The Higher Education in the System of Factors Influencing the Formation of the Information Economy

The article is aimed at a systematization of scientific approaches to definition of stages of formation and development of the information society, and also definition of vectors of influence of higher education on the processes of its formation. Scientific approaches to periodization of the development of information society are analyzed. Two groups of approaches to the definition of origin and development of the information society are identified as: 1) evolutionary; 2) transformational. The views of Ukrainian and foreign scientists regarding the identification of key features of the information society are explored. The defining role of higher education (in particular, results of educational, research and innovation activities of higher educational institutions) in the development of information society at the present stage is substantiated. It is proposed to supplement the aggregate of attributes of the information society (modernization of higher education, activation of the processes of invention, patenting, transfer, commercialization of the results of scientific research, generation of knowledge, information, innovations, etc.). Prospects for further researches in this direction is research on the theoretic-methodical bases of formation of the information economy as a component of the information society with identification of vectors of influence of the system of higher education on the relevant processes