Technology Divide

The term technology divide is used in a number of ways. First, and most commonly, it is used to denote the productive backwardness of the developing world in comparison to the developed world. Second, it is used to denote the paucity of technological skills among various segments of the population within developed countries. A [Page 1524]third increasingly common, yet specific, usage is to refer to differing access to digital technologies and communications between segments of a national population or between countries. In macroeconomic terms, the technology divide between countries is generally taken to mean differences in the amount of effective mechanization, automation, and computerization present in heavy and light manufacturing, and in the service sectors.

At the national level, this divide is most comprehensively measured through ...