Abstract:

The Economist Intelligence Unit has published an annual e-readiness ranking of the world's largest economies since 2000. The ranking model evaluates the technological, economic, political and social assets of 69 countries-including this year's newest addition, Malta-and their cumulative impact on their respective information economies. E-readiness is the "state of play" of a country's information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and the ability of its consumers, businesses and governments to use ICT to their benefit. When a country does more online-or, as is increasingly the case, wirelessly-the premise is that its economy can become more transparent and efficient. Our ranking allows governments to gauge the success of their technology initiatives against those of other countries. It also provides companies that wish to invest in online operations with an overview of the world's most promising investment locations. The e-readiness rankings are a weighted collection of nearly 100 quantitative and qualitative criteria, organised into six distinct categories measuring the various components of a country's social, political, economic and of course technological development.

The underlying principle behind the rankings is that digital business is at its heart business, and that for digital transactions to be widely adopted and efficient they have to thrive in a holistically supportive environment. E-readiness derives from more than just the number of computers, broadband connections and mobile phones in the country; also critical are citizens' ability to utilise technology skilfully, the transparency of the business and legal systems, and the extent to which governments encourage the use of digital technologies. In this and previous e-readiness rankings, the Economist Intelligence Unit has worked in cooperation with the IBM Institute for Business Value, which through its extensive business research provides strategic insights and recommendations used by senior executives around the world. IBM worked together with the Economist Intelligence Unit to build the rankings model. The Economist Intelligence Unit, however, is entirely responsible for the rankings and for the content of this white paper. "To keep their countries on a competitive track, governments are clearly committing to ICT infrastructure initiatives," says George Pohle, Global Leader, IBM Institute for Business Value. "However, to truly succeed in the global economy, the evidence shows that focused public-private sector partnerships can be used to ignite economic growth."

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