Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

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from the ages of thirteen to twenty-fiveand certificates of appreciation to thoseunder twelve. Among the goals of “Ibtikar2008” were developing inventions andnational innovations, highlighting them,evaluating them, and investing in them onan individual basis, with the participationof the public and private sectors. Italso strove to provide guidance, helpknowledge and technology take root andinvest in them, and transform innovationsinto products with an economic return, allof this paving the way for the realisationof comprehensive development in SaudiArabia. 27In November, 2008, Qatar begancelebrating Academic Excellence Daywith the designation of six prizes for highschool graduates, university graduates,holders of doctorates, outstanding teachers,outstanding schools, and scientific researchfor secondary students. 28The Kuwaiti Science Club organised thefirst international exhibition for inventorsin the Middle East in October, 2007. TheKuwaiti Office for Patronage of Inventors,adjunct to the Kuwaiti Science Club, doesfollow-up on Kuwaiti youth, fosteringtheir talents and helping them register andenforce patents. A number of Arab andinternational science agencies took part inthis exhibition, helping many inventors toget acquainted with each other and withthe investors; this was especially importantin view of the fact that marketing is theone problem common to all inventorsaround the world. This exhibition invitedKuwaiti investors to offer support fundsto the inventors by acquainting themselveswith the inventions and choosing those ofuse for manufacture. 29The Syrian Ministry of Economyand Development announced a contestfor the best young inventor for 2008 tobe chosen from among university andinstitute students, as part of a programmefor the dissemination of the culture ofintellectual property and the promotionof creativity and invention. Prizes of over30,000 Syrian liras were earmarked for thecompetition. 30Our review of institutional initiativesreveals actions that truly aspire to strengtheninstitutionalism and fortify the supportingenvironment for the knowledge society.At the same time, however, these actionsplace us in uncharted territory: they neithercover all the domains of knowledge, nordo they reflect a clear policy for doing so.They are, rather, an avant-garde actionin dire need of oversight, consolidation,and expansion so that together they mayindeed contribute to propelling us into theknowledge society.These laudable efforts, despite theirimportant role in spurring and providingfinancial support for contributors to thefield, are disorganised and uncoordinated.Indeed, some of them overlap and repeatthe work of others, leading to a wasteof effort and of the meagre resourcesavailable. Here again, we call for opennessand interaction in order to profit from theexperiences of others. Many countries thathave made progress on the knowledgefront have taken competitiveness intoconsideration in this domain and haveworked on drafting treaties and strategicinitiatives to prepare an appropriateinstitutional atmosphere for the knowledgesociety. In March, 2000, European leadersput forward an agreement known as theLisbon Treaty which aims at makingthe European Union more competitiveand dynamic. The initiative comprisedmany policies and focused on creatingnew job opportunities, bringing together2,010 policy initiatives aimed at utilizingthe possibilities of information andcommunications technology to promoteadditional innovation and productivity inEurope. 31LEGISLATION AS THE WAY TOSUPPORT INSTITUTIONALISMEstablishing the oversight institutionsthat support efforts to establish theknowledge society requires carefullyconfigured regulations and legislation.In a knowledge society, the value ofinstitutions increases in proportion toReview ofinstitutionalinitiatives revealsactions that trulyaspire to strengtheninstitutionalism andfortify the supportingenvironment for theknowledge society.However, theseactions place us inuncharted territory:they neither coverall the domains ofknowledge, nor dothey reflect a clearpolicy for doing soEstablishing theoversight institutionsthat supportefforts to establishthe knowledgesociety requirescarefully configuredregulations andlegislationARAB KNOWLEDGE PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENTS87
BOX 2-3The communications market in the European Union was completelyderegulated in 1998. From that time on, a rapprochement ofcommunications technology and broadcasting via digitalizationin the European Union forced the redrawing of organisationalborders to include “all internet communications and services” in anew organisational framework which came into force in July, 2003.In less than five years this framework was reviewed and broughtup to date.Principal Goals of the Organisational Framework for 2003:Decreasing organisational burdens on companies that provideservices to the information societyMaking sure that all clients, including those with disabilities,have the right to all basic services at reasonable prices(telephone, fax, internet access)Encouraging competition through deregulation of the marketand of the monopoly by some national companies that offerservices like high-speed internetThe reorganisation that the European Commission launchedat the end of 2007 aims at simplifying and systematizing laws byestablishing a single unified European agency to undertake theseregulatory tasks.The European Union is determined to guarantee that citizensand companies benefit from the knowledge society. In 2006 theCommission worked to limit the unwarranted rise in prices for theuse of mobile telephones during travel in other E.U. countries, andit reduced what are known as ‘roaming’ charges by more than sixtyper cent in 2007, followed by further reductions in 2008 and 2009.In the long range, it gives priority to eradicating the “digitalSource: the website of the European Commission: Europe’s Information Societyhttp//ec.europa.eu//information_society/Europe/i2010/ict_and_Lisbon/index_en.htmThe Legal Framework for the European Uniongap.” The E.U. also has numerous initiatives of providing highspeed broadband connections, expanding e-commerce and businessservices to companies, putting public services on the web, andsupporting competence and the competitive potential of all sectorsof industry and service.There are three priorities:Providing companies and citizens access to a large group ofhigh-quality, moderately priced services and utilities of thecommunications infrastructureProviding every citizen the skills necessary to live and work inan information societyProviding life-long access to learning as a fundamental part ofthe European social modelThe organisational authority is an inseparable part of theorganisational framework of electronic communications in theEuropean Union and it takes on its shoulders the reform processwhich must be implemented before the end of 2009.As for the national organisational authorities, among theirfundamental tasks are:Encouraging competition in the domain of electroniccommunications networks and servicesGuaranteeing