Information Technology Transfer: The Singapore Strategy

Abstract

The conventional approach to economic development has been tactical, building on the strength of comparative advantages in endowed factors of production. These advantages, based on entropic factors such as wages, exchange rates, and commodity prices, often cannot be sustained. The strategic approach has concentrated more on programmes to overcome the critical obstacles (gaps or weaknesses) that must be addressed if desired development goals are to be reached, thus restructuring key internal and external economic linkages (Thurber, 1973, p. 15). Today, global flows of digital information are being channelled to restructure industries worldwide, creating opportunities for nations with (and representing a threat for those without) strong information technology infrastructures and capabilities. In only five years, Singapore created a national information technology infrastructure, and successfully deployed it as a strategic platform for development. This analysis focuses on the strategy behind this success, and extracts the critical elements for technology managers, development administrators, and policymakers.