Snapshot: Why the OECD?
You may wonder why an organisation best known for its statistics is hosting a conference on something as nebulous as the “participative web”.
But one of the OECD’s traditional roles (and sometimes its most valued) is in understanding, and then helping governments respond to, new developments whether technological, economic or social. The Internet continues to provide an extraordinary catalyst for change in all these areas - and continues to do so – and so this conference will serve as one of a series that will then lead into a large ministerial conference on “The Future of the Internet Economy” in June 2008.
Government and civil society’s role
Thanks to the Internet’s genesis within the academic and technical communities, it has been a long-held popular view that governments should only play a small part at best with regard to this inter-network of computers. But as the Internet has continued to take deeper root within all our lives, it has become increasingly difficult to ignore the vital role that governments must play in the Internet’s development.
With so much economic and social infrastructure tied up in the Internet, governments would be failing in their duty if they weren’t to see what an appropriate role for them is: whether that is protection of the systems from attack, or from abuse; or, more positively, whether the new technologies can’t help make government itself more efficient and reflective of society’s views and needs.
A short history of the OECD
In many ways, the Organisation for Economic Coordination and Development (OECD) is the ideal venue for the discussions that need to be had over the Internet.
The organisation itself was created with support from the United States and Canada as the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC) in 1949 to help Europe coordinate its efforts for economic recovery following the destructive and distorting effects of the Second World War.
The OEEC then turned into the OECD in 1961 and soon became known for its pragmatic, almost business-like approach to building economic growth. A more relaxed and less political venue than other international organisations, the OECD is highly valued for its focus on coordination – meaning that governments come together to share policy ideas, approaches and lessons. The peer-pressure element of the OECD also helps make international agreements a reality.
A main tenet of the OEEC was to “recognise the increasing interdependence of our economies”. History has proven that assertion true - neatly summarised these days in the word “globalisation” - but the Internet has made that merging of economies ever-greater. Individuals no longer rely on companies to provide international goods in stores near them – today you can buy a single item direct from a producer on the other side of the world in one click.
Two sides; one coin
This economic world wide web is only one side of the coin; on the other side is vastly increased social interaction. And, increasingly, the economic value of greater social interaction through information sharing is leading our societies down a new path.
But where is the path going? What does it look like? What are the possible pitfalls? How do we recognise the best way ahead? What have we learnt so far, and how can we use that knowledge going forward? These are just some of the questions that this conference will raise and which, it is hoped, will start providing some answers to.
Other snapshots: