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2009-18-06 (Moscow)

 

Is Russia Ready to Become an Information Society? was the title of an article by Evgeny Kuzmin, Chair of the Russian Committee of the UNESCO Information for All Programme, which the journal Natsionalnye Proekty published in No. 4, 2009.

 

Western countries leading the global economy are eager to see ICT used to the utmost everywhere. If Russia is to become the West’s worthy partner, it has to develop ICT as swiftly as possible. Investment in this vital sphere brings its richest fruit when the state pursues consistent science-based policy of all-round modernization.

 

The information society results from spontaneous progress of modernized Western countries whose economy presently focuses not on commodity manufacture but on banking, managerial, consulting, educational, commercial, tourist and other services—all that due to intensive universal use of ICT. This kind of economy is known as “knowledge economy”—a flattering name. Now that an economic crisis is raging worldwide, we Russians should stop and think whether we really want to establish “knowledge economy” (aka “innovation economy”) and whether we can do it quickly enough. If the answer is “yes”, we ought to retrace the West’s modernization steps. If the answer is “no” or “not to full extent”, we should grope for our own responses to the latest challenges under the pressure of globalization.

 

Russia’s future will be largely what we want to see it and what we are building as we deem it best, and to the extend of our skills and knowledge. That is why it is essential to permanently form the collective vision of our future and—just as essential—give it proper wording. In that, we should check our efforts against relevant international developments, take ever greater part in the discussion and settlement of global problems, and build up collective knowledge.

 

Full text (in Russian)

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