LONDON — A revolutionary opportunity for human development and economic growth has been emerging over the past 30 years. Modern information technology has the potential to enable large-scale remote work anywhere on the planet and also to help countries gradually create entire technology sectors and ecosystems.

Much educational and economic activity can now be decoupled from physical location, providing opportunity to those who lack access to traditional schools or workplaces. But while this opportunity is well understood within the technology sector, it is insufficiently appreciated more broadly.