Michel J. Menou Visiting Professor of Information Policy Consultant in Knowledge & Information Management Since 1966 In some 80 countries Mostly for international

Department of Information ScienceDepartment of Information Science

School of Informatics

National Information Policies: Challenges for a Public Sphere of

Scientific and Technical Information

Michel J. Menou

VIth Latin American and Caribbean Regional Congress on Health Sciences Information (CRICS 6).

Puebla, México, 7-9 May, 2003

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WHERE DO WE GO ?WHERE DO WE GO ?

1. NATIONAL INFORMATION POLICY: A MODERN GRAAL?

2. MODERN ART OF GOVERNANCE

3. POLISHCIES

4. MANKIND’S HERITAGE?

5. WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR ?

© OpenContent, M.J. Menou, DIS/SOI, City University, London, U.K., 2003; All rights reserved

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WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?INFORMATION

Products ?

Services ?

Resources ?

Activities ?

ICT ?

Infrastructures

Knowledge?

Learning ?

Intelligence?


POLICY …

POLICIES ?Principles ?

Goals ?

Strategy?

Programs ?

Projects ?

Legislation ?

Regulation ?

Michel J. Menou:

Both Information and Policy concepts are subject to extreme variations

Michel J. Menou:

Both Information and Policy concepts are subject to extreme variations

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WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?WHAT DO WE TALK ABOUT?

ICT BASED

IT INTENSIVE

INFORMATION

KNOWLEDGE

LEARNING

INTELLIGENT

NETWORKED


SOCIETYSOCIETY

ECONOMYECONOMY

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INFORMATION POLICY: INFORMATION POLICY: A “NEW” CONCEPTA “NEW” CONCEPT


Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden [John Martin]

http://www.paradiselost.org/img/42-ma.html

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LONG WAYSLONG WAYS

• Sacred information

• Open information

• Universal information

• Scientific and Technical Information

• Science (and information) for development

• Information economy

• HICTeria


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MODERN ART OF GOVERNANCEMODERN ART OF GOVERNANCE

Separation of powers Pseudo consensus

Democratic election Self Appointment and/

or Co-optation

State standing for State as facilitatorcommon interest

Compensation for Equality of stake - weakness holders

Authority Permanent negociation


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MODERNODDITIESMODERNODDITIES

“We the people …” You the consumers

The Nation An economy

Useful ProfitableTransparency Tax heavenEquity Market penetration


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COME ON !COME ON !

• Any organization should be managed as a business• Co-Regulation or Self-Regulation• Commoditization of everything• Continuing extension of proprietary rights • Smart partnerships• Privatization of benefits, Socialization of costs• “Externalization” of social factors• Concentration• Control of the media• Threat of delocalization


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FROM POLICIES …..FROM POLICIES …..

Vision of a better world and will to achieve it

Eventually Transformation of the world

And even transformation of human beings


BUTBUT

Who voted for the substitution of Who voted for the substitution of humans humans

by cyborgs?by cyborgs?

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TO POLITO POLISHSHIES …..IES …..

Develop ICT Infrastructure

Create a supportive environment

Unleash competition

Adapt legislation to new economy

Support private initiative

Reduce “excessive” government interference

…..and don’t ask stupid questions please


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So as to win 1 rank in the NRI ?So as to win 1 rank in the NRI ?


Box 1. Comparing the Networked Readiness Index

Country 2002–2003 2001–2002

Finland 1 3

United States 2 1

Singapore 3 8

Sweden 4 4

Iceland 5 2

Canada 6 12

United Kingdom 7 10

Denmark 8 7

Taiwan 9 15

Germany 10 17

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HUMANKIND’s HERITAGEHUMANKIND’s HERITAGE

a) Scientific and technological information is a national

and international resource; the progress of science and

technology depends to a large extent upon access to,

and effective utilization of, this resource; and together

with economic, social and cultural information, it

constitutes a major factor for accelerating the

development process

b) All countries have the same right to full access to the

resources of scientific and technological information ….


