ntouk.com - Jerry Fishenden's technology policy blog

I blogged in "will technology win the next election?" that I want to explore the potential of a "manifesto for technology". Specifically, how we successfully move technology to the heart of policymaking rather than it continuing to be seen as an add-on after the fact.

In setting out some initial thoughts to seed debate, I'm going to draw upon a wide variety of ideas and initiatives I've encountered in over 20 years of working in the technology industry across both private and public sectors. And 30 years plus of designing and using technology if you include my early encounters with the North Kent Amateur Computer Club, a UK 101, a soldering iron and a Commodore PET.

I'm incorporating some of the technology policy vision and ideas set out by Craig Mundie, our Chief Research and Strategy Officer, in various speeches around the world since he often puts his finger right on the pulse. And it was Craig, after all, who created my current role, and indeed the concept of establishing lead technology advisors based in countries such as the UK in the first place.

But I don't want this to be a one-way process. Alongside welcoming all comments either directly to me or via the comments facility on this site, I intend to work with an eclectic mix of collaborators to seed an upcoming wiki where anyone interested in developing the thoughts and ideas can contribute. The initial outcome will be a mix of online content and a more traditional, but snazily designed, booklet that brings together the best ideas. The optimal outcome however I see as being an impact on policymaking itself as the ideas are adopted and find their way into the mainstream. This is the only outcome that truly matters.

I want to start with some facts, not to send people scurrying away for a coffee and a headache tablet but to place some of the ideas I want to see around technology developed in context (including for example health and education).

It's already clear that Information Technology (IT) is an essential, integral part of our UK economy. In 2007, IT spending was some 45.7 billion GBP, running at around 3.4% of GDP (compared with an average of 2.5% of GDP worldwide). In 2007, IT employment also accounted for some 1,374,000 jobs. To put that in a comparative context, that's 300,000 more people than worked in the coal mining industry at its peak. IT is serious, big business in the UKs new economy. And over the next four years, the UK's IT industry is expected to generate 14.4 billon GBP in new tax revenues and contribute new revenues of 27.8 billion GBP to our GDP.

As well as a significant contribution at the UK macro economic level, technology also enables organisations to increase their efficiency and productivity. It contributes to network effects like lower transaction costs and faster innovation. The Internet promotes global trade by better connecting buyers and sellers and by cutting market entry costs. IT investment and use cause a shift toward workers with higher skill sets and higher wages. And, as is evident in the UK figures above, of course a thriving IT industry is itself a key driver of growth. Taken together, all of these help attract additional investment, both local and foreign.

If used smartly, technology now provides almost every country with the opportunity to compete with established global competitors, something that just wasn't feasible in the past. But it's not quite that simple because, to make all this possible, we first need to resolve fundamental issues such as education and healthcare.

Why do I believe that? Because without an education system that produces skilled workers, countries can't create the pool of talent that they need to compete globally. And without adequate healthcare, society as a whole will find it hard to thrive.

Information technology has a vital role to play in solving both of these problems. To do so successfully, modern governments need to develop a better understanding of how to integrate technology as a fundamental policy lever rather than persist with an out-dated view of IT as merely a "necessary evil" or overhead for administering and operating aspects of policy.

So over some of my next postings, I'll consider some of the issues around health and education in particular before going on to look at some of the wider aspects of technology as a policy lever.

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