users the benefit of the greatest degree ofchoice, price, and qualityEncouraging investment in infrastructure development andencouraging innovationEncouraging the active use of wireless and digitalizingresourcesArab legislationremains, forthe most part,insufficient toaddress thequestions andissues of theknowledge societythe legal framework that endows themwith the foundations that guarantee theircontinuity and make them viable in society.The task of legislation is also to provideinstitutions with the tools that allow forself-scrutiny and accountability and thusimpart transparency.The reality, however, is that Arablegislation remains, for the most part,insufficient to address the questionsand issues of the knowledge society,whether by protecting them, as in thecase of property rights, or by supportingthem, or in drafting guidelines fortheir continuity and development. Forexample, Arab countries’ positions varywidely as regards the law of freedomof information published by PrivacyInternational. Some of them findthemselves in the list of countries withan inferior level of laws guaranteeingthis freedom; a large number fall intothe category of countries that have notmade laws governing information; andthree Arab countries are still waiting toimplement these laws, laws which havecome to be taken for granted in free anddeveloped countries.It is incumbent on us to make use ofthis aspect of the experience of moredeveloped countries. In Europe, theLegal Framework for the InformationSociety (LEFIS), was established by theEuropean Union as an internationalresearch project under the “Sixth Frame”programme. The project has more thansixty members, including academic andresearch institutions, companies, lawyers,and European Union public administrationexperts.LEFIS proposes standards forinformation technology and communicationsin schools and law faculties, promotes thestudy of laws and by-laws, and practicesin applied arts centres. The project hasalso applied itself to devising teaching88 ARAB KNOWLEDGE REPORT 2009
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United Nations Development Programm
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This Report has been produced throu
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This year’s report may perhapsbes
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ICT in the Arab countries and reinf
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CONTENTSPREAMBLEIntroductionPrelimi
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Quantitative indicatorsTertiary edu
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LIST OF BOXESBox 1 The Effect of th
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Figure 5-7 Published scientific art
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Table 21 Time devoted to secondary
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The knowledgefield and revolutionto
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The literature onhuman rights place
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Arabic istechnologicallypoor in com
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Intercommunicationwith the self mea
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Table 2CountryGroupGroup 1: Oilecon
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Figure 2504540353025201510508070605
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In the period2003-2007, morethan 83
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eversion, in many cases, is not ass
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Thus the Arab region in general, an
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knowledge over recent years. This w
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However, this progress remains limi
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CHAPTER ONETHE THEORETICAL FRAMEWOR
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The successfuldeployment ofthe know
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The knowledgerevolution atthe end o
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Technology, theeconomy, andsociety,
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No one pursuesknowledge forits own
Page 53 and 54: The Report adoptsa concept ofknowle
Page 55 and 56: The goal of thiscritical review isn
Page 57 and 58: In our bidfor economicand humandeve
Page 59 and 60: The political reformproject remains
Page 61 and 62: Globalisation isdependent oninforma
Page 63 and 64: The battle overknowledge in oursoci
Page 65 and 66: The most obviousexample of the gapb
Page 67 and 68: BOX 1-9The Virtual as an Interrogat
Page 69 and 70: The upsurge intechnologicalprowess
Page 71 and 72: Collective humaneffort must bedirec
Page 73 and 74: End Notes1Epistemic saturation refe
Page 76 and 77: CHAPTER TWOARAB KNOWLEDGE PERFORMAN
Page 78 and 79: current economic crisis in the autu
Page 80 and 81: FIGURE 2-3Perceptions of corruption
Page 82 and 83: technology infrastructure, blogs ar
Page 84 and 85: nations continue to occupy their pr
Page 86 and 87: to the third oil boom, which reache
Page 88 and 89: have realised a degree of progress
Page 90 and 91: FIGURE 2-8Index of global competiti
Page 92 and 93: FIGURE 2-10Net exports of manufactu
Page 94 and 95: namely the spread of poverty, socia
Page 96 and 97: TABLE 2-2Arab Countries according t
Page 98 and 99: while some of these nine countries
Page 100 and 101: and political participation. All of
Page 102 and 103: first INTEL computer club; INTELis
Page 106 and 107: solutions that allow use of the ava
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Page 110: specific cases.These flexibilities
Page 114 and 115: CHAPTER THREEEDUCATION AND THE FORM
Page 116 and 117: FIGURE 3-1Education and human resou
Page 118 and 119: of the qualitative knowledge capita
Page 120 and 121: TABLE 3-1CountryOpportunities for b
Page 122 and 123: Virtually the only area in which Ar
Page 124 and 125: must possess if they aspire to part
Page 126 and 127: TABLE 3-2Opportunities for the form
Page 128 and 129: General secondary education andthe
Page 130 and 131: elatively high enrolment rates of b
Page 132 and 133: Available data shows large discrepa
Page 134 and 135: TABLE 3-3Comparison of overall resu
Page 136 and 137: females. According to this data, to
Page 138 and 139: show educational accomplishments am
Page 140 and 141: inroads well beyond their current f
Page 142 and 143: FIGURE 3-6aMaths performance of eig
Page 144 and 145: BOX 3-8The Contribution of Non-Publ
Page 146 and 147: Kuwait, and the worst performers su
Page 148 and 149: emained encumbered by the prevailin
Page 150 and 151: eveal the breadth of the gap that c
Page 152 and 153: countries and providing a picture o
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information systems. The available
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89Finland, for example, whose stude
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CHAPTER FOURINFORMATION AND COMMUNI
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FIGURE 4-1ICT index values for Arab
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countries and the Arab countries. T
