Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

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the individual and collective identity (theindividual, the citizen, the human being,the group) that seeks to preserve its lifeamidst the sweeping transformations inknowledge. This tension between the“network” and the “self ” produces newforms of social conflict, of which knowledgeis a salient feature. Humanity faces, in placeof class conflict, a conflict in whichnetworks, with their multiple symbolicbases, play a dominant role in feeding andmarshalling its main features. Thus, Castellsstresses the roles played by new social andcultural movements, such as students’ andfeminist movements, the peace movementand environmental movements. There issomething in these different movements,as in the collapse of the socialist blockand its continuing repercussions, as wellas in the retreat of the symbolic power ofthe patriarchal system within the familyand in society at large, that reflects thecontradictions ignited by the informationage.From this perspective, the importanceof the networked society concept isrepresented by the social and informationalaxes. Because Castells highlights the roleof information in our age, information,viewed as the product of technologicalsystems and biological models, is hisparadigm for the new world. Thus thenetwork becomes an expression of acomplex activity; it resembles the humangenome strand supported by knowledge,by advanced, that is, and very precisemathematical data. Accepting the networkconcept means accepting that technology,and specifically information technology,lie behind social organisation. In Castells’words, “information” capitalism becomesthe alternative for what Marx in thenineteenth century called “industrialcapitalism.”The Internet has become the primaryinternational vehicle for conveying ideas;indeed, it has the power to globalisethe world (Castells, 2002, in French).It has helped destabilise all tools ofcommunication and has restructured theirarchitecture, their uses, and their modes ofproduction. At the same time, they havechanged how work is conducted and howauthority and control are exercised.The Internet is now the largest registryof reference information for all areasof knowledge. In addition, its networksprovide interactive possibilities throughoutthe fabric of society through rapid digitalmechanisms. As a result, the “place” in thenetworked society is not physical but isequivalent to “flows.” Capital flows and theabundant information made available onthe internet have no relation to a specificplace; they are in a “non-place” that issynonymous with all places. Furthermore,“time,” according to Castells, is “nontime,”since it is no longer connected tothe clock that, in the industrial age, definedits role. In the networked society, time is asort of vessel that allows us to be in severalplaces at once.THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY:TOWARDS EXPANDINGCHOICES FOR RENAISSANCEAND DEVELOPMENTThe 2005 UNESCO Report adopted theconcept of the knowledge society in theplural, as “knowledge societies,” viewingthis as the most appropriate term forthe changes taking place in a world ofwhich technology forms the cornerstone,and the central manifestations of whosegeneral structure are the new economyand communication networks. Themanifestations and epiphanies of thelatter are, in their turn, reflected in humanrealities, confronting humanity with newchallenges and questions. This highlightsthe importance of broadening thesignifications of the term to embrace all thechanges and social challenges influencedby this new perspective, or, perhaps moreaccurately, this new world.The importance of expanding thesignifications of the “knowledge” in“knowledge society” requires that theconcept no longer be restricted to thescientific and technological dimensions,as it clearly is in the indices and indicators“The Internet hasbecome the primaryinternational vehiclefor conveyingideas; indeed, ithas the power toglobalise the world”CastellsExpanding thesignifications ofthe “knowledge”in “knowledgesociety” requiresthat the concept nolonger be restrictedto the scientificand technologicaldimensionsTHE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: CONCEPTS AND PROBLEMATICS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY35
The Report adoptsa concept ofknowledge thatis broad enoughto encompassthe link betweenknowledgeand humandevelopmentKnowledgeacquisition,production,indigenisation anddeployment is atool and goal forall levels of societyequally and involvesall of its fieldsrelated to the knowledge-based economypopular in some literature, such as thereports of the World Bank. While it is truethat scientific knowledge is important, thescope of knowledge is broader than that.A more inclusive perspective on humanknowledge is called for, one that does notexclude the humanities and other sciencesrelated to aesthetics, values, and the arts,one that excludes none of the symbolicproduct that fashions humanity’s wisdomand infinite capacity for invention, and formaterial and symbolic production.Expansion