Over the last two years, there has
been major conferences sponsored by high- level national and international
organizations on national information technologies and policies in the
Pacific Rim - from Beijing to Saigon, from Hikone, Japan to Singapore,
from Bangkok to Kuala Lumpur.. This increased interest in no accident.
It has been suggested that we will soon enter a "Pacific Century",
in which the world's economic center of gravity, having shifted from Asia
to Europe and thence to North America early in this century, is now returning
to Asia. But it is returning to a very diverse Asia, with many regional
differences in language, culture, ideology, income levels and income distribution,
and economic policies. Despite this diversity, most - if not all - of the
leaders of Asian countries are firmly convinced that I.T. would help propel
their country into the Information Age. Indeed, many nations in Pacific
Asia have recently begun to design and implement their widely-publicized
national information infrastructures (NIIs).
Examples are Singapore's IT2000
plan to transform the city-state into an intelligent island and Malaysia's
Vision 2020 to create a "Multimedia Super Corridor". Similar
programs, not less ambitious, can be found in other Pacific Rim countries
such as the developing "Young Lions" (China, Philippines, Thailand,
and Vietnam), the intermediate-stage "Growing Tigers" (South
Korea, and Taiwan), and the more advanced "Mature Leopards" (Australia,
Japan, and New Zealand).
The push toward the digital economy
has further reached the regional level. In 1995, the Asia-Pacific Economic
Co-operation forum (APEC) proposed the establishment of an Asia Pacific
Information Infrastructure (APII). APII is intended to be a seamless interface
between the NIIs of the various APEC nations, and it is also intended to
interface with a global information infrastructure (GII) when and if a
GII is developed. In part it is a technical effort, promoting interoperability
standards. But it is also a human resource effort that promotes the training
and exchange of technically qualified personnel, a regulatory effort that
promotes the liberalization of telecommunication regulations to facilitate
information sharing, and a development effort that reduces the disparity
between the technological infrastructures of the advanced and developing
nations in the region. In addition, APII recognizes the need to address
specific issues of current concern, such as electronic data interchange
(EDI) and the protection of intellectual property rights.
Several observations and conclusions
can be drawn from these events. One is that, with their respective NII
plans, the Asian countries have demonstrated their commitment to join the
global trend of seeing digital information and communication services as
a central aspect of economic, social, cultural and political life. To achieve
this effort, and in spite of national differences, these NIIs share the
following goals: * to establish a telecommunication infrastructure (i.e.,
voice, data and video transmission) * to build up the information infrastructure
(i.e., national networked data bases) * to develop I.T. applications (i.e.,
software production), and * to provide value-added information and telecommunications
services.
In a way, these goals are generic
enough to suggest that they reflect the tradition that Asian countries
are followers of technology - granted followers have their own advantages.
Indeed , the four goals resemble a typical NII plan brought into existence
earlier by Western countries led by the United States. Yet, the Pacific
Asia NIIs differ from their Western counterparts in at least two counts.
First, they seem to rely more on I.T. as an opportunity for them to "leapfrog"
into the Information Age. Second, there is an apparent objective to use
I.T. as a conscious national and regional policy to reduce the economic
and social gaps. Most of these Asia Pacific nations believe that NII efforts
should (1) be driven by specific development-oriented applications, (2)
be joint government-industry partnerships, and (3) recognize the need for
human as well as financial capital, especially in education in an government-guided
but market-led framework.
At the time of this writing, the
cornerstones of many NII efforts are at best in the early stages. Different
nations are approaching their plan in different ways and at different rates
of speed, but most have inclined toward deregulation and privatization
of the telecommunication industry, and on fiscal policies to promote computerization.
NII efforts are typically joint government/industry efforts, with varying
degrees of government guidance and with varying degrees of internal and
external (i.e., MNC) industry participation.
On paper, the Pacific Asia NIIs
plans seem at first glance to have all the necessary ingredients for a
sound development of an information-driven society. But on paper, much
research is needed to transform these visions into reality. In fact, most
plans remain at a high level, thus lacking concrete implementation plans,
economic evaluation, risk management studies, and impact analysis of massive
I.T. deployment on national economies, and more significantly, localization
of I.T. diffusion, adoption and use. Only when that level of detailed research
has been undertaken will it be possible to obtain a clear picture of the
NIIs plan in the region.
Furthermore, and in practical reality,
there are more challenges ahead. An Asian NII is typically more prone to
problems related to the lack of necessary knowledge and experience to carry
out the plan, market restrictions, political quagmires and vested financial
interests causing vague and unstable legal and regulatory conditions. These
realities, despite their paramount complexity, should be further taken
into consideration if the IS/IT researchers are to venture into this region
to conduct their studies. Needless to say, their research contribution
will be most appreciated to contribute to this historic and massive effort.
About
PRIISM (Homepage: https://www.cba.hawaii.edu/priism)
PRIISM is a non-profit organization,
based at the University of Hawaii, dedicated to the study and research
on Information Systems and Technology in the Asia-Pacific Region. The PRIISM
Consortium is a collaboration of Universities and Research Centers from
North America and Asia-Pacific countries to provide expertise and resources
to advance the state of knowledge in those areas. PRIISM is seeking participation
from government agencies, the private sector and research organizations
that share an interest in information Systems and Technology in the Pacific
Rim.
Bui Xuan Tung
PRIISM Consortium Director
The U.S. Naval Postgraduate School Department of Systems Management
Monterey, CA. 93943
Tel. (408) 656-2630, Fax (408) 656-3068 t
[email protected]
For discussion on this column, join [email protected]
Copyright © 1996 by VACETS and Bui Xuan Tung
