Information Society gets indexed
One thing about the new economy is that it has always been a little fuzzy. But what measurament criteria should be adopted?
Perhaps the information society index by IDC could spark off new economy metrics.
According to the 2001 IDC/World Times
Information Society Index (ISI), Sweden has maintained its position as the
world's dominant information economy. Other countries within the top five
shifted positions, however. The United States, which was second last year, fell
to the number-four spot, and Norway, which was fourth in 2000, climbed to the
number-two position. Finland was sandwiched between Norway and the United
States.
The ISI ranks countries according to their ability to access and absorb
information and information technology. The rating is based on four
infrastructure categories: computer, information, Internet, and social
infrastructures.
"The Internet had almost 100 million new users in 2000. Because of its
importance and growth, we had to increase the weighting of the Internet-related
ISI component for this year's rankings," said John Gantz, chief research officer
at IDC.
The ISI credited Sweden, Singapore, and Australia with the highest Internet
infrastructure scores. The United States, meanwhile, was at the 10th position.
"Many people in the United States still don't have Internet access, and this is
dragging down the country's total ISI rating," Gantz said. "It adds to its
modest score in the information sector and relatively low score in the social
sector."
The U.S. information infrastructure is rated 9th, while its social
infrastructure ranks 17th. The countries with the strongest information
infrastructure are Taiwan, the Netherlands, and Denmark. Norway, Hong Kong, and
Japan have the strongest social infrastructure.
The United States currently is ranked as the country with the highest computer
infrastructure. Singapore and Australia round out the top three. As other
devices become access methods for the Internet, developing nations without a
heavy investment in consumer PCs will be able to increase their ISI ranking. The
United Kingdom improved its ISI ranking from 12th in 2000 to 6th this year
largely on the strength of its rapid cellular phone adoption. Korea and Malaysia
also got a boost from their cellular phone use.
In addition to providing an overall ranking and rankings in each of the four
categories, IDC and World Times also looked at the countries that were most
well-rounded. "To reap the full benefits of the information society, countries
really need to be strong in all four areas," Gantz said. "Toward that end,
Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland are best positioned."
The fifth annual installment of the ISI tracks data from 55 countries that
collectively account for 97% of the global GDP and 99% of IT expenditure. A
forthcoming report in the ISI will include forecasts through 2004. The data sets
are drawn from highly reliable sources including IDC, UNESCO, ITU, World Bank,
and Freedom House.
The 2001 IDC/World Times Information Society Index: Measuring the Global Impact
of Information Technology and Internet Adoption continues to build on the
standard by which all nations are measured according to their ability to access
and absorb information and information technology. The ISI has emerged as a
critical global strategic planning tool. Just as GDP measures economic wealth,
the ISI measures information capacity and wealth around the world.
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