of the significations of theterm “knowledge” makes the conceptof the knowledge society better able toembrace several aspects of humanity’stheoretically recognised competence. Theinterdependence and interaction amongthese aspects are no longer in dispute, sincethe capacity for rational thought is equal tothe potential of the imagination, and sinceepistemological synthesis is an act thatincludes the outcome of the human effortto understand and innovate (UNESCO,2005, in French). What makes it desirable toexpand these significations is the tendencyof certain reports by some internationalorganisations to impose knowledge datalinked to certain specific societies. A criticalexamination of the indices and indicatorsfashioned by the World Bank on the subjectof the knowledge society and knowledgeeconomies, for example, reveals that theunit of analysis in these reports is based ondata from Western Europe and the UnitedStates. How can terms be transferred andgeneralised to other social paradigms thatwere not under consideration at the timewhen the research was conducted and theterms constructed? How, in fact, can theeconomy or the enabling environment forthe knowledge society be reformedwithout a precise diagnosis of theforms of knowledge accumulation and theknowledge gaps linked to the Arab reality?The knowledge society, sometimesreferred to as the “digital society,” isa collective project. It is more thanits instruments and its networks.Furthermore, the state of Arab knowledge,with its multiple gaps, calls upon us todefine a vision that will help us preparethe appropriate points of entry to therequirements of Arab knowledge as itnow is. In this regard, we believe thatthe concern for knowledge innate in theArab renaissance project, and especially inthose of its dimensions devoted to culturalenlightenment, is part and parcel of theorientation of this report.This report adopts a comprehensivevision for an Arab knowledge society.It seeks to build a society in whichknowledge is a product of the union ofinformation technology, experience, andthe capacity to govern with an eye to thewise use of resources, exploitation of themeans available to attain renaissance, andan ability to seize the achievements ofhuman development. The Report adopts aconcept of knowledge that is broad enoughto encompass the link between knowledgeand human development. It seeks toexpand options and opportunities availableto the individual Arab and to achieve forhim or her freedom and an honourablelife. Knowledge—whether we are talkingin terms of its acquisition, production,indigenisation or deployment—thusbecomes a tool and goal for all levels ofsociety equally and involves all of its fields,from the scientific, technical, cultural,and traditional to that of accumulatedcommunity wisdom.THE BASIC FRAME OFREFERENCE FOR THEKNOWLEDGE SOCIETYThe intellectual frames of referenceand philosophical underpinnings thatencompass the system of fundamentalassumptions underlying the reportsof international organisations on theknowledge society must be made explicit,since these establish the latter’s goals,indicators, and working strategies. Evenif these reports are, on the whole, issuedin a neutral language, rely on quantitativemethods, and are careful to benefit inthe construction of their data from the36 ARAB KNOWLEDGE REPORT 2009
Page 1 and 2: United Nations Development Programm
Page 3 and 4: This Report has been produced throu
Page 5 and 6: This year’s report may perhapsbes
Page 7 and 8: ICT in the Arab countries and reinf
Page 9 and 10: CONTENTSPREAMBLEIntroductionPrelimi
Page 11 and 12: Quantitative indicatorsTertiary edu
Page 13 and 14: LIST OF BOXESBox 1 The Effect of th
Page 15 and 16: Figure 5-7 Published scientific art
Page 17 and 18: Table 21 Time devoted to secondary
Page 19 and 20: The knowledgefield and revolutionto
Page 21 and 22: The literature onhuman rights place
Page 23 and 24: Arabic istechnologicallypoor in com
Page 25 and 26: Intercommunicationwith the self mea
Page 27 and 28: Table 2CountryGroupGroup 1: Oilecon
Page 29 and 30: Figure 2504540353025201510508070605
Page 31 and 32: In the period2003-2007, morethan 83
Page 34 and 35: eversion, in many cases, is not ass
Page 36 and 37: Thus the Arab region in general, an
Page 38 and 39: knowledge over recent years. This w
Page 40 and 41: However, this progress remains limi
Page 42: CHAPTER ONETHE THEORETICAL FRAMEWOR
Page 45 and 46: The successfuldeployment ofthe know
Page 47 and 48: The knowledgerevolution atthe end o
Page 49 and 50: Technology, theeconomy, andsociety,
Page 51: No one pursuesknowledge forits own
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
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first INTEL computer club; INTELis
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from the ages of thirteen to twenty
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solutions that allow use of the ava
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to this trajectory, a consumer, not
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specific cases.These flexibilities
