National ICT Policies and Development: A Stage Model and Stakeholder Theory Perspective

While there is a fairly robust literature on information and communications technology (ICT) national policy, there are missing elements in the existing research. First, nation states at different stages of development are generally not considered in terms of what kind of ICT national policy is optimal. Second, a stakeholder perspective on the creation and implementation of the policy is typically absent. This theoretical paper attempts to fill these gaps by combining the idea of nations at different stages of development with stakeholder theory. The authors also integrate past thinking and research about information technology transfer, i.e., ICT outcomes, into a Stage-Stakeholder Model of ICT Policy. Directions for future research are proposed.