The digital economy, including cross-border services and electronic commerce (e-commerce), contributes to democratic and economic development by expanding market access, promoting inclusive trade, and expanding tax revenue for governments to provide essential services. The growth of digital technologies and their accessibility around the globe has democratized opportunities for many individuals, and yet, the economic and social development generated by digital innovations remains uneven, disproportionally excluding emerging economies.
Global governance standards and norms around the digital economy are lacking, while approaches to regulating important issues like data privacy are hotly contested. Given that the digital economy is a product of a borderless internet, its accessibility and governance are relevant to everyone, especially local business communities responsible for many of the goods, services, and employment opportunities available in a country.
CIPE has created several resources to strengthen the knowledge and capacity of reform-oriented organizations to become active participants in shaping the global digital economy. Key resources include:
- Digital Economy Enabling Environment Guide: Key Areas of Dialogue for Business and Policymakers, an in-depth legal and advocacy guidebook developed by CIPE and New Markets Lab (NML) that aims to explain the complex legal and regulatory aspects of the digital economy for all stakeholders, regardless of their technical knowledge or policy experience. The four priority topics covered in the Guide include data protection, regulation of electronic transactions (e-payments and e-signatures), consumer protection in the digital age, and cybersecurity.
- How to Create an Enabling Environment for the Digital Economy, an online training course that provides guidance on participating in policy and regulatory conversations that seek to shape an enabling digital economy environment.
- Harnessing the Power of the Digital Economy: MSME Guide to Digital Transformation (HPDE), an interactive training program that supports micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in using digital tools and platforms to support their businesses’ engagement in e-commerce, including e-payment, delivery, and logistics platforms. Through this training, audiences will also obtain the key competencies and skills to expand economic opportunity through improved participation in the digital economy.