Les technologies de l'information et de la communication (TIC) : une chance pour le développement du monde arabe

This study shows that access to ICTs is limited in the Arab world and demonstrates that the region suffers from a ?double digital divide?. The first divide separates the Arab Gulf monarchies, which are more economically-able and advanced with respect to ICTs, from the rest of the Arab world, where access to these technologies remains a challenge. This digital divide is a reflection, essentially, of deeper inequalities of revenues and differences of human capital between these two sub-regions. Empirical results of this study suggests that income (represented as Gross National Product ? GNP per Capita) significantly impacts the diffusion of ICTs (connection to Internet) while human Capital does not. The second divide - which now exists between the Arab nations and the rest of the world, in particular the OECD countries - basically emanates from the insufficiency of infrastructures, often prohibitive costs of ICTs, lack of local creation of contents, cultural and political problems and their effects on access to information and on freedom of expression, and unequal capacity to take advantage, at both economic and social levels from activities with high intensity of information, which effectively postpone the assimilation of ICTs by Arab countries and the development of the Arab society of information. Lastly, about the impact of ICT on the development of the Arab world, this paper also shows that ICTs are potential sources of economic and social development in the area but at the same time pose challenges to be faced in terms of risk management incurred from the process of development in Arab countries because of this technological ?revolution?.