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Measuring the information society
INFORMATION
ECONOMICS
AND
POLICY
Book Reviews
Information
82
Economics
and Policy 4 (1989190)
Frederick Williams, ed., Measuring the Information tions, Newbury Park, Ca, 1988) pp. 286
82-97.
North-Holland
Society (Sage Publica-
This book is a welcome addition to the literature on the information society and its growth in the U.S. but the measurement aspect is sketchy. Unlike the Japanese who have been prolific in their research on ‘Johoka Shakai’ (Information Society), American researchers treat the concept as too abstract. The title of the book is somewhat misleading in that measurement methods for application to all information societies are not discussed. The work has a narrower focus and should have been subtitled A Case Study for the State of Texas. In the opening chapter, the editor rightly distinguishes between the support role of information technology and its strategic role in the post-industrial society. The impact of the application of telecommunication technology on the social fabric is deemed as crucial as the economic payoff. Against this general background, the Texas economy, especially its downturn between 1985 and 1987, is examined in the context of an attempted entry into the information age. The only chapter that discusses the measurement of the information economy of Texas is by Heather Hudson and Louis Leung. Its focus is limited to one aspect of Marc Porat’s methodology, namely, the number of information workers in the state. The other, more difficult measurement is the contribution of the Primary and Secondary Information sectors of the state’s gross output using input-ouput transaction matrices. While growth of employment in information-intensive industries is important and has been tracked between 1975 and 1983, no attempt is made to show whether earnings are higher in such jobs. Changing demographics are not directly correlated to ecomonic growth or enhancement in the state’s gross output. Another chapter dealing with the economy of ‘the new Texas’ by James Smith draws various generalizations based on employment data and shifts in occupations but does not measure the information economy. The relationship of occupational change to information technologies is better analyzed by Stephen Reese in chapter 12 of the book which presents a model for examining the contribution of such a relationship to information society. The technopolis concept has been described at great length and is one that has gained recognition in Japan. Its implications for the information society have been spelled out. Its success in Austin, Texas is attributed to the location of MCC (Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation) there in 1983. The selection of Austin is attributed to the university resources, and there is an extensive description of how a consortium of companies was organized to meet the challenge of competition from Japan. By far the best contribution to the book is made by Sharon Stover, who carefully examines the investment in telecommunications infrastructure in four Texas cities and shows how such investment has the potential for promoting 0167-6245/90/$3.50
0
1990, Elsevier
Science
B.V. (North-Holland)
Book Reviews
83
change. New attitudes toward telecommunications have been described in later chapters. For example, the education system in Texas is criticized in chapter 14 for not integrating computer technology into instruction in basic subjects. On the whole the book deals with diverse aspects of information-related policies in the state of Texas but sheds little light on how the information society should be measured. It endorses the view that the information age has brought significant institutional and corporate contributions to the economy of Texas, and identifies the role of the state government in enhancing the competitive strength of information-intensive industries mostly located in Austin. The work will be of interest to non-economists and policy makers who are interested in the rise and decline of the Texas economy but do not look for methods of ‘measuring’ the information society. Meheroo Jussawalla East-West Center Communications Institute Honolulu, HI
Safa Fletcher Luther, The United States and the Direct Broadcast Satellite: The Politics of International Broadcasting in Space (Oxford University Press, New York, 1988) pp. vii + 230.
Because the readership of IEP includes relatively few lawyers, sociologists, and political scientists, Dr. Luther’s study will be of little interest to most readers. Nonetheless, among scholars who are interested in DBS policy, the book may perform a useful service, for it is essentially a literature review of items that deal with the history and institutional arrangements of transborder communications and their regulation. The conceptual basis for the analysis in the book is the Marxist version of mass communications theory. In essence, this point of view interprets most of the major events in the history of communications policy in terms of the quest for profits by established capitalistic interests, usually at the expense of citizens in their own country or nations that are poor and/or non-capitalist. Fortunately, Luther’s book is far more than this; relatively little text is devoted to the author’s own observations of the causes and effects of past policies and current proposals. The vast majority of the text consists of summaries, varying from a few sentences to two or three pages, of a wide variety of articles, books, court decisions, government studies, and assorted other material that deals with transborder information flow, beginning with the invention of the telegraph. With very few exceptions, none of this material deals with economics, and relatively little deals with technology in a comprehensive way. Instead, the material focuses on official documents and the research publications of scholars in sociology, law, social psychology, political science, and mass communications. For the most part, it is a descriptive history of position taking and international negotiations and agreements dealing with radio and television in the twentieth century. In this regard, scholars who seek brief summaries of the
ECONOMICS
AND
POLICY
Book Reviews
Information
82
Economics
and Policy 4 (1989190)
Frederick Williams, ed., Measuring the Information tions, Newbury Park, Ca, 1988) pp. 286
82-97.
