IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/wiw/wiwrsa/ersa12p940.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Complex regional assessment possibilities of competitiveness of the information economy and society in Hungary: from regional statistics to regional policy

Author

Listed:
  • Akos Jakobi

Abstract

Since ICT factors got growing importance in shaping social and economic differences, the determination of competitiveness in the information economy and society became needful in understanding modern regional disparities of Hungary. To evaluate recent inequalities caused by the factors of information and communication technologies (ICT) complex indices of competitiveness were created, which can reveal the reasons of major inequalities in the level of information society development. By the application of the widely known Bennett methodology estimations on the level of Hungarian small regions (NUTS4 or LAU1) were carried out based on regional statistical data. Additionally calculations were made on the three major segments of ICT competitiveness reflecting also the advantages and disadvantages of structural circumstances. The structural factors of competitiveness in the examinations were the level of information infrastructure, the level of social adaptivity of ICT innovations and the level of the information economy, each of them measured by a complex index created from each structural factor’s multivariable dataset. According to the results the majority of small regions have no kind of advantage in competitiveness, while only 10% percent of the small regions in Hungary have all components of advantage: good infrastructure, high level of social adaptivity and developed information economy. By the recognition of ICT-based inequalities the strategic policy also tried to formulate suitable answers on how to develop regional information society. ICT-based regional strategies were created, which formulated several development directions and suggestions, however, they did not fully reach their aims. The efficiency of the strategies is below expected. Due to lack of allocated financial sources the strategic plans seem to be only bookshelf documents with no influences on regional inequalities. On the other hand there are also examples on successful development tools, but those have only indirect connections with regional information strategies. All in all the aim of this research paper is to describe what inequalities are present in Hungary and how they are introduced in regional plans, as well as to reveal the real possibilities of the application of this development tool by the evaluation of changes observable in statistical reports. Keywords: information and communication technologies, information society, information economy, Hungary, regional disparities, regional information strategies JEL: L86, L96, O18, R00, R58

Suggested Citation

  • Akos Jakobi, 2012. "Complex regional assessment possibilities of competitiveness of the information economy and society in Hungary: from regional statistics to regional policy," ERSA conference papers ersa12p940, European Regional Science Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa12p940
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www-sre.wu.ac.at/ersa/ersaconfs/ersa12/e120821aFinal00942.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Oecd, 2001. "Understanding the Digital Divide," OECD Digital Economy Papers 49, OECD Publishing.
    2. Kiiski, Sampsa & Pohjola, Matti, 2002. "Cross-country diffusion of the Internet," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 297-310, June.
    3. Mansell, Robin, 1999. "Information and communication technologies for development: assessing the potential and the risks," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(1), pages 35-50, February.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Akos Jakobi, 2013. "Space and virtuality: new characteristics of inequalities in the information society and economy," Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research, Pro Global Science Association, vol. 5(1), pages 4-14, June.
    2. Ventura, Eva & Satorra, Albert, 2015. "A multiple indicator model for panel data: an application to ICT area-level variation," 26th European Regional ITS Conference, Madrid 2015 127191, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    3. Menzie D. Chinn & Robert W. Fairlie, 2007. "The determinants of the global digital divide: a cross-country analysis of computer and internet penetration," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 59(1), pages 16-44, January.
    4. Bera, Subhasis, 2019. "Club convergence and drivers of digitalization across Indian states," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(8), pages 1-1.
    5. Mona Badran, 2014. "Young people and the digital divide in Egypt: an empirical study," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 4(2), pages 223-250, December.
    6. Menzie D. Chinn & Robert W. Fairlie, 2010. "ICT Use in the Developing World: An Analysis of Differences in Computer and Internet Penetration," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(1), pages 153-167, February.
    7. Grazzi, Matteo & Vergara, Sebastián, 2012. "ICT in developing countries: Are language barriers relevant? Evidence from Paraguay," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 161-171.
    8. Frederico Cruz-Jesus & Tiago Oliveira & Fernando Bacao & Zahir Irani, 2017. "Assessing the pattern between economic and digital development of countries," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(4), pages 835-854, August.
    9. Szeles, Monica Răileanu, 2018. "New insights from a multilevel approach to the regional digital divide in the European Union," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(6), pages 452-463.
    10. Frederico Cruz-Jesus & Tiago Oliveira & Fernando Bacao & Zahir Irani, 0. "Assessing the pattern between economic and digital development of countries," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-20.
    11. She-I Chang & David C. Yen & I-Cheng Chang & Jung-Chu Chou, 2012. "Study of the digital divide evaluation model for government agencies–a Taiwanese local government’s perspective," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 14(3), pages 693-709, July.
    12. Ventura, Eva & Satorra, Albert, 2015. "A multiple indicator model for panel data: An application to ICT area-level variation," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(10), pages 830-847.
    13. Eva Ventura & Albert Satorra, 2014. "A multiple indicator model for panel data: an application to ICT area-level variation," Economics Working Papers 1419, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    14. Ren, Siyu & Hao, Yu & Xu, Lu & Wu, Haitao & Ba, Ning, 2021. "Digitalization and energy: How does internet development affect China's energy consumption?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    15. Isaiah Olurinola & Romanus Osabohien & Bosede Ngozi Adeleye & Ifeoluwa Ogunrinola & Jacob Isaac Omosimua & Tyrone De Alwis, 2021. "Digitalization and Innovation in Nigerian Firms," Asian Economic and Financial Review, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 11(3), pages 263-277, March.
    16. Antonio Estache & Marco Manacorda & Tommaso M. Valletti, 2002. "Telecommunications Reform, Access Regulation, and Internet Adoption in Latin America," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Spring 20), pages 153-218, January.
    17. Olimpia NEAGU, 2019. "Digital Divide Gap Convergence Across European Union: The Role Of Urbanisation," Contemporary Economy Journal, Constantin Brancoveanu University, vol. 4(1), pages 43-48.
    18. Tsai, Ming-Chih, 2006. "Constructing a logistics tracking system for preventing smuggling risk of transit containers," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 526-536, July.
    19. Mendoza-Lozano, Frederick Andrés & Quintero-Peña, Jose Wilmar & García-Rodríguez, Jose Felix, 2021. "The digital divide between high school students in Colombia," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(10).
    20. Mughal, Mazhar & Diawara, Barassou, 2011. "Human capital and the adoption of information and communications technologies: Evidence from investment climate survey of Pakistan," Economics Discussion Papers 2011-21, Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    information and communication technologies; information society; information economy; hungary; regional disparities; regional information strategies jel: l86; l96; o18; r00; r58;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • R00 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - General - - - General
    • R58 - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics - - Regional Government Analysis - - - Regional Development Planning and Policy

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wiw:wiwrsa:ersa12p940. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Gunther Maier (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.ersa.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.