The global course of the information revolution : recurring themes and regional variations /
Saved in:
| Imprint: | Santa Monica, CA : National Defense Research Institute, Rand, 2003. |
|---|---|
| Description: | xliv, 174 p. : ill. ; 23 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Subject: | |
| Format: | Print Book |
| URL for this record: | http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/5130849 |
Table of Contents:
- Preface
- Figures
- Tables
- Summary
- Acknowledgments
- Abbreviations
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- We Addressed a Wide Range of Questions
- Globalization and the Information Revolution Are Closely Linked
- Some Topics We Did Not Address--Deliberately
- The Course of This Effort
- This Report
- Much Has Happened Since We Began This Effort
- Notes
- Part I.. Recurring Themes
- Chapter 2. New Technology Developments Will Continually Drive the Information Revolution
- It Is Useful to Distinguish Among Developments in Technology, Products, and Services
- Some Technology Developments Can Be Foreseen
- Product Developments Will Allow Information Devices to Be Ubiquitous, Wearable, and in Continuous Contact
- Services Developments Will Greatly Extend Access to, and the Usefulness of, Information Systems
- Markets Will Decide What Possible Products and Services Become Actual and Widespread
- Some Tensions Arising from These Developments Will Affect the Growth and Spread of IT-Related Products and Services
- A Period of Information Technology Consolidation Is Both Likely and Healthy
- Notes
- Chapter 3. The Information Revolution is Enabling New Business Models That are Transforming the Business and Financial Worlds
- Many New Business Models Are Arising
- Notes
- Chapter 4. The Information Revolution is Affecting Mechanisms of Governance and Empowering New Political Actors
- Some Traditional Mechanisms of Governance Are Becoming Problematic
- New Governmental Mechanisms Are Being Enabled
- New Political Actors Are Being Empowered
- The Information Revolution Could Over Time Change the Role of the Nation-State: The Jury Is Still Out
- Different Nations Will Take Different Approaches to Dealing with These Changes
- The Events of 9/11 May Lead to Increased Governmental Intervention into IT Developments
- Notes
- Chapter 5. The Information Revolution Both Shapes and is Shaped by Social and Cultural Values in Significant Ways
- The Information Revolution Is Being Enabled by Technology but Driven Primarily by Nontechnical Factors, Including Social and Cultural Factors
- Digital Divides Within and Between Nations Will Persist, but Their Future Scope, Duration, and Signifiance Are Subject to Debate
- Ability to Acquire and Use Knowledge Will Be Critical for Success in the Information Society: Developing Human Capital Appropriately Is Key
- Globalization, Boosted by the Information Revolution, Will Continue to Have Multivalenced Social and Cultural Effects
- Will IT-Enabled Globalization Lead to Greater Homogeneity or Greater Heterogeneity in Sociocultural Terms? The Answer is "Yes" to Both
- The Information Revolution Raises Significant Social-Cultural Questions for Which Well-Grounded Research Answers Are Unavailable
- Notes
- Chapter 6. Many Factors Shape and Characterize a Nation's Approach to the Information Revolution
- Some Factors Are Causative
- Other Factors Are Effects, Not Causes
- Notes
- Part II.. Regional Variations
- Chapter 7. North America Will Continue in the Vanguard of the Information Revolution
- The North American Economy and Society Are Well Positioned to Meet the Challenges of the Information Revolution
- North America Will Exploit These Advantages to Continue in the Vanguard of the Information Revolution
- The Dot-Com Crash and Telecom Implosion May Slow the Pace of IT-Related Developments in North America, but Only Temporarily
- The Events of 9/11 May Lead to Increased Governmental Intervention in IT Developments in North America
- North America Will, in General, Deal Well with the Stresses Generated by the Information Revolution
- Notes
- Chapter 8. The Information Revolution is Following a Somewhat Different and More Deliberate Course in Europe
- Europeans Place More Emphasis on Wireless
- The Information Revolution in Europe Is Developing in a Different Climate
- The Course of the Information Revolution in Europe Is Somewhat Different
- Will, or Must, Europe Become More Like America? Maybe Yes, Maybe No
- Some Europeans View American Dominance as Part of the "Dark Side" of the Information Revolution
- Notes
- Chapter 9. Many Asia-Pacific Nations are Poised to Do Well in the Information Revolution, Some are Not
- Asia-Pacific Nations Vary Greatly in Their Information Revolution Postures
- The Impact of the Information Revolution on Politics and Governance in the Asia-Pacific Region Varies Widely from Nation to Nation
- What Does the Future Hold for the Asia-Pacific Region?
