The Information Industry: Measuring Russia By International Standards

Structural changes influenced by ICT are having an impact on production processes and the release of products in the information and communication technology (ICT) sphere and content (on the level of individual enterprises) and are resulting in the pursuit of new approaches to socio-economic development, to increase the competitiveness of the country and to participate in the international division of labour. In order to identify development priorities and prospects in the information industry we therefore need a clear understanding of what the information industry is, what its boundaries are, what forms of economic activity make up this economic segment, and which products form the corresponding market. This working paper summarizes the results of a study to ‘measure’ the information industry as a segment of the economy producing goods and services linked to ICT and content. Methodological approaches are proposed to establish the ‘Information industry’ definitions based on the Russian Classification of Economic Activities (OKVED) and the Russian Classification of Products by Economic Activities (OKPD) in line with international standards and recommendations by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Key indicators of the development of the information industry are also tentatively calculated for Russia and compared with countries abroad. The content of this paper is based on research results commissioned by the Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation and the outcome of evaluations and testing at a round table on the subject ‘IT industry: problems of classification and application’ round table (2014) and a session of the statistics section of the Central House of Scientists at the Russian Academy of Sciences on the subject of ‘Developing the “Information industry” and “IT industry” definitions based on the OKVED2 and OKPD2’ (http://www.gks.ru/free_doc/new_site/rosstat/sec/tez-abdr.doc). The paper was also supported by the Basic Research Program at the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE) and the subsidy granted to the HSE by the Government of the Russian Federation for the implementation of the Global Competitiveness Program.