English - Human Development Reports - United Nations ...

Chapter FiveEgypt’s Position inTechnology and Information Led GlobalizationGlobalization hasbecome inseparablefrom the elements ofcontrol andorganization inherentto the hi-techrevolution,The world has had a series of industrialrevolutions. The first began at the end of theeighteenth century, lasted to the end of thenineteenth century, and was characterizedmainly by the manufacture and use of ironmachines, as well as by the use of steam asan industrial energy source. A second industrialrevolution extended until nearly the end ofthe Second World War and wascharacterized by intensified multipurposeusage of iron and steel, sophistication anddiversification of machinery for increasedmanufacturing, and use of petroleum andelectricity energy sources. The presentindustrial revolution has come with theintroduction of nuclear energy and spectaculardevelopments in the aerospace, electronic,machinery and automatic control industries.Starting in the 1970s, the development ofelectronics and integrated circuits has introducedthe use of minute multipurpose equipmentin almost every domain, notably in theaviation and space industries, and hasbrought computers, remote controls and ahost of other products to the ordinary man.By the 1990s and to date, hi-tech hasextended to cover essential and basicactivities and functions all over the world.This present-day revolution manifests itselfin the domains of information technology,communication, and biotechnology (seeBox 5.1), with digital electronic technologyas the pivotal catalyst. Further, it hasimpacted on a wide range of humanactivities, including research on the compressionof time and space, or, indeed, on the spreadof globalization.Globalization has become inseparable fromthe elements of control and organizationinherent to the hi-tech revolution, especiallyin the fields of electronics and theirapplication, and in the exponential growthof information and communication technology.Where does Egypt stand with regard thesenew and rapid developments? It faceschallenges on a variety of fronts, includingthose encompassed by human developmentconcerns. Can Egypt meet these challengesBox (5.1)The Hi-Tech RevolutionFrom within the electronic revolution, ahigh-tech revolution, mainly in theelectronics and biological fields, overtook theworld in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In theminute electronic field, a number of qualitativechanges were introduced to informationprocessing and long-distance communicationequipment. After being relatively separatefields, informatics and telematics wereintegrated to become the nucleus of thewell-developed information technology oftoday. This was achieved by thedigitalization of information transfertechnology.This revolution is reflected in two majorareas. The first is network connectionthrough computers, or the “Internet revolution”,progress in the techniques of digitaldiffusion, the recording of sound andpictures together via satellite TV and spatialdiffusion, and cellular phones (mobiles).Furthermore, there is a program aiming tointegrate the technology of cellularcommunication and that of spatial diffusionand reception of sound and pictures. Thiswould link the computer, the mobile, and thetelevision in one homogeneous digitalelectronicspace, which represents a newqualitative change in information andcommunication technology.The second area is the biological field, wheregenetic engineering is at the forefront oftremendous developments in medicine, agriculture,and food. Scientific research to accomplish agenetic map of the human body, known as theGenome Project, is one of the most recenthi-tech applications in the biological field.78 -Egypt Human Development Report 2000/2001