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Arab countries-Egypt, Algeria, Leba
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of Arabic content and its low rate
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exchange of future technology servi
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of national partnerships aimed at s
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TABLE 4-2Readiness of Arab countrie
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as the implementation of programmes
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BOX 4-2Evaluating the Performance o
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of common principles that guarantee
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data from various sources and then
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FIGURE 4-11Paper consumption and in
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processing and the methods and tool
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TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEAND FUTURE INI
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within bounds that do not hinder bu
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preservation and the consolidation
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21As a result of the nature of comp
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CHAPTER FIVEARAB PERFORMANCE IN RES
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FIGURE 5-1Innovation system index f
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The extremely lowamounts spentby Ar
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It has become clearthat the wager o
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Joint researchprojects among Arabsc
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Theoretically, themore researcherst
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Average expenditureon scientific re
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BOX 5-6Jordan’s “A Professor in
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BOX 5-8For the last three decades,
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FIGURE 5-7Published scientific arti
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A review of theperiod from 2002to 2
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Social scienceresearch holds aspeci
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Most Arabic-languageperiodicals in
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Arab societies arefilled with examp
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Human capitalis among Arabcountries
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TABLE 5-12Trade in technological pr
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It is ironic thatalthough the Arabw
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End Notes1UNESCO Institute for Stat
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CHAPTER SIXBUILDING THE KNOWLEDGE S
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The most conspicuousfeature of thek
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A review of nationalplans in the Ar
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The positiveachievements inthe Arab
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One of the keyfoundations of thevis
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Freedom andinstitutionalisationare
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Priorities are subjectto a great de
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If we admit thatlanguage is avehicl
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The major challengelies in changing
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Deployment is linkedto the creation
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The variousproposals includedin thi
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ReferencesReferences in Arabic‘Ab
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the President of the ICRC Expresses
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al-Duwal al-‘Arabiyya, UNESCO’s
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Sen, Amartya. 1999. Development asF
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Castells, Manuel. (1998/2001). LaSo
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the Age of Technology).• Binsa‘
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egional and international levels an
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ANNEX 3. MEASUREMENT OF THE ARABCOU
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indicators that make up the pillar.
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countries’ rankings among the cou
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of the Arab countries and suffer fr
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Freedom House and Heritage Institut
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Endnotes* This annex was prepared b
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STATISTICAL ANNEXGENERAL INDICATORS
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Table 3: Economic IndicatorsCountry
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KNOWLEDGE PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENTST
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Table 7: Press Freedom Index in the
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EDUCATIONTable 9: Adult literacy ra
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Table 11: Gross enrolment ratios in
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Table 13: Adult illiterate populati
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Table 16: Net and gross enrolment i
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Table 18: Lessons in basic educatio
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Table 20: Literacy rates among youn
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Table 22: Evolution of enrolment ra
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Table 24: Student enrolment rates i
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Table 26: Distribution of graduates
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Table 28: Estimated educational lev
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Table 30: Enrolment rates in non-go
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RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONTable 32: Nu
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Table 34: Indicators on research an
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INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHN
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FIGURE b-2Growth in average number
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competition between the internet se
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Table c-4: Ranking of a group of Ar
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United Nations Development Programm
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