Towards a comprehensive model of the digital economy

In this research we test the hypothesis that institutional interests and lack of data have led to fragmented models to measure digital development, thus distorting policy design. A qualitative analysis was performed on 55 different models (including composite indices) that have been defined, applied and or/used to describe and measure digital development in the last years. We will show that most of them can be grouped in two --- the telecommunications and the e-readiness models --- in which the representation of different categories of digital development are unbalanced, biased towards the supply side; they could notably be improved both in quantity (scope) and quality and are usually insufficient to assess the impact of public policies in fostering the Information Society or the use of ICTs for development. We will state that a more comprehensive framework would improve such models and help in the adoption of public policies that would lead to higher stages of digital development.

[1]  Sheridan Roberts,et al.  Measuring the Impacts of ICT Using Official Statistics. OECD Digital Economy Papers, No. 136. , 2008 .

[2]  Andreas Schleicher,et al.  PISA 2006: Science Competencies for Tomorrow's World , 2007 .

[3]  Computer Systems Policy.  Readiness Guide for Living in the Networked World , 2000 .

[4]  情報サービス産業協会国際部.  国際 Digital Planet 2000: The Global Information Economy(抄訳) , 2001 .

[5]  S. Sundén,et al.  Towards a Framework for Analysing Factors Influencing Sustainable Use Information and Communication Technology Applied for Developing Countries in a Rural Context , 2006 .

[6]  Larry Press,et al.  A Framework for Assessing the Global Diffusion of the Internet , 2001, J. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[7]  Gudrun Wicander,et al.  Information and Communication Technology Applied for Developing Countries in a Rural Context : Towards a Framework for Analysing Factors Influencing Sustainable Use , 2007 .

[8]  Kenneth C. Creech,et al.  A Communications Cornucopia: Markle Foundation Essays on Information Policy , 1999 .

[9]  Ragnar Andreas Audunson,et al.  Technology and Social Inclusion. Rethinking the Digital Divide , 2006, J. Documentation.

[10]  Apec e-Commerce Readiness Initiative.  E-Commerce Readiness Assessment Guide , 2000 .

[11]  J. Church.  Human Development Report , 2001 .

[12]  Karine Nahon,et al.  Gaps and Bits: Conceptualizing Measurements for Digital Divide/s , 2006, Inf. Soc..

[13]  A. Clement,et al.  The Access Rainbow: Conceptualizing Universal Access to the Information/ Communications Infrastructure , 2000 .

[14]  J. Katz,et al.  Building an information society: a Latin American and Caribbean perspective , 2003 .

[15]  Tim O'Reilly,et al.  What is Web 2.0: Design Patterns and Business Models for the Next Generation of Software , 2007 .

[16]  Tung X. Bui and Ina M. Sebastian and Wayne Jones and Sa Naklada.  E-Commerce Readiness in East Asian APEC Economies – A Precursor to Determine HRD Requirements and Capacity Building , 2002 .

[17]  George Sciadas,et al.  Monitoring the Digital Divide... and Beyond , 2003 .

[18]  Marc Raboy.  Global Communication policy and human rights , 1998 .

[19]  Soumitra Dutta and Augusto López-Claros and Irene Mia.  Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008: Fostering Innovation through Networked Readiness , 2008 .

[20]  D. Archibugi.  Making New Technologies Work for Human Development: United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2001, Oxford University Press, New York and Oxford, July 2001, 278 pp., Price [UK pound]19.99, ISBN: 0-19-521835-3 , 2002 .

[21]  Leonard Waverman and Kalyan Dasgupta and Nicholas Brooks.  Connectivity Scorecard 2009 , 2009 .

[22]  Alison Gillwald and Christoph Stork.  Towards an African ICT e-Index: Towards evidence based ICT policy in Africa , 2007 .

[23]  Graham Vickery,et al.  Participative Web And User-Created Content: Web 2.0 Wikis and Social Networking , 2007 .