Editor's Notebook | Top 100 emerging markets
By
Nick Wakeman
The business of nation building is beginning to pick up steam among large government contractors.
One of the fun things about the Top 100 is that you can discover neat little trends about the government market.
One of those trends, I think, appeared this year when Development Alternatives Inc., No. 59, and Chemonics International Inc., No. 70, made their debuts on the list. Click here for more on what DAI is doing.
Both companies are in the business of going into developing countries and helping them, well, develop.
Projects can include helping to develop government and economic structures such as tax collection and banking. Many projects revolve around infrastructure, such as water and environmental systems, and communications systems, particular cell phones.
Until recent years, the U.S. Agency for International Development has been a major source of funding.
But Defense Secretary Robert Gates also wants the Defense Department to become more involved in this area. The notion is that having a sustainable infrastructure in place that fosters economic growth and raises people’s standards of living will also reduce the influence of terrorist organizations. In other words, it is a national security issue.
I know that companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp., No. 1, and Northrop Grumman Corp., No.3, are very interested in this market. Booz Allen Hamilton Inc., No. 10, has been doing this work as well.
My prediction is that more companies in the so-called IT space get involved because technology is such a powerful tool for development.