Chapter 11: The Digital Divide in Scientific Development and Research: The Case of the Arab World

A contributing factor to the deficiency in human development in the Arab world is attributed to the increasing gap in the scientific knowledge that exists between the Arab states and developed world. In its 2012 annual report, the World Bank concluded that the Arab world has a much lower knowledge indices value than most of the regions in the world, and that its average performance only exceeds that of Africa and SouthAsia. This chapter examines the effectiveness of the ICT strategies adopted by Arab national governments to reduce the digital divide. I will observe the activities under taken by Arab governments in the area of scientific knowledge building as a means to reduce the digital gap in the Arab World. It is hypothesized that the higher a country is spending on research, development, innovation, and ICT, the higher its researchers’ scientific production will be. I anticipate this production to be low considering the amount spent by Arab governments on research and development. This sets us to conclude that the digital divide in the Arab World has the potential to grow even wider given the lack of emphasis by Arab government leaders on innovation and the preparation of a scientific generation to lead this region in the Digital Age.