Publication

This paper reviews the background of the "information revolution" from the 1990s, explains its principal technical features and explores possible scenarios for the future. The author argues that it is difficult, if not impossible, to foresee the future social and economic implications of the adoption and proliferation of updated information and communication technologies, and that this creates a serious problem for policymakers. He makes a case for accepting the ambiguities inherent in the process of technological change and gives concerted attention to the specification of the social and institutional changes that will be required to strengthen the potential for social development.