Facts and methodology for developing local IT policies in Europe

Emerging information and communication technologies are profoundly affecting the economic and social structure of European countries, especially as regards the growing gap between richer and poorer areas. From this viewpoint, it is essential to provide local players with a set of instruments that will enable them to develop policies aimed at integrating new technologies in a social and economic perspective in the best way possible. The aim of the following paper is to: Examine the general lines of technological development and the macroeconomic framework in Europe; Provide elements and parameters that can be used as a framework for future deliverables; Highlight a series of concrete “best practice” examples in which IT strategies appear to be successfully contributing to the development of the Information Society. The paper should be regarded as having a double purpose: on the one hand it provides basic information on the state of developing technologies, the way they are being applied in Europe and the social and economic impact they generate. However, the way this information has been structured - the actual framework of the paper- should also provide a methodology for the development of similar research on a local level. Partners should use the paper as a model, adapting the content to local realities in order to create a “zoom” effect. In this way, the indicators used and the strategies suggested in the paper provide a basis for comparison between different areas and regions and choices that can be “echoed” in local policies. Ultimately, this will result in the creation of a set of comparable data and the development of coherent strategies, starting from a general European outlook all the way down to a local perspective