The Measurement and Analysis of E-Commerce : Frameworks for Improving Data Availability

Interest in the expansion of e-commerce as a driver for economic development, especially ecommerce across borders, has intensified in recent years. While there is an apparent widespread consensus on the environmental factors necessary to promote e-commerce in developing countries, the basis of empirical evidence on both the extent of e-commerce and the extent to which this is associated with any of its drivers is disappointingly weak. This paper aims at summarizing the current state of affairs with respect to the availability of data and suggests some ways forward in terms of generating an increased supply of policy-relevant data and analysis