Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen:Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden.Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen.Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. The views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Asian Development Bank. Terms of use: Documents in 19 ForewordThe ERD Working Paper Series is a forum for ongoing and recently completed research and policy studies undertaken in the Asian Development Bank or on its behalf. The Series is a quick-disseminating, informal publication meant to stimulate discussion and elicit feedback. Papers published under this Series could subsequently be revised for publication as articles in professional journals or chapters in books. AbstractAccess to new information and communication technologies (ICT) remains extremely unequally distributed across and within societies. While there have been a good deal of popular discussions about this "digital divide", not much is known about the quantitative significance of its various determinants. By undertaking a set of crosscountry regressions, the paper finds that income, education, and infrastructure play a critical role in shaping the divide. Based on this analysis, the paper also offers some policy suggestions as to how to promote wider diffusion of ICT in poorer societies.21

This paper addresses the impact of the recent Asian financial crisis on migration in Bangladesh. The crisis has stemmed the outflow of migrant workers to the affected countries but also diversified the flows as well as sparked rising return migration. Remittances and foreign exchange reserves are likely to be adversely affected. Irregular migration towards more diversified but less remunerative pockets has increased. What is more disconcerting is the increasing trend in the ranks of the already sizable unemployed. The government should gear up retraining, rehabilitation and reintegration measures. Insurance schemes and other safety nets may be introduced to meet unforeseen crisis. Migration is a humanitarian issue. It has to be addressed through a sensible legal regime where interests of both the sending and receiving countries could be accommodated.

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