The New ICT Ecosystem: Implications for Policy and Regulation

The ICT sector is crucial as a driver of economic and social growth. Not only is it an important industry in its own right, it also provides the information and communication infrastructure without which modern economies could not function. How does this sector work? Why is it stronger in some countries than others? What should companies, governments and regulators be doing to enhance its contribution? In The New ICT Ecosystem, Martin Fransman answers these and other questions by developing the idea of the ICT sector as an evolving ecosystem. He shows that some components of the ICT ecosystem, particularly the innovation process, work better in some countries and regions (e.g. the USA) than in others (e.g. Europe and the developing world). This enables policy-makers and regulators to understand why some parts of the ICT ecosystem are underperforming and what can be done to enhance their performance.

The ICT sector is crucial as a driver of economic and social growth. Not only is it an important industry in its own right, it also provides the information and communication infrastructure without which modern economies could not function. How does this sector work? Why is it stronger in some countries than others? What should companies, governments and regulators be doing to enhance its contribution? In The New ICT Ecosystem, Martin Fransman answers these and other questions by developing the idea of the ICT sector as an evolving ecosystem. He shows that some components of the ICT ecosystem, particularly the innovation process, work better in some countries and regions (e.g. the USA) than in others (e.g. Europe and the developing world). This enables policy-makers and regulators to understand why some parts of the ICT ecosystem are underperforming and what can be done to enhance their performance.

Martin Fransman is Professor of Economics and Founder-Director of the Institute for Japanese-European Technology Studies in the School of Business and Economics at the University of Edinburgh. He has published widely in the fields of innovation and competitiveness. His books include Global Broadband Battles: Why the US and Europe Lag While Asia Leads (2006), Telecoms in the Internet Age: From Boom to Bust to…? (2002), Visions of Innovation: The Firm and Japan (1999), Japan's Computer and Communications Industry: The Evolution of Industrial Giants and Global Competitiveness (1995) and The Market and Beyond: Information Technology in Japan (1990).