The Singapore Infocomm Technology (ICT) system as a form of digital eco-economic system

Abstract

Singapore has been ranked amongst the top nations in terms of IT readiness and IT as a factor of national competitiveness by the World Economic Forum Report. Another report by the consulting firm Accenture shows that Singapore's e-government efforts have resulted in the highest ranking amongst nations in terms of the trust of the people using e-government. This presentation looks at the historical evolution and future planning of the Singapore Infocomm Technology (ICT) system at the national level from the point of view of a digital eco-system. In particular, Singapore's ICT development can be viewed as a special sub-set of the digital eco-system in light of the considerable intervention and catalytic efforts of the government in promoting ICT within itself, the private sector and the people sector both at home and in the field of education. To this extent, it is possible to view the Singapore ICT eco-system as a form of 'Eco-garden' which has a higher degree of human intervention and nuturring. The Singapore experience shows that ecogardening can have very positive effects on the growth of the ICT system. This is possible because of careful understanding of the catalytic role of government and knowing when to impose order and when to allow natural selection and evolution to occur.