World Economic Forum publishes second Global Information Technology Report, February 2003

The World Economic Forum has published its second Global Information Technology Report. Covering 2002-2003, the Report assesses and ranks the 'networked readiness' of 82 countries. 'Networked readiness' is a measure of a country's ability to participate in, and to benefit from, information and communication technologies.

The Report makes interesting reading at a time when the European Union is looking to the e-economy to boost employment. Speaking on 18 February 2003, Erkki Liikanen, the EU Commissioner responsible for Enterprise and the Information Society, spoke of the success of the eEurope 2002 Action Plan which was part of the Union's efforts to become the world's most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy by 2010.

Commissioner Liikanen noted that eEurope 2002 had focused on access and connectivity and had helped to more than double internet penetration in EU households to over 40% within two years. The emphasis of eEurope2005 is on stimulating internet use: 'This is because our overall strategy, which is to be seen in the context of the Lisbon agenda, is to promote a wide range of different ICT applications and services, which, when implemented together, will increase productivity and improve the competitiveness of the EU's economy and bring benefits to society as a whole.'

In the context of a slow-down in world economic growth, the World Economic Forum's Report 'reiterates that the use and application of information and communication technologies (ICT) remain among the most powerful engines of growth.' The authors say that their intention 'is not just to provide a yearly "snapshot" of networked readiness, but to establish a process whereby governments and other decision makers can evaluate progress on a continual basis.'

Amongst other issues, the Report addresses the question of what 'environment' is required for society to benefit more from ICT, in terms of market conditions, the regulatory framework and network infrastructure. It states that 'lessons for governments include ... the importance of assessing the appropriateness of the choice of technologies; and the affirmation that it is the development of the individual, through education and skills development, that must lie at the core of any successful long-term strategy towards a knowledge-based economy.'

It also concludes that 'The emergence of a global digital economy challenges many of the traditional roles of governments; the examples of the most "network ready" economies show that governments have to accept new responsibilities and roles, both as leaders and as facilitators of their respective countries' integration in the global information economy.' The differing approaches of Europe, Japan and the United States are highlighted.

The 'Networked Readiness Index' of 82 countries reveals that Finland is best placed to reap the benefits of the internet economy. Four other EU Member States appear in the 'top 10' countries listed. 14 of the 15 Member States fall within the top 31 places; the lowest-placed is Greece, which appears as number 42. Of the Acceding Countries, Estonia is best-placed at number 24. Bulgaria and Romania, which might join the Union in 2007 appear at 69 and 72 respectively.

Top 10:

1. Finland
2. United States
3. Singapore
4. Sweden
5. Iceland
6. Canada
7. United Kingdom
8. Denmark
9. Taiwan
10. Germany

Rankings of remaining EU Member States and Acceding Countries:

11   Netherlands
16   Austria
19   France
21   Ireland
22   Belgium
24   Estonia
25   Spain
26   Italy
27   Luxembourg
28   Czech Republic
30   Hungary
31   Portugal
33   Slovenia
38   Latvia
39   Poland
40   Slovak Republic
42   Greece
46   Lithuania
50   Turkey
69   Bulgaria
72   Romania

Links:
European Commission:
	18.02.03:	Erkki Liikanen: 'Progress towards ensuring an Information Society for All' [SPEECH/03/91]
	eEurope 2005: Executive summary
	Information Society
World Economic Forum:
	Global Information Technology Report 2001-2002: Preface
	Global Information Technology Report 2002-2003 - Readiness for the Networked World
	Executive summary
European Sources Online: Financial Times:
	20.02.03:	Finland tops internet ranking

Eric Davies
Researcher
Compiled: Friday, 21 February 2003

The World Economic Forum has published its second Global Information Technology Report. Covering 2002-2003, the Report assesses and ranks the 'networked readiness' of 82 countries.