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Archive - Feb 13, 2008

High-tech Leapfrog

Posted on February 13, 2008 by Brandon Gast
Topics: Technology and the Internet, Globalization, Economic Development

In last week's print edition of The Economist, it is suggested that lavatories must come before laptops in the leapfrogging of technologies. The article suggests that most new technologies need to follow a traditional path when diffusing into emerging markets. Basic infrastructure is still a primary concern in these countries and the introduction of high-tech products does not directly address the core issues. "Most of the time, to go high-tech, you need to have gone medium-tech first." Cell phones may prove to be the exception of a rapid technological advance in the developing world.

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Keywords: digital divide, cell phones

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