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This article discusses e-government and information technology policy and the choices for government outreach and policy making. Governments that want to connect with their citizens through online media can potentially implement their policies more effectively and increase their influence on citizens more directly. The delivery of public sector information and services to citizens through the Internet is considered to be e-government. While the benefits of e-government are compelling, it is worth noting that the countries that are taking advantage of this trend are those that have a high concentration of Internet hosts per thousand inhabitants. The benefits of e-government may indeed materialize in countries where a majority of the electorate uses the Internet frequently. At the same time, GSM-based mobile (wireless) phones are replacing land line connections in many developing countries because of the cost and unreliability of land connections--this has an impact on Internet viability for e-government. The connection between national policies and development appears to be an illusive one. However, an understanding of what constitutes this link can provide governments with powerful tools to bring about economic growth.

This section presents an overview of several articles which address the ways in which information technology is being used in order to enable social and economic development, published in the September 2003 issue of Information Technology for Development. The first article is an examination of the diffusion of Information and Communication Technology in developing countries through careful analysis of economic indicators. The indicators of Information and Communication Technology analyzed are Internet hosts, Internet users, personal computers and mobile phones. The next two papers in this issue consider two different ways in which Geographical Information Systems are used to address specific development objectives. Development is not restricted to developing countries but also includes developed countries with populations that are marginalized and could benefit from information technology. The second paper by examines the use of a Geographical Information Systems for the provision of health services to the African American population. The integration of both spatial and non-spatial datasets in a Geographical Information Systems enables spatial distribution of asthma hospitalization data to be correlated with socio-economic features. This research provides insight into the extent to which a Geographical Information Systems can be used to target socio-economic factors effecting health. The third paper suggests that there is a need for integrating disparate knowledge based systems around Geographical Information Systems applications to prevent land degradation. The final paper takes the concept of participation a step further and examines the role of Group Support Systems for development.