Information Society, European Union and the Visegradcountries

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Information Society, European Union and the
Visegrad-countries

• Robert Pinter, pinter.robert_at_ittk.hu
• Information Society and Trend Research Institute
• (ISTRI, Budapest)
• Conference presentation, 5 March 2002

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Outline of this presentation

• First Try to define the term information
  society (IS). The three frames of reference
  academic, political and everyday meanings of IS
• Two Introduction to the European information
  society development, political strategies and
  classification of several countries in the area
• Three Information Society in the
  Visegrad-countries. Facts of IS in this region.

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What is Information Society (IS)?

• Three frames of reference academic, political
  and everyday viewpoints of whatever
• Whatever can be
• a new form of development a new socio-economic
  epoch
• OR a developmental strategy a new special
  policy
• OR (only?) the future of our everyday life

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The future has already begun

• Information Society for the avarege people is
  something foggy, it is not defined clearly
• It refers to the future, to the next decades
• It begins right now, with the diffusion of new
  technologies (mainly with satellite TV-sets,
  mobile phones and PCs)
• It becomes reality if our usual environment at
  home and in the office is transformed (see for
  example the movie Back to the Future II.)

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IS as the frame of political development

• IS for the politicans is a new slogan of 90s
• It is a revolution from above (from technical,
  economical and political leaders of our
  societies)
• It is a special viewpoint of the winners
• It sees the IS as a possible turning or breaking
  point in the developmental process
• It means mainly a new policy information policy
• One can find in its core information strategies

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Academic approach

• The IS is a new mode of development, which
  surpass the industrial era, formed since 1960s
• This approach has technical, employment-economical
  , spatial and cultural aspects
• For example technical determination,
  service-sector and information workers, network
  society, new global media and multiculturalism
• Every sub-approach has leading theorists

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Information Society in Europe I.

• Roots in the European Economic Community (EEC)
  IT research group, Minitel (France), technology
  programmes (e.g. ESPRIT, DELTA etc.), competition
  with USA and Japan 80s
• From 1990s information strategy is the new
  developmental model, Bangemann-report (1994)
  liberalization, deregulation, unified legal
  frame, mainly economic goals
• First national information strategies were
  prepared in EU member countries

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Information Society in Europe II.

• By 1999 the information policy reached the
  average people, not only business organisations
• Declaration of a new programme eEurope
• Information society for all wide diffusion of
  applications, stronger social sensitiveness.
  Homes, schools and citizens became also targets
  of this policy
• Main goal to build a socially inclusive and
  coherent, more solidar IS

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Goals of eEurope

• Entering of youth in the IS (1), cheap Internet
  acces (2), fastening e-commerce (3), fast
  Internet acces for researchers and students (4),
  using smart cards (5), venture capital for SMEs
  (6), entering the disabled people (7), IT in
  health-care (8), intelligent transport (9) and
  wired administration (10)
• eEurope became an Action Plan (June 2000)

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Patterns of development in the EUBased on
Internet penetration data (2001 Spring)
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Five groups of EU
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Patterns of development

• Different phases of development
• It depends on acceleration of internet
  penetration, information policy, technology
  awareness, social openness etc.
• BENELUX-countries belong to three different
  groups ? countries from similar starting point
  i.e. cultural, historical, economic and social
  background can develop differently. It shows
  the critical role of information awarenes.

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Message for East-European countries

• If we dont want to share the Greek position, we
  must develop ICT and Internet-usage
• It needs political programmes (e.g. eEurope2003
  see later)
• Transform economic resources
• And strengthen social openness
• Close up Spain and Portugal

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IS-policy in Visegrad-countries

• IS policy is seemed by the politicans as a
  possible turning point or catch up in our late
  development
• It is a nice tool to be a real competitive
  capitalist society and economy
• This policy is an inherent part of the
  integration process of the European Union
• It is the historical possibility to unify Central
  and Western Europe in a joint economic vision

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Several data on IS in V4

• Internet penetration in 2000 (14 and older)
  Czech Republic 16 (1,4M), Slovakia 11 (0,5M),
  Hungary 9 (0,8M), Poland 9 (2,4M)
• GDP in 1999 Czech Republic 11700, Slovakia
  8500, Hungary 7800, Poland 7200
• Webpages by language in 2000 Czech 0,32, Polish
  0,27, Hungarian 0,16 (source eMarketer)

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IT spend in V4 (1997)
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Arguments for and against IS in V4

• Usually expensive technology and Internet access
  (e.g. within OECD countries)
• But the citizens are more open to IT than in
  other area of the world
• Lag behind pioneer countries, 27-32 places on
  international readiness rankings (e.g.
  Information Imperative Index)
• But relatively high spending and stronger
  political awareness in the last years to catch up

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The Hungarian Case I.

• 2000 a Government Office was established related
  to the Information Society
• 2001 Szechenyi-Plan a chapter for developing
  IS and information economy
• Adopting a new strategy, called National
  Information Society Strategy (NISS)
• 40bn HUF will be spent within two years
• Aim to be the first in this region in IS-building

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The Hungarian Case II.

• Drop behind or take off it is the most important
  question in these days
• It depends on the success of planned and regular
  revision of NISS
• Hungary has elections this year, which can change
  the directions and speed of information
  development, but hopefully can not cancel it
• Hungary wants join the EU she accepts its
  political goals, information strategy as well

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Future of IS in V4 eEurope2003

• A new programme for joining and other countries
  to develop their own information societies in a
  shared European frame
• It is based on eEurope (i.e. same goals) but will
  be fulfilled by the national strategies
• Accepted in June 2001
• By Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Estonia,
  Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland,
  Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Turkey

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My ideas on joint work - questions

• How can Visegrad-countries help each other to
  form a better information policy?
• What could be in the core of such a policy?
• How could they regularly (institutionally?) share
  their special experiences with each other on this
  topic?
• How could they defend their information society
  interests within the wider European region, while
  they offer their bests to the other European
  countries?

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Thank you for your attention,

• Robert Pinter
• If you have question now or later, do not
  hesitate to ask or contact me pinter.robert_at_ittk.
  hu