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Notes how rapid urbanization is transforming the developing world – creating cities, which on the one hand offer opportunities for global economic activity, but on the other hand are beset with serious local civic, economic and social problems. New networks based on information and communication technologies are increasingly being woven into the fabric of these cities supporting the connectedness of powerful groups both within the city and between cities around the world. These flows of global information and communication between powerful groups in the city involved in global economic activity coexist with intense face‐to‐face interactions at the local level. Bangalore in South India presents a major case study of this global/local interaction, being a focal point for software development in the Asian region and globally, but also beset with local problems of civic deficiencies, growing poverty and income inequality. Explores some of the issues which arise as Bangalore serves as a nexus that links global and local networks of exchange. Examines two Bangalore networks which typify global and local duality: the network of software firms located in high technology enclaves in and around the city, and the ostracised network of the slum dwellers of Bangalore, gradually being brought into mainstream discussions of governance in the city. Finds considerable similarities between global networks and local networks and outlines some of these dynamics.

This article attempts to gain an understanding of the current and potential impact of the Internet on the four‐fifths of the world’s population living in developing countries, two‐thirds of them poor. First, it attempts to put today’s rapid advances in information and communication technology in a broader debate about development and the role of information. Next, it explores the interaction between the Internet and key dimensions of development. Finally, it discusses some key policy implications of Internet diffusion and usage which governments of developing countries will have to address. These include an increasing role for intermediary institutions in the creation and dissemination of relevant knowledge on the Internet in order that the technology is used in a way that is compatible with local development goals.

Geographic information systems (GIS) makes use of geographic data, such as streets, store points, and block or neighborhood areas, and attribute data, such as population, income levels, competition, and store sales, by integrating the two into a powerful spatial query. The techniques utilized include geographic mapping, digital mapping, aerial photographs, etc. Along with the convenience of using GIS, there are some concerns about privacy and security of the data and information. This paper addresses the security concerns related to this emerging technology.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the economic relationship with recent changes in China’s land use policy and rural development through innovation and entrepreneurship.

The first issue of economic importance is in understanding the market value of land use rights (LUR) transactions. To examine this, the authors build an argument around the idea of economic and marginal rents from Ricardo. The second issue relates to the extent by which deepening the rural financial landscape by allowing the mortgaging of LUR will promote and advance much needed entrepreneurial activity. To explore this issue, the authors draw on Schumpeter. The empirical contribution is based on a survey of 1,465 farm households in Gansu, Henan, Shaanxi and Shandong provinces.

In an endogenous Two-Stage Least Squares model, the authors find a positive and significant relationship between a willingness to mortgage LUR and entrepreneurship, which suggest that the new policy may well meet that objective. However, the authors do not find that entrepreneurs alone will have a willingness to mortgage LUR; non-entrepreneurs – traditional farmer types – would also be willing to mortgage LUR, but with a caveat that either group already has a disposition or demand for credit.

The value of the analysis is to provide an evidence to understand the market value of LUR transactions and to study the relationship between mortgage of LUR and entrepreneurial activity.