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CHAPTER THREEEDUCATION AND THE FORM
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FIGURE 3-1Education and human resou
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of the qualitative knowledge capita
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TABLE 3-1CountryOpportunities for b
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Virtually the only area in which Ar
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must possess if they aspire to part
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TABLE 3-2Opportunities for the form
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General secondary education andthe
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elatively high enrolment rates of b
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Available data shows large discrepa
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TABLE 3-3Comparison of overall resu
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females. According to this data, to
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show educational accomplishments am
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inroads well beyond their current f
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FIGURE 3-6aMaths performance of eig
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BOX 3-8The Contribution of Non-Publ
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Kuwait, and the worst performers su
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emained encumbered by the prevailin
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eveal the breadth of the gap that c
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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
Page 174 and 175:
TABLE 4-2Readiness of Arab countrie
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as the implementation of programmes
Page 178 and 179:
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
Page 205 and 206:
Joint researchprojects among Arabsc
Page 207 and 208:
Theoretically, themore researcherst
Page 209 and 210:
Average expenditureon scientific re
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BOX 5-6Jordan’s “A Professor in
Page 213 and 214:
BOX 5-8For the last three decades,
Page 215 and 216:
FIGURE 5-7Published scientific arti
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A review of theperiod from 2002to 2
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Social scienceresearch holds aspeci
Page 221 and 222:
Most Arabic-languageperiodicals in
Page 223 and 224:
Arab societies arefilled with examp
Page 225 and 226:
Human capitalis among Arabcountries
Page 227 and 228:
TABLE 5-12Trade in technological pr
Page 229 and 230:
It is ironic thatalthough the Arabw
Page 231 and 232:
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
Page 241 and 242:
The positiveachievements inthe Arab
Page 243 and 244:
One of the keyfoundations of thevis
Page 245 and 246:
Freedom andinstitutionalisationare
Page 247 and 248:
Priorities are subjectto a great de
Page 249 and 250:
If we admit thatlanguage is avehicl
Page 251 and 252:
The major challengelies in changing
Page 253 and 254:
Deployment is linkedto the creation
Page 255 and 256:
The variousproposals includedin thi
Page 258 and 259:
ReferencesReferences in Arabic‘Ab
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the President of the ICRC Expresses
Page 262 and 263:
al-Duwal al-‘Arabiyya, UNESCO’s
Page 264 and 265:
Sen, Amartya. 1999. Development asF
Page 266:
Castells, Manuel. (1998/2001). LaSo
Page 269 and 270:
the Age of Technology).• Binsa‘
Page 271 and 272:
egional and international levels an
Page 274 and 275:
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
Page 288 and 289:
STATISTICAL ANNEXGENERAL INDICATORS
Page 290 and 291:
Table 3: Economic IndicatorsCountry
Page 292 and 293:
KNOWLEDGE PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENTST
Page 294 and 295:
Table 7: Press Freedom Index in the
Page 296 and 297:
EDUCATIONTable 9: Adult literacy ra
Page 298 and 299:
Table 11: Gross enrolment ratios in
Page 300 and 301:
Table 13: Adult illiterate populati
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Table 16: Net and gross enrolment i
Page 304 and 305:
Table 18: Lessons in basic educatio
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Table 20: Literacy rates among youn
Page 308 and 309:
Table 22: Evolution of enrolment ra
Page 310 and 311:
Table 24: Student enrolment rates i
Page 312 and 313:
Table 26: Distribution of graduates
Page 314 and 315:
Table 28: Estimated educational lev
Page 316 and 317:
Table 30: Enrolment rates in non-go
Page 318 and 319:
RESEARCH AND INNOVATIONTable 32: Nu
Page 320 and 321:
Table 34: Indicators on research an
Page 322 and 323:
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHN
Page 324 and 325:
FIGURE b-2Growth in average number
Page 326 and 327:
competition between the internet se
Page 328 and 329:
Table c-4: Ranking of a group of Ar
Page 332:
United Nations Development Programm
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