Bridging growth in times of crisis
09 September 2009
World Economic Forum's publication The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009 underlines the strong correlation between ICT and economic growth. The document highlights specific case studies and the impact of mobile telephony in alleviating current social and economic problems.
The Global Information Technology Report 2008-2009: Mobility in a Networked World
Publisher: World Economic Forum, March 2009.
The document underlines that good education fundamentals and high levels of technological readiness and innovation are essential engines of growth needed to overcome the current economic crisis.
- Image credits: World Economic Forum/ Cover page of the report
Brought out by the World Economic Forum in cooperation with INSEAD, the report is the eighth in the series.
It provides a deep insight into best practices and policies in networked readiness and competitiveness, focusing on specific country case studies.
In the report, Denmark and Sweden leads in the ranks of information technology followed by United States , thus confirming it’s pre-eminence in networked readiness in the current times of economic slowdown. Singapore (4), Switzerland (5) and the other Nordic countries together with the Netherlands and Canada complete the top.
The countries selected for best practices this year are Egypt, Korea, Rep. (Korea), and Brazil as an outsourcing destination, general ICT strategy to promote national competitiveness, and the use of e-government services and ICT to alleviate economic and social problems.
Under the theme “Mobility in a Networked World”, the report places a particular focus on the relationship and interrelations between mobility and ICT.
Mobile telephony takes a special place in view of its exceptional diffusion in the last decade or so and its strong social and economic impact.
In particular, mobile communications penetration has boomed in the developing world, compensating for an often underdeveloped and flawed fixed telephony infrastructure and offering a promising tool to lift more and more people out of poverty and improve market efficiency.
With record coverage of 134 economies worldwide, the report remains the world’s most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICT on the development process and the competitiveness of nations.
