This journal special issue contains the following articles on the role of information and communications Technology (ICT) in development in the countries of the South: (1) "Digitally Empowered Development" (Allen L. Hammond); (2) "Global E-Commerce Policies Seen from the South" (Somkiat Tangkitvanich); (3) "Building Foundations for E-Commerce in Hong Kong" (Judith Hollows, Chun Kit Lok); (4) "Making the Software Industry 'Open'" (Edward White); (5) "Electronic Democracy: Buenos Aires and Montevideo" (Susana Finquelievich); (6) "Educating Citizens of the Global Learning Society" (Michel J. Menou); (7) "Reaching the Last Mile" (Carlos A. Gamboa, Ron Laporte, Francois Sauer); (8) "Afriboxes, Telecenters, Cybercafes: ICT in Africa" (Mike Jensen); (9) "Paths Beyond Connectivity: Experience from Latin America and the Caribbean" (Ricardo Gomez, Juliana Martinez, Katherine Reilly); (10) "Creating a Knowledge-Based Labour Force in Asia" (Meheroo Jussawalla, Rana Hasan); and (11) "From Medieval to Modern Times: Information in the Arab World" (Hamid Mowlana). A summary of current trends, perspectives, and events is also included. (MES)