Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

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infrastructure, effort, energy, and resourcesare saved. What have come to be known ascollective laboratories provide prominentexamples of such infrastructure. In theselabs, the same work is carried out in differentlocations and the pace of research isfacilitated through the use of informationand communication technologies, whichcomplement the distributed researchefforts. This reduces wasted effort, energy,and resources and enhances the potentialfor cooperation and complementarity forinnovation.This revolution has brought us highlevels of production, as well as continuallytearing down the relationships inheritedfrom the first and second industrialrevolutions. Simultaneously, it has broughtus continuous tension and uncertainty. Allthat was once solid vanishes like smoke,and new scientific ideas and discoveriesbecome obsolete before they are able tomature and take root.There are those who believe thattechnology is merely the applicationof scientific knowledge. This belief hasgained strength through its associationwith profit, since technology in its currentmanifestations has been viewed merelyas a means to realise specific gains andbenefits. For this reason, the importationof technologies is always defended on thebasis that they are no more than neutralmeans to an end. This is not only anArab way of thinking, it is popular in theWest as well, many Western philosopherstaking the same position on technology.It is only recently that technology hasbecome a philosophical question initself: “Technique is a kind of knowing”(Heidegger, 1958, in French). Mechanism,in its contemporary meaning, is not merelyan application of science (except in so faras it contains mathematical calculations),but encompasses a certain theory andembodies it. Mathematics is the field ofknowledge through which practice tooka mechanistic character. Science itselfbecame mathematical only because of itslink with the desire for knowledge andcontrol over nature.Today, therefore, technology hasbecome one of the manifestations ofexistence, and our age has indeedbecome the “age of technology.” Diversemanifestations spring from the technologythat moulds so many of the outwardexpressions of our lives, most prominentamong them the homogenization of lifestyles and thought, the industrialisationof technological, cultural and touristactivity, the dislocation of place and time,the loss of a sense of closeness, excessiveconsumption and consumerism, planningand programming, the depletion ofnatural resources and formation of hugeenergy reserves. These manifestations andcharacteristics define the role of technologyin standardisation and homogenization,while at the same time revealing the mainfeatures of new questions that we arecalled upon to construct and solve (‘Abdal-Salam bin ‘abd al-‘Ali, background paperfor the Report, in Arabic).We live in the midst of a newtechnological revolution, whose impacttouches the ways in which life andknowledge are organised and hasgenerated an unprecedented efflorescenceof knowledge. As we know, digitaltechnology has produced new, apparentlylimitless means to store knowledge. TheInternet has created a revolutionaryenlargement of our mental capabilities, asin the fields of memory, representation,and innovation. However, in the opinionof some, increasing reliance on themachine and dependence on it when calledupon to remember weakens the memoryitself, which maintains its functionalitythrough use. Apprehension is rising inthe knowledge society over new formsof technology and their effects on ourpsychological skills and ability to work.We cannot separate knowledge frompower. The technological boom thatcreated many aspects of “virtual reality”gives those involved new means to controlthe world. “The United States and WesternEurope together own by far the largestshare of knowledge technologies andmonitor all global systems. They monitorWe live in themidst of a newtechnologicalrevolution, whoseimpact touches theways in which lifeand knowledgeare organisedTechnology hasbecome one of themanifestations ofexistence, and ourage has indeedbecome the “ageof technology”We cannot separateknowledgefrom powerTHE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: CONCEPTS AND PROBLEMATICS OF THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETY51
The upsurge intechnologicalprowess hasraised a numberof complex issues,most significant ofthem its effect onthe system of ethicsand the future ofsocietal valuesThere is aconsensus thatknowledge societiesare linked to thebasic system ofhuman values offreedom, equality,justice, solidarity,and respect forcultural diversityThe need for a newcode of ethics forthe knowledgesociety cannotbe deniedthe financial, economic, media andinformation systems, the systems by whichknowledge and expertise are transferredand armies and military material moved.They monitor strategic points of entryand exit, controlling the global monetarymarkets, the markets for primary andmanufactured goods, the entertainmentmarkets, and the worlds of virtual education;in fact, they are trying to establish a single,universal style for the world in behaviour,clothing, and taste” (Muhammad Sabila,2007, in Arabic).We are not portraying here a fantasyoctopus. However, in the manifestations ofthe current and continuing technologicalrevolution we see a world still developing,some of the aspects of which arepredictable while others remain to bediscovered. Our abilities to see the bigpicture and project the likely results havebecome limited in a world changing too fastto respond to. We may need to maintaincaution in our relationship with technologyin order to succeed in our new relationshipwith ourselves and with our new tools in aworld that we are fashioning. The pace ofthis world is too fast for us to absorb, andwe will become its victims if we do notmanage our affairs vigilantly, wisely, andwith insight.THE KNOWLEDGE SOCIETYAND THE LEGITIMACY OF ANEW ETHICAL CODEThe upsurge in technological prowess inhuman societies has raised a number ofcomplex issues, most significant of themthe effect this has had on the system ofethics and the future of societal values.While values systems have interactedwith the challenges unleashed by changeand development throughout history,they have also restricted the impactof transformations generative of newrealities and questions, since processesof adaptation and acclimation must takeplace before such shifts can have impacton value systems.Certainly, the ethical question isbecoming increasingly complex in theknowledge society. It has manifesteditself in the many aspects of life wherecontradictions and new forms of conflictare rife, such as the question of genderequality, and issues of migrant labor andmigration, combating terrorism, violence,corruption, and organised crime. Thisis particularly the case on the internet,where new crimes such as banking fraud,violations of personal data, copyrightviolations, and the repercussions ofvirtual reality, have arisen as a result ofpermeation by the systems and symbols ofthe knowledge society.In addition, the scientific revolution hasraised issues about innovations in geneticengineering (UNESCO, 2005, in French),for humanity finds itself confronted byethical issues that the values of the pasthave no ways to address or solve (CentreEurope-Tiers Monde, 2007, in French).Environmental ethics, which have becomepart of our new view of the world (UNDP,2007c, in Arabic) and the ethics of newknowledge systems call for the rethinkingof the concepts of freedom, equality,security, and trust, concepts that in thepast had specific meanings and now mustbe rebuilt to meet the needs of the changesoccurring in knowledge societies.True, there is a consensus amonginternational institutions that seek toinfluence aspects of these on-goingchanges to the effect that knowledgesocieties are linked to the basic system ofhuman values of freedom, equality, justice,solidarity, and respect for cultural diversity.True too, these values are spelled out insuccessive human rights charters, makingthem a foundation of the new code ofvalues. Nevertheless, we must ask: Are thesignifications and appeals to be found in theletter and the spirit of these rights chartersenough, or must we strive to include thevariables that arise under the influence ofthe knowledge and information revolutionand thus establish values that fit the currentreality?Inherited philosophical meaning in theage of enlightenment awarded a specific52 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
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 and 52: 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: BOX 1-9The Virtual as an Interrogat
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 104 and 105: from the ages of thirteen to twenty
Page 106 and 107: solutions that allow use of the ava
Page 108 and 109: to this trajectory, a consumer, not
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
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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
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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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