Information Society Development in Bulgaria

The rapidly changing nature of modern societies needs to enable the benchmarking of progress through statistical indicators. The book is taking up the challenge of using newly developed innovative information society indicators, tested and piloted in a representative survey held in all EU Member States, Switzerland and the United States in 2002 and in ten new associated states in 2003. The first part of the book concerns benchmarking Information society development in Bulgaria. The topics presented and analysed are: ICT infrastructure and access; e-society and social inclusion; eeducation and life – long learning; e-economy and e-commerce; e-work; e-government. The first topic contains analysis of relevant indicators on Telecommunications, Access and Usage of ICT (use of e-mail, Internet access and use, methods of Internet access, effects of Internet use, barriers to using the Internet, access to mobile phone, effects of mobile phone use, Internet prices/affordability (OECD statistics), network access (telephone lines, ISPs, bandwidth) as well as analysis of indicators such as security concerns, reporting of security violations and security-related awareness and behaviour. Second topic focuses on analysis of all relevant results on social inclusion and some cross-analysis, such as combining results on Internet users by socio-economic characteristics like Internet use by place of access is carried out. The third topic, e-Education and Life-long-learning, focuses on relevant indicators on Education and Skills. It contains analysis of indicators like computers at schools and universities (data from national/other sources), company-provided training, training provided by other organisations, self-directed learning, modes of training (use of e-learning). The e-economy and e-Commerce chapter contains analysis of all relevant indicators like on-line activities and barriers to buying online. E-work and Employment part of the report presents analysis of indicators like home-based telework, intensity of home-based teleworking, interest in telework, perceived feasibility, mobile work (Intensity), mobile telework, co-operation with external contacts using ICTs, etc. The e-Government part contains analysis of indicators like preference for e- Government services, e-Government experience and barriers to e-Government. The second part of the book concerns methodological issues of benchmarking Information society development: methodology of the European 2002 survey, and methodology of the new associated states 2003 survey. A special accent has been put on the Information society development indicator overview and descriptions by domains and topics. Since the target audiences are policy makers and National Statistical Institutes, this book seeks to have an impact on both, the making of policies and the development of official information society statistics.