North-Holland
Society (Sage Publica-
This book is a welcome addition to the literature on the information society and its growth in the U.S. but the measurement aspect is sketchy. Unlike the Japanese who have been prolific in their research on ‘Johoka Shakai’ (Information Society), American researchers treat the concept as too abstract. The title of the book is somewhat misleading in that measurement methods for application to all information societies are not discussed. The work has a narrower focus and should have been subtitled A Case Study for the State of Texas. In the opening chapter, the editor rightly distinguishes between the support role of information technology and its strategic role in the post-industrial society. The impact of the application of telecommunication technology on the social fabric is deemed as crucial as the economic payoff. Against this general background, the Texas economy, especially its downturn between 1985 and 1987, is examined in the context of an attempted entry into the information age. The only chapter that discusses the measurement of the information economy of Texas is by Heather Hudson and Louis Leung. Its focus is limited to one aspect of Marc Porat’s methodology, namely, the number of information workers in the state. The other, more difficult measurement is the contribution of the Primary and Secondary Information sectors of the state’s gross output using input-ouput transaction matrices. While growth of employment in information-intensive industries is important and has been tracked between 1975 and 1983, no attempt is made to show whether earnings are higher in such jobs. Changing demographics are not directly correlated to ecomonic growth or enhancement in the state’s gross output. Another chapter dealing with the economy of ‘the new Texas’ by James Smith draws various generalizations based on employment data and shifts in occupations but does not measure the information economy. The relationship of occupational change to information technologies is better analyzed by Stephen Reese in chapter 12 of the book which presents a model for examining the contribution of such a relationship to information society. The technopolis concept has been described at great length and is one that has gained recognition in Japan. Its implications for the information society have been spelled out. Its success in Austin, Texas is attributed to the location of MCC (Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation) there in 1983. The selection of Austin is attributed to the university resources, and there is an extensive description of how a consortium of companies was organized to meet the challenge of competition from Japan. By far the best contribution to the book is made by Sharon Stover, who carefully examines the investment in telecommunications infrastructure in four Texas cities and shows how such investment has the potential for promoting 0167-6245/90/$3.50
0
1990, Elsevier
Science
B.V. (North-Holland)
Book Reviews
83
change. New attitudes toward telecommunications have been described in later chapters. For example, the education system in Texas is criticized in chapter 14 for not integrating computer technology into instruction in basic subjects. On the whole the book deals with diverse aspects of information-related policies in the state of Texas but sheds little light on how the information society should be measured. It endorses the view that the information age has brought significant institutional and corporate contributions to the economy of Texas, and identifies the role of the state government in enhancing the competitive strength of information-intensive industries mostly located in Austin. The work will be of interest to non-economists and policy makers who are interested in the rise and decline of the Texas economy but do not look for methods of ‘measuring’ the information society. Meheroo Jussawalla East-West Center Communications Institute Honolulu, HI
Safa Fletcher Luther, The United States and the Direct Broadcast Satellite: The Politics of International Broadcasting in Space (Oxford University Press, New York, 1988) pp. vii + 230.
Because the readership of IEP includes relatively few lawyers, sociologists, and political scientists, Dr. Luther’s study will be of little interest to most readers. Nonetheless, among scholars who are interested in DBS policy, the book may perform a useful service, for it is essentially a literature review of items that deal with the history and institutional arrangements of transborder communications and their regulation. The conceptual basis for the analysis in the book is the Marxist version of mass communications theory. In essence, this point of view interprets most of the major events in the history of communications policy in terms of the quest for profits by established capitalistic interests, usually at the expense of citizens in their own country or nations that are poor and/or non-capitalist. Fortunately, Luther’s book is far more than this; relatively little text is devoted to the author’s own observations of the causes and effects of past policies and current proposals. The vast majority of the text consists of summaries, varying from a few sentences to two or three pages, of a wide variety of articles, books, court decisions, government studies, and assorted other material that deals with transborder information flow, beginning with the invention of the telegraph. With very few exceptions, none of this material deals with economics, and relatively little deals with technology in a comprehensive way. Instead, the material focuses on official documents and the research publications of scholars in sociology, law, social psychology, political science, and mass communications. For the most part, it is a descriptive history of position taking and international negotiations and agreements dealing