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HUMANKIND’s HERITAGEHUMANKIND’s HERITAGE

c) All countries should elaborate national scientific and

technological information policies and plans, as an

essential and inseparable part of national policies for

scientific, technical, economic and social development,

to stimulate and harmonize the setting up of national

information systems and/or networks

Recommendation N° 1 to UNCSTD. Intergovernmental Conference on Scientific

and Technological Information for development, UNISIST II, Paris, 28 May

– 1 June 1979. Final report. Paris, UNESCO, p. 18


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GOVERNMENTS MUST …GOVERNMENTS MUST …

Ensure

• Information Availability

• Information Accessibility

• Social relevance

• Study of, and adaptation to, users needs

• Effective Management

• Provision of trained personnel


OECD. Information for a changing society. 19711971

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“The Report is both timely and relevant, and this fact is crucial because it captures the experiences of the technology sector; these lessons are too costly and important to be missed or ignored. The experiences of businesses have stressed the necessity of a sustainable business model and the need for prudence when allocating resources to technology investments. Meanwhile, the lessons for governments include, among others, the importance of assessing the appropriateness of the choice of technologies; and the affirmation that it is the development of the individual, through education and skills development, that must lie at the core of any successful long-term strategy towards a knowledge-based economy. ”

Professor Klaus Schwab (World Economic Forum), Preface of The Global Information Technology Report 2002-2003. Readiness For The Networked World. Oxford University Press. p. iii

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ENRONIC PRINCIPLESENRONIC PRINCIPLES

Primacy of private initiative

Private sector is effective and efficient

Public sector is not

Competition brings transparency

Competition cuts costs

Competition brings innovation

Each business unit must be sustainable


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VerityVerity

“It’s the industry’s fault, It’s my fault.

We have not created the needcreated the need for SMS in the same way as Europe”

Mr. Strigl, CEO of Verizon quoted by R. Waters and B. Dunn. US carriers see Europe in a new light. Financial Times, 5 May 2002


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SustainabilitySustainability

• Is a country with a structural budget and foreign trade deficit sustainable?

• Is an organization that failed to achieve its objectives in 50 years sustainable?

• Were the Assyrian Emperors concerned with the sustainability of their communication system?

• Should each school, hospital or library be sustainable, or is it the related systems that should effectively respond to the needs and rights of the people?


21

WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?WHAT ARE WE FIGHTING FOR?

CCONTINUING GROWTHONTINUING GROWTH

CCONTINUING CONSUMPTION OF NON ONTINUING CONSUMPTION OF NON RENEWABLE RESOURCESRENEWABLE RESOURCES

CCONTINUING CONCENTRATIONONTINUING CONCENTRATION

GGROWING GAPSROWING GAPS

KKEEP RUSHING TO BECOME #1EEP RUSHING TO BECOME #1

BBETTER ETTER EBITDAEBITDA


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ROIROI

““Return on Investment”Return on Investment”

OROR

ROIROI

« Regain of Imagination »« Regain of Imagination »


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Growth of GNPGrowth of GNP

OROR

Growth of NUHGrowth of NUH

Net Universal HappinessNet Universal Happiness


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REALITY DREAMSREALITY DREAMS

Open Archive InitiativeOpen Archive Initiative http://www.openarchives.org/

Budapest Open Access InitiativeBudapest Open Access Initiativehttp://www.soros.org/openaccess

DSpace Durable DigitalDepositoryDSpace Durable DigitalDepositoryhttp://dspace.org/mit/services.html

SciELO SciELO http://www.scielo.br/

HINARI The Health InterNetworkhttp://www.healthinternetwork.org/


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REALITY DREAMSREALITY DREAMSINASP HealthINASP Health

http://www.inasp.info/health

Information Waystations and Staging PostsInformation Waystations and Staging Posts http://www.iwsp.org/

ProssigaProssigahttp://www.prossiga.br

Cidadania na InternetCidadania na Internethttp://www.cidadania.org.br

Somos@Telecentroshttp://www.tele-centro.org

MISTICA Metodología e Impacto Social de las Tecnologías de la

Información y de la Comunicación en América http://funredes.org/mistica/castellano/ciberoteca/tematica/utopista/


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OBSTACLES / OBSTACLES / REMEDIES (?)REMEDIES (?)

Conservatism Network of innovators

Plans & Projects Programs & real support of local initiatives

Techno-push Focus on “What for?”

Connectivity “Communictivity”

Fragmentation Integrated approaches & Networks


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OBSTACLES / OBSTACLES / REMEDIES (?)REMEDIES (?)

Short term perspectives

Lack of continuity

Intellectual imperialismof dominant faith

Contradictory pressure from the overall system


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Documents

Michel J. Menou Visiting Professor of Information Policy Consultant in Knowledge & Information Management Since 1966 In some 80 countries Mostly for international