The chapter discusses the ICT measurement. As the ICT plays a very crucial in all suspects of national development, the chapter reviews the framework for measuring ICT and corresponding indicators. Its presents various indices developed to measure the information knowledge, the information society, the information economy, and the e-government. The contribution of the Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is highlighted. As these frameworks are used for ranking countries, there is a challenge for adaptation at the national levels.
TopBackground
The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development is an international, multi-stakeholder initiative that was launched in 2004 to improve the availability and quality of ICT data and indicators, particularly in developing countries. The Partnership has guided policy makers in producing ICT statistics that are crucial to informed decision-making, including through the identification of a core list of ICT indicators and methodologies to collect these indicators, by helping developing countries collect ICT statistics, particularly through capacity-building and hands-on training for national statistical offices, and by collecting and disseminating information society statistics.
The Members of The Partnership on Measuring ICT for Development are:
- •
International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
- •
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- •
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
- •
Statistical Institute of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
- •
Organization (UNESCO)
- •
Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
- •
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
- •
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
- •
Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)
- •
Statistical Office of the European Communities (EUROSTAT)
- •
The World Bank
The work of the partnership is coordinated by a steering committee, elected every three years. The current Steering Committee is composed of ITU, UNCTAD and UIS.
TopMain Focus Of The Chapter
The chapter presents various indicators and indices developed for the measurement of the information society /Economy and his components.
According to (Nath, H., K. (2017) There is no general agreement on one definition or on the defining characteristics, but five underlying characterisations of an information society: technological, economic, sociological, spatial, and cultural.
It is also hard to find a widely accepted, consensus definition of an information economy, a term used to describe a phase of the postindustrial economy that is increasingly based on information-related activities.
The term information society refer to the post-industrial society in which information plays a pivotal role.
Knowledge economy, new economy, internet economy are some of the terms alternately used to refer to the same or a part of the same idea as is information economy.