ABOUT
What does the twenty-first century "information
society' mean for all of us? This paper will examine
information society
developments primarily from an industrialized country
perspective. However, it will acknowledge that the spread of
networks means that developments in the industrialised
countries have major implications for developing countries.
The paper will consider: 1) the key determinants of a
'knowledge-driven economy' and what this means for the
broader concept of an 'information society' including the
structure of information and communication technology
investment, the system features of the new networks, the
role of learning and new information exchange models and the
weak links in the diffusion pathway. 2) the diffusion
pathways for information and communication technologies and
advanced networks will include an examination of business,
government and citizen use of the new networks. 3) policy
and regulatory priorities will emphasise the need for
learning to acquire new skills and competencies, the need to
reduce constraints on e-service delivery markets, and
importance of improved monitoring of information society
developments. 4) the potential for fostering public/private
partnerships for mobilising information society developments
for social and economic benefit. This section will give
particular attention to the structure of incentives for
public and private organisations to engage in such
partnerships and the likelihood that such partnerships can
substantially stimulate investment in sustainable network
applications and services. 5) The paper will conclude with
some observations on the dominant trends and the extent to
which the twenty-first century 'information society' is likely to
perpetuate existing asymmetries or give rise to a more
equitable distribution of resources.
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