The Global Information Technology Reports: Lessons in Technology, Development and Competitiveness

Professor Soumitra Dutta discusses the Global Information Technology Reports: the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of ICTs on the development process and the competitiveness of nations. Over the last decade, the Global Information Technology Reports have created a useful benchmark in evaluating and understanding the inter-relationships between technology, innovation and competitiveness. Published each year in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, and with a record coverage of 134 economies worldwide in 2009, the Report remains the world's most comprehensive and authoritative international assessment of the impact of Information and Communications Technologies on the development process and the competitiveness of nations. The Networked Readiness Framework is the simple but comprehensive model which underpins much of the data collection and analysis of the Global IT Reports. The Networked Readiness Framework gives a useful perspective on the readiness of an economy or region to benefit from the global networked economy created by the rapid spread of the Internet. This talk will describe the evolution of the Networked Readiness Framework, outline key lessons learned thus far and indicate challenges for future development and analysis.