This chapter discusses the potential challenges and benefits of information technology and economic development in Sri Lanka by reviewing the awareness and readiness of the selected opportunities. This chapter also identifies the enabling factors and bottlenecks, and forecasts the future growth of ICT developments in Sri Lanka as a host in Asia. Furthermore, developing ICT, professional services, and offshoring opportunities should be a high priority for the development strategy of the country. This chapter presents the findings from the survey that assessed the potential for ICT in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is an island state of contrasts in terms of its economic development and ICT capability. Research on a Web survey of government institutes revealed that 30% of ministries in the country do not have Web sites or may not have Web access since they are inactive. 38% of the ministries are still in the infant stage, and information available on Web pages is often little in content and limited to a few pages. Only about 17% of ministries offer interactive Web content, where users have access to regularly updated information, can communicate through e-mail, and can download government documents through the Internet.15% of the ministries provide some online services to the citizens. Public- and private-sector economic entities do not develop Web sites in the local language; all Web sites are in English even though 80% of the population depend on their own local language. The majority in Sri Lanka do not speak English.

Examines the impact IT has on politics, education, sociology, and technology. Focuses on the benefits of IT for developing countries, whose problems must be solved, and obstacles overcome in order to further IT advancement.

The ability to harness Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) is increasingly at the heart of national competitiveness and sustainable development. As countries seek a way out of the present period of economic contraction, they are trying to weave ICT into their development strategies, in the same way enterprises have learned to use ICT to transform their business models and strategies. This integration offers a new path to development that is responsive to the challenges of our times. In Seeking Transformation Through Information Technology, Nagy Hanna and Peter Knight provide a framework for assessing the opportunities, challenges, and prospects for “e-transformation.” Featuring contributions from country experts, the editors and authors provide in-depth case studies of ICT deployment in Brazil, China, Canada, and Sri Lanka, and asses the progress of such efforts. The result is an essential resource for academic researchers, policy analysts, policymakers, and industry leaders interested in the role of ICT in national development, innovation, and economic growth.

"From Envisioning to Designing e-Development" presents a concrete case in bridging the gap between vision and actionable programs. It captures how Sri Lankans worked with local stakeholders and aid agency counterparts in moving from developing a shared vision of comprehensive e-development to designing a multiyear investment program, creating a national ICT agency, and piloting, implementing, and adapting the strategy.

A case study of why and how national e-leadership institutions, e-government and e-society programs were designed and implemented. The book examines the process of building national ICT institutions, showing how to design and implement an integrated e-government program. The book describes how a fund was developed to promote grassroots innovations that leverage ICT to solve problems of rural development and poverty. The book proposes national e-strategies be grounded in an integrated framework and institutional mechanisms that would exploit synergies and interdependencies among the different e.

Sri Lanka achieved middle-income-country status in January 2010, on the strenght of of the economic growth fueled by the liberalization policy introduced in the late 1970s and pursued albeit unevenly in the following years. To continue growing, however, Sri Lanka needs to pay attention to its much neglected infrastructure. Accordingly, this report, aims to provide policy makers in Sri Lanka with a sound analytical basis for prioritizing investments and designing policy interventions that result in the mobilization of funds and their effective use for future development of Sri Lanka’s infrastructure, and also to improve understanding of the infrastructure sectors in Sri Lanka, including their current state and performance, future development needs, investment requirements and financing gaps, and bottlenecks to infrastructure development. The report assesses the country’s infrastructure endowment and performance, analyzes the contribution of infrastructure to economic and spatial development, and outlines investment needs and strategic priorities within those established by the Mahinda Chintana. It provides a cross-sectoral analysis of the major infrastructure cross-cutting themes including the link between infrastructure and poverty reduction and economic growth; the institutional and regulatory framework; the main issues regarding planning, coordination, and financing; and the role and constraints of private sector participation in infrastructure financing and service provision. It identifies bottlenecks to economic growth and considers policy issues to address them.

"This book provides relevant theoretical frameworks and the latest empirical research findings in the area of information technology as it relates to sustainable economic development and the development of knowledge societies"--Provided by publisher.