Economic efficiency of free and open source software in the public sector: the example of Chile

This paper reviews the advantages and disadvantages of free and open source software (FOSS) in the public sector. It is based on a survey conducted in late 2004 with the informatics community of the government of Chile, which represents the key IT decision-makers in the Chilean public sector. The survey identified criteria that affect successful deployment and usage of FOSS. The balanced scorecard was used as a basic approach for identifying the strategic IT priorities and objectives of Chilean public institutions. In addition to the survey, respondents were interviewed to make out possible po…

Where do Latin America and the Caribbean stand in relation to the eLAC2007 Plan of Action?: evidence from available information

Benchmarking and monitoring any multi-country, multi-thematic Plan of Action is a necessary but extremely difficult task. Quantifying goals set forth in a regional Action Plan related to a new and innovative subject such as information society development is even more challenging. Goals may not be objectively measured, subjects may be very recent, indicators may not have been developed and/or information may simply not exist regarding the status of, and advancements in, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It is for this reason that paragraph 28…

Caribbean policy response to the information age: a review of government information and communications technology policy and services in selected Caribbean countries

Caribbean governments have been reacting to the phenomenon that is the Information Age with a variety of policy initiatives. Initially governments trained most of their efforts at facilitating the development of an informatics industry, drawn there by the promise of jobs and foreign exchange earnings. However, the motives for these policy interventions have evolved over time and as a consequence, policy has matured. This paper, which is descriptive rather than analytical, draws heavily on statements made by government decision makers. It attempts to provide an overview of some of the maj…

Caribbean Outlook 3: Economic recovery and repositioning in the era of COVID-19. Policy Brief

The economies of the subregion were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those dependent on tourism. As a result, the Caribbean has seen a reversal of the hard-won gains achieved in growing their economies and reducing unemployment and inequality. The inflation stemming from pandemic supply chain disruption, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made the sustained uptick in economic performance beyond pre-pandemic levels unlikely, notwithstanding strong growth estimates for 2021 and 2022. The last two years have taught the region that continued ‘business as usual’ is…

Building an information society: a Latin American and Caribbean perspective

Abstract New technological options that permit the use of digital systems to create and disseminate information around the world are paving the way for new means of organizing society and economic production and are gradually giving rise to a meta-paradigm that has come to be referred to as the Information Society. Viewed from the perspective of developing countries, the question of how to employ this emerging paradigm to achieve broader development goals and to integrate them more fully into the global Information Society is an issue of the utmost importance on the development agenda…

Improving broadband quality and affordability in the Caribbean: Policies to advance digital inclusion in the subregion. Policy Brief

In this digitally transforming world, digital inclusion is becoming increasingly important to social inclusion and sustainable development. Affordable access to broadband is an essential precondition to digital inclusion. Internet quality, as measured by speed and other indicators, is also important, as digital inclusion is ultimately about ensuring equal access to the benefits and opportunities offered by digital technologies and the Internet. This policy brief provides insight into Internet speed and affordability across the Caribbean, and offers some recommendations for policymakers working…

Selected online learning experiences in the Caribbean during COVID-19. Policy Brief

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread closure of schools and disruption of education systems worldwide, requiring unprecedented adaptation to ensure learning continuity for students. In place of classroom learning, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been adopted to support online distance learning – with mixed results. While Caribbean governments have piloted a range of online learning modalities, many children in the subregion, especially those from poor and rural households, were not able to leverage those facilities. As a result of a lack of access to the Internet …

Exploiting the potential of the Caribbean information society as an enabler of human development in the region

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC);, conducted a survey of Caribbean countries aimed at documenting and subsequently monitoring public ICT policies in the following areas: policy development; State modernization and e-government; access; supply of goods and services; and public budget expenditure. Seven countries were studied…

Report of the twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Toward a conceptual framework and public policy agenda for the information society in Latin America and the Caribbean

