The IER 2012 highlights the growing importance of the software industry for developing countries, building on earlier UNCTAD work on the promotion of the ICT sector in general and the software industry in particular. The report contains new data and features the new UNCTAD National Software System Index. It highlights the role of free and open source software for the development of a local software industry, reviews selected country case studies and presents policy options

The Digital Economy Report 2019 on "Value creation and capture: Implications for developing countries" takes stock of recent trends in the global digital landscape and discusses the development and policy implications of data and digital platforms. A key feature of the evolving digital economy is the increasing role of digital data as an economic resource, together with digital platforms as new influential actors, with capacity to collect, process, analyze and monetize data. The report considers policy options for countries to help ensure that they capture a fair part of the value created in the digital economy for inclusive development. Key issues include the market impact of emerging technologies and digital platforms, the impact on smaller businesses in developing countries and the implications for infrastructure, entrepreneurship, skills, competition, data flows, data protection, taxation and other relevant policies.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) is a founding member of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development, which is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators. One of its key achievements is the development of a core list of ICT indicators for the production of internationally comparable statistics. This list was first endorsed by the United Nations Statistical Commission at its 38th session in March 2007 and has since been updated regularly. The Commission encouraged countries to use that list in their data collection programmes; a first version of the Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Information Economy was published at the end of 2007. An updated version was published in 2009. The current edition, entitled Manual for the Production of Statistics on the Digital Economy, was prepared to reflect the many changes that have taken place in the past decade in terms of access and use of ICTs. Compared to earlier versions, it expands the coverage of the measurement of e-commerce, trade in ICT services and trade in ICT-enabled (or digitally delivered) services. It contains more model questionnaires and reflects the most recent revisions of the Partnership's list of core ICT indicators. The Manual is intended to guide statisticians from developing countries through all the steps involved in the production and dissemination of statistics related to e-commerce and the digital economy.

What lessons have policy makers drawn from the global financial and economic crisis to reform the international monetary and financial system and the design of macroeconomic policies? The enthusiasm about system reform and a reorientation of macroeconomic policies has not lasted. Reforms of financial regulations are progressing slowly and only at the national level, monetary system reform is limited. After an interlude that some considered as a return to Keynesianism, the orientation of macroeconomic policy, especially fiscal policy, is back to business as usual. This will hinder a sustained recovery of the world economy and open the door for new financial crises. Thus, the rethinking of policies and reshaping the financial and monetary system remain an urgent task. The Report makes concrete proposals on how, and in which priority areas, to advance with the strengthening regulation of the financial sector and commodity markets, reform of the international monetary system, and the reorientation of fiscal policy.

The Information Economy Report 2009: Trends and Outlook in Turbulent Times (IER 2009) is the fourth in a series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report is one of the few publications to monitor global trends in information and communication technologies (ICTs) as they affect developing countries. It serves as a valuable reference for policymakers in those nations. It gives special attention to the impact of the global financial crisis on ICTs. The report offers a fresh assessment of the diffusion of key ICT applications between 2003 and 2008. It includes chapters on the use of ICTs in the business sector and on the impact of the financial crisis on ICT trade.