- Notes
- Chapter 10. Latin America Faces Many Obstacles in Responding to the Information Revolution: Some Nations Will Rise to the Challenge, Others Will Not
- Today Most Latin American Nations Are "Also-Rans" in the Information Revolution, as They Are in the Global Economy
- Latin American Nations Can Be Divided into "Leaders," "Successful Outliers," and the Rest
- Latin America Faces Many Obstacles in Exploiting Opportunities Offered by the Information Revolution
- What Does the Future Hold for Latin America? Probably More of the Same
- Notes
- Chapter 11. Few Middle Eastern and North African Nations Will Fully Experience the Information Revolution, Some May Miss It Altogether
- IT Penetration Is Generally Low in Most MENA Nations
- MENA Nations Can Be Grouped into Three Categories Regarding the Information Revolution
- The Social Implications of the Information Revolution for the MENA Nations Could Be Wide-Ranging
- Few MENA Nations Will Fully Exploit the Information Revolution, Causing This Region to Fall Even Further Behind OECD Nations
- Notes
- Chapter 12. Most Countries of Sub-Saharan Africa Will Fall Further Behind in the Information Revolution
- There Are Extreme Disparities Among African Nations; As a Result, Few Statements Apply Universally
- In Africa, Mass Media Predominate over Point-to-Point Communication
- Compared with the Rest of the World, Africa Is Falling Behind
- Africa's IT Problems Are Not Primarily Technical: They Involve Factors of Culture, Competence, Capital, and Control
- There Are, However, Positive Indications That the Information Revolution Is Moving Forward in Africa
- External Factors May Indirectly Impede IT Growth in Africa
- Notes
- Part III.. Some Additional Topics (A Brief Look)
- Chapter 13. Geopolitical Trends Furthered by the Information Revolution Could Pose Continuing Challenges to the United States
- The U.S. Economy and Society Are Well Poised to Meet the Challenges of the Information Revolution
- There Are Likely to Be Many Losers or Laggards Elsewhere in the World, Some of Whom Could Become Seriously Disaffected
- The Information Revolution Better Enables Disaffected Peoples to Combine and Organize, Thereby Rendering Them Powers That Must Be Dealt With
- The Existence of These Disaffected (and Organized) Losers or Laggards Could Lead to Trends in the World That May Challenge Vital U.S. Interests
- These Trends Would Pose Continuing Challenges to U.S. Interests
- Notes
- Chapter 14. What Future Events Could Change These Projections?
- Future "Killer Apps," Unclear at Present, Will Determine the Precise Nature of IT-Driven Transformations
- Many Things Can Slow Down or Speed Up the Pace of IT-Driven Transformations
- Future Geopolitical Events Could Adversely Affect How Different Nations and Regions of the World Fare
- No Matter What Happens, the Degree to Which IT Ultimately Changes the World Is Unlikely to Change
- Notes
- Chapter 15. The Information Revolution is Part of a Broader Technology Revolution with Even Profounder Consequences
- Advances in Biotechnology and Nanotechnology Will Also Greatly Change the World
- There Are Many Synergies Between IT and These Other Revolutionary Technologies
- The Consequences of the Biorevolution Will Be Especially Profound and Quite Controversial
- As with the Information Revolution, the Bio- and Nanorevolutions Will Play Out Unevenly Throughout the World
- Notes
- Appendix. Participants in the Rand/Nic Information Revolution Conferences
- References