The advent of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and the establishment of a global Information Society are forcing countries of all shapes and sizes to take a fresh look on their development agendas. In order to tackle the challenging task of integrating the Information Society paradigm appropriately in to the development agenda, this paper proposes a conceptual framework to discuss and analyze the complex issues and challenges related to subject. Basing on an extensive study about the actual situation of the emerging Information Society in Latin America and the Cari…

Prospects for blockchain-based settlement frameworks as a resolution to the threat of de-risking to Caribbean financial systems

Caribbean countries have been seriously impacted by the trend toward “de-risking” in the global financial system, and this is damaging to their economic security and the ability of Caribbean businesses to innovate. De-risking is the name given to the tendency of banking institutions to turn away from working relationships and lines of business for which the cost of regulatory compliance—and the risk of non-compliance— is deemed to be too high in comparison to the returns. This is a phenomenon that is affecting developing economies around the world, but the small and vulnerable economies of the…

Policy Brief: Moving towards equal access to technology for persons with disabilities in the Caribbean

In the Caribbean, there are approximately 1.3 million persons with a disability of some kind and some 250,000 persons with a significant disability. These numbers are projected to increase dramatically in the coming decades as the population of the subregion ages and given the global increase in chronic health conditions. Persons with disabilities (PWDs) face a range of physical, social, attitudinal and institutional barriers that prevent their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. As a result, they experience less favorable outcomes in health, education, …

Knowledge management in the public sector: an online presence as a tool for capture and sharing

This study examines two knowledge management processes, namely knowledge capture and retention and knowledge sharing, in the context of the Caribbean. It provides theoretical backgrounds of the processes and specifically looks at the advantages for and barriers to knowledge management in the public sector. The study suggests that by using existing information and communication technologies (ICTs) to create an online presence, the Caribbean public sector can already move towards achieving some knowledge capture and retention and knowledge sharing goals. The study concludes by evaluating through…

Employing knowledge networks as tools for the development of Caribbean Small Island Developing States

Expertise, skills, experiences, understandings and capabilities (knowledge) aid development, not just by informing decision-making, but also by providing ideas for actions and activities that can be taken. Due to their size, and economic and environmental vulnerabilities, Caribbean Small Island developing States (SIDS) faces special challenges when working towards their economic, social and environmental development goals. These challenges have contributed to the creation of knowledge gaps, and that which is already available is located in isolated pockets, throughout the Caribbean. Migration …

White book of e-government interoperability for Latin America and the Caribbean: version 3.0

The White Paper draws on interoperability experience and projects in Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago, which provided the basis for the architecture of the Latin America and Caribbean interoperability platform designed by ECLC.1 The European Union's experience with interoperability —in the form of studies, practices and agreements that are potentially useful to the Latin American and Caribbean countries as they discuss interoperability— has also been instructive.The Paper provides definitions to serve as a framework for discussion, and as a starting point for explor…

Expert survey on priorities for the information society in the Caribbean

An on-line survey of experts was conducted to solicit their views on policy priorities in the area of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the Caribbean. The experts considered the goal to “promote teacher training in the use of ICTs in the classroom” to be the highest priority, followed by goals to “reduce the cost of broadband services” and “promote the use of ICT in emergency and disaster prevention, preparedness and response.” Goals in the areas of cybercrime, e-commerce, egovernment, universal service funds, consumer protection, and on-line privacy rounded out the top 10. S…

Advancing the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

The Regional Coordination Mechanism for the Implementation of the Mauritius Strategy

Director’s Desk: Artificial Intelligence for Caribbean sustainable development

2023 saw Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools becoming widely available to the general public, leading to the generation of new works of art, songs, text, and computer code. This explosion in new outputs has led to much excitement around AI’s potential, but also brought to the forefront concerns about countries and communities being left behind, and the technology’s potential to harm individuals and societies. This issue of FOCUS magazine discusses the potential impact of AI on the Caribbean, and avenues to develop tailored AI policies, governance systems, and to engage with AI issues at the int…

The Role of Data for SDG Advancement in the Caribbean