Political economy of the information society – A Southern view

The authors discuss the process of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) process and its positive outcomes in terms of Internet governance, and negative outcomes regarding the failure to establish a financing mechanism for Information and Communication Technologies for Development (ICTD).

They also identify the information society infrastructure, based on three elements – connectivity, software and content. The authors contend that the need to conceptualise and build the necessary common infrastructures as essential elements of the new playing field is an essential social and political task.