ICT People Excelling in an ICT World - An Information Society For All

   

ICT People Excelling in an ICT World ” An Information Society For All!

Sweden describes itself as an ICT nation. ICT has fully penetrated Swedish society, including individuals, businesses, and the public sector. Swedish consumers are known as demanding early adopters, while Swedish corporations are among the world's leaders at employing ICT for competitive advantage. Since the first half of the 1990s, the Swedish government and even the labor unions have embraced new technologies as "wings to human ability," [2] and since have been propagating an "Information Society for All." [3]

As Figure 8-1 illustrates, Sweden leads Europe and the U.S. in mobile phone, PC, and Internet penetration. The high levels of penetration were in part achieved by a government initiative during the early 1990s, when all Swedish employees were given the opportunity to purchase home PCs through their employers from their pre-tax income. This discounted 50 percent off retail prices. The employers benefited from reduced employee social payments, and the home PC industry enjoyed a substantial boost.

Figure 8-1. Penetration of mobile phones, PCs, and Internet in Sweden, based on 1999 population percentages.

Sources: EITO; Global Mobile; ITU; World Competitiveness Report, 2000 , IMD, 2000.

graphics/08fig01.gif

The labor unions played an important role in this process. Very early on, they recognized it was crucial that they also be engaged in the ICT development to increase the competitiveness of the labor force. The unions saw the risk that PCs could become a white-collar tool only, leaving blue- collar workers behind. Modern production required workers to have an intuitive understanding of ICT. So the goal to provide every single home with a personal computer was actually a long- term social democratic ambition rather than a mere industry subsidy.

Since the turnaround of its economy, Sweden invests more into the knowledge of its people than the other large nations profiled in this book (see the International Comparisons table on page 110). Consequently, the Swedish ICT environment has earned international acclaim. Sweden increasingly attracts research and development investments from leading global high-tech companies that see Sweden as a leading global test market for mobile and computing technologies.

   


Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy. Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices
Creating Regional Wealth in the Innovation Economy: Models, Perspectives, and Best Practices
ISBN: 0130654159
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2002
Pages: 237

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