National Information Infrastructure Developments : A Comparative Study on Strategic Planning

1998 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

• Project/Area Number: 10041220
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: Field Research
• Research Field: 情報システム学(含情報図書館学)
• Research Institution: Sugiyama Jogakuen University
• Principal Investigator: MATSUMURA Tamiko Sugiyama Jagakuen University, School of Life Studies, Professor, 生活科学部, 教授 (00041806)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): TAKEUCHI Hiroya University of shizuoka, Hamamatsu College, Assoc. Prof, 短期大学部, 助教授 (10290149) ; KIM Yong wong Surugadai University, Faculty of Cultural, Information Resources, Professor, 文化情報学部, 教授 (00225020) ; TAMURA Shunsaku Keio University, Faculty of Letters, Professor, 文学部, 教授 (70129534) ; DEMPSEY Lorcan UK Office for Library and Information Networking, Diresctor, 情報ネットワーク研究所, 所長 ; MOORE Nick City University, Department of Information Science, Professor, 教授
• Project Period (FY): 1998
• Keywords: National information infrastructure / Information policy / Information network / Singapore / Australia / Philippines / United Kingdom / Asia / Pacific

Research Abstract

The present study, which follows the previous study on the information infrastructure for planning information systems and networks in Asia and the Pacific (SISNAP) (Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research 06041014), focused on the frameworks of information policis which guide countries in the transition into information societies . The field studies were conducted in the selected countries, i. e. Singapore, Australia and the Philippines as well as the United Kingdom. The results indicated that all countries have developed frameworks of policies with notably similar approaches, but the mechanisms used for developing the policy frameworks are distinctly different. In Singapore and also Australia in the past few years, for example, the task is carried out within the executive branch of government often by the intergovernmental groups of minissters and officers under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister. In contrast in the United Kingdom, national information policies have emerged as a result of many disparate initiatives.
While the mechanisms used for developing the policy frameworks are different, the study also indicated that the approaches adopted in those countries are notably similar. Based on the analysis of the approaches, an agenda was formulated which will guide the development of strategic planning for national information infrastructure development. Furthermore, this agenda provided a basis for the objective analysis of the results of the field studies for comparative study.
It is expected that field studies should be continued in other countries on their national information strategies for the transition into information-intensive societies.