Todor Yalamov, Coordinator, IT Group, ARC
Fund
The Bulgarian and global development communities
recognize information and communication technologies (ICT) as a
powerful tool for economic and social development. The ICT sector
has always been recognized as a top government priority, yet with
variances in intensity and performance.
Despite this sector's importance to human
development and economic growth, there is still inadequate
statistical data and research available to policy makers in making
informed policy decisions. One of the most serious challenges is
the large perceived volume of unrecorded economic activity in the
ICT sector.
The paper explores the boundaries of the ICT sector,
defines various types of "shadow" activities, and summarizes
available estimates on the size and trends of recorded, unrecorded
and total economic activity in the sector.
The paper presents work in progress -
preliminary results and hypothesis, and outlines a methodology for
their testing.
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