OECD Information Technology Outlook 2008
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2008 _it E d e it s io OECD Information Technology Outlook w n o r yl Information technology (IT) and broadband are major drivers of research, innovation, economic B n growth and social change. The 2008 edition of the OECD Information Technology Outlook analyses O O e OECD InformationD recent developments in the IT goods and services industries, and suggests that the outlook is l for continued long-term growth, constrained by the currently very uncertain macroeconomic da C u environment in OECD countries but with somewhat higher growth possible elsewhere. Technology OutlookE e e The industry is organised internationally. Cross-border investment, trade, and mergers and O R s acquisitions remain high, and ICTs drive globalisation in general. The industry is rapidly restructuring n e A r with non-OECD countries, particularly China and India, as major suppliers of information and u communications technology (ICT)-related goods and services. The ICT industry is the major L e c t performer of R&D; many other industries undertake ICT R&D; and ICT-related R&D drives innovation and new goods and services in many industries. This edition analyses the impact of high-speed broadband on the economy, and areas of future impacts. The Internet is changing everyday life for 1.5 billion people worldwide, with their socio- economic standing influencing how they use the web. The dynamic growth of digital-content-based creative industries is outlined, covering user-created content, online computer and video games, film and video, music, and online advertising. Recent trends in OECD ICT policies are analysed to assess whether they are rising to these new challenges. Highly prioritised policy areas include investing in ICT R&D and innovation, improving government online activities, spreading broadband, increasing the use of ICTs, raising ICT skills and employment, and supporting digital content development. Changing policy priorities are reviewed. Outlook OECD Information Technology The full text of this book is available on line via this link: www.sourceoecd.org/scienceIT/9789264055537 Those with access to all OECD books on line should use this link: www.sourceoecd.org/9789264055537 SourceOECD is the OECD online library of books, periodicals and statistical databases. For more information about this award-winning service and free trials ask your librarian, or write to us at [email protected]. 2008 isBN 978-92-64-05553-7 93 2008 04 1 P www.oecd.org/publishing -:HSTCQE=UZZZX\: 2008 _it Ed e it s io w n o r B e D l C u E e O Read Only s n e A r u Lect About OECD Browse_it editions In a traditional bookshop you can browse the display copies from cover-to-cover, free of charge. Wouldn't it be good to be able to do the same online? Now you can. OECD's Browse_it editions allow you to browse our books, online, from cover-to-cover. 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OECD has a network of Depository Libraries in each Member country where all OECD printed publications are available for consultation - www.oecd.org/deposoitorylibraries for a list. _it E d e it s io w n o r yl B n O O e D ad l C u E e e O R s n e A r u L e c t _it E d e it s io w n o r yl B n O O e D ad l C u E e e O R s n e A r u L e c t Information and Communications Technologies OECD Information Technology Outlook 2008 _it E d e it s io w n o r yl B n O O e D ad l C u E e e O R s n e A r ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION u L e c t AND DEVELOPMENT The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies. The OECD member countries are: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Slovak Republic, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Commission of the European Communities takes part in the work of the OECD. OECD Publishing disseminates widely the results of the Organisation’s statistics gathering and research on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as the conventions, guidelines and standards agreed by its members. This work is published on the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Organisation or of the governments of its member countries. Also available in French under the title: Technologies de l’information et des communications Perspectives des technologies de l’information de l’OCDE 2008 Corrigenda to OECD publications may be found on line at: www.oecd.org/publishing/corrigenda. © OECD 2008 You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to [email protected]. Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at [email protected] or the Centre français d'exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) [email protected]. _it E d e it s io w n o FOREWORD r yl B n O O e D ad l C u E e e O R s n e A r Foreword u L e c t The OECD Information Technology Outlook 2008 has been prepared by the OECD under the guidance of its Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy (ICCP), and in particular the Working Party on the Information Economy (WPIE). This edition is the ninth in a biennial series designed to provide member countries with a broad overview of trends and near-term prospects in the information technology (IT) industry, analysis of the growing impact of IT on the economy and society, developments and emerging applications in selected areas of information technology, and a review of IT policies and new policy directions. The 2008 edition builds on previous editions to further extend the economic and policy analysis. This edition has been extensively updated through mid-November 2008 to take account of rapidly worsening macroeconomic conditions. The first two chapters provide an overview of the importance and growth of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in national economies, describe recent market dynamics, give a detailed overview of the globalisation of the ICT sector, and provide a thorough analysis of the ongoing shift of production, trade and markets to non-OECD economies, particularly China and India. The third chapter provides an overview of the importance of ICT R&D and innovation, the leading role of the ICT sector in developing new sources of innovation and the growing importance of ICT-related R&D in other sectors. Some of this activity is driven by changing use of the Internet and broadband by consumers and users, which is analysed in the following chapter; the rise of digital content and increasing online delivery in a range of content-rich industries are analysed in Chapter 5. This is followed by a review of some of the economic implications of broadband adoption and use. The last chapter provides a critical overview of IT policy developments and priorities in OECD countries. National information technology policy profiles are also posted on the OECD website to enable their widespread use (www.oecd.org/sti/information-economy).