The information revolution is creating opportunities in many other sectors of society, including health care, education, journalism, and government. Over the past decade, new applications of information and communication technology have improved services, transparency, and public access in each of these areas.

By improving access to health care, education, and government services to these sectors, new IT has the potential to help people around the world overcome geographic or income barriers which currently degraded the quality of their lives. By dramatically increasing access information, the advances can enhance knowledge, break down barriers to participation, and improve the accountability of public and private institutions to its people. These developments will prove especially beneficial to individuals in poor and underserved communities around the world.

In this section we look at some of the ways that IT is enhancing knowledge in health care, education, journalism, and government. In the next section we look at gaps in access to IT, sometimes known as the “digital divide.”

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