2006 edition is scheduled to be launched in November 2005, at the second phase of the World Symposium on the Information Society (WSIS II).

 

The second phase of DirAP aims to update and enhance previous research, and to publish two additional editions in 2007 and 2009. Researchers examine how previous editions of DirAP, both the hard copy and related website, have been distributed, marketed, and used by various audience/market segments and for what purposes. This information will help project organizers develop the new DirAP editions to make them more responsive or savvy to cogent audience needs and preferences. Additions or changes that are planned for the second phase of publications include: a new editorial structure and team, foreground research pieces such as user preferences for accessing DirAP information, and new publishing features in both the hard and soft versions.

 

To generate new knowledge and literature about the ICT4D state-of-practice in the Asia-Pacific region and provide in-depth analyses and syntheses of ICT policy, technology development and application, issues and debates, and the significance of ICT deployment for national and regional socio-development. More specifically, the project aims to:

For information on the impact of Phase I of this project, please visit its webpage. As this phase has just recently started, its development impact cannot be assessed at this time.

 

DirAP web site <http://www.digital-review.org> Parts of the publication are available here now for download, as well as monthly updates.

 

Yoon, Chin Saik, (ed.). (2003). Digital Review of Asia Pacific. Montreal: ORBICOM, IDRC, UNDP-APDIP.