Are National Information Plans Useful?

Abstract

A national information policy can be defined as a series of decisions taken by a national government which are designed to encourage a better information infrastructure. Information policy issues can be grouped into four broad areas: legislative issues, information and the economy, information and organizations, and information and social issues. Some countries (e.g. Germany, France and Japan) have explicit information policies; others, including the USA and the UK, do not. Often (as in the UK) the policy is to have no formal policy, but to leave it to the marketplace. The CEC has provided a highway (Euronet) for individual countries to offer their databases, but has not succeeded in producing a policy of Europe-wide database development, with the result that Europe still suffers from a highly fragmented information industry with many competing databases. Interestingly, several countries without clearly stated information policies – UK, Netherlands, USA – have strong information industries. This raises the question whether such a policy is needed. China is interested in developing one; since it is in the early stages of its economic development, it may be able to learn from the West's mistakes. Once its information infrastructure is in place, China must be careful to avoid over-zealous and continued intervention in sectors where it is no longer necessary.

Information policies: yesterday, today, tomorrow

“…The scope of the Rockefeller Report matches well with Oppenheim's [16] definition in 1994 of national information policy as a series of decisions taken by a national government, which are designed to encourage a better information infrastructure. But by the time that definition was published, things had changed in the USA, and Oppenheim continues: 'Some countries […] have explicit information policies; others, including the USA and the UK, do not.…”

“…In the light of this short history there is little reason to be surprised by the way governments treat research they themselves have commissioned (including non-use and non-publication); by the 'difference between the information, advice and research that policy makers seek and that upon which they act' (Strachan and Rowlands [40]); or by Oppenheim's [16] observation that there is virtually no input from information professionals into government policy-making. It is a pity none the less that governments have not taken the view of information-policy making proposed by Rowlands [2], as a process of negotiation, 'bringing together competing value frames and resolving conflicts'.…”

“…While organizations realize that information is an important resource, as Oppenheim [16] says, they do not find it easy to handle.…”

Nigeria’s Information Infrastructure Policy : Implications for E-Government

“…A national information policy is a series of decisions taken by a national government, which are designed to encourage a better information infrastructure [3]. The United State of America and other developed countries are far ahead of the developing economies in formulating and implementing information policies [4] The purpose of information policies is to develop and govern available technological, legal and human infrastructure so that they can deliver both economic and social benefits for individuals and for the society as a whole Case (2010). Information policies related to technological infrastructure focus on developing markets and diffusion of the technologies; those related to legal infrastructure focus on protecting the use of information resources with legal provisions such as privacy and intellectual property right while the policies that focus on human infrastructure aim to provide training and encourage consumption.…”