Prepared by the Commonwealth Network of Information Technology for Development (COMNET-IT), the study includes 15 country abstracts providing an initial snapshot for countries from all regions.

The countries covered by the study are: in Africa (Botswana, Mauritius, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania), in the Arab States (Morocco), in Asia and in the Pacific (India, Malaysia, New Zealand and Republic of Korea), in Europe and North America (Canada, Estonia, Hungary, Malta) and in Latin America and the Caribbean (Jamaica, Mexico).

Following a COMNET IT/UNESCO Global Survey on On-line Governance published in 2000, the study develops national profiles detailing current status and developments in this area. Whilst impacts of e-Governance in the commercial, NGO and professional areas are covered in these studies, the main focus centres on specific Government initiatives, such as:

- development of cyberlaws
- liberalization of telecommunications
- plans for e-Government
- plans for the development of an Info-Society
- deployment of community e-centres
- instances of public feedback to statements of direction, draft legislation and so on
- web-sites of Government agencies, particularly if these offer value beyond a public relations image.

The study states that Islands and Small States seem to constitute a special case, with unique challenges and opportunities. The traditional issues of economic vulnerability and geographical isolation are exacerbated in the digital era by lack of critical mass in terms of service provision and sweeping globalization. And yet these countries are facing the greatest opportunity, in relative terms. Government in these environments is often effectively a single-layer central administration, and there is an opportunity to tap into wider virtual markets. Access to information and education through ICTs is potentially vast, relative to the national supply, and planned seamless information and technical infrastructure building are within relatively easy reach. All this enables a leap-frogging of social and economic development into the digital age, given the political and managerial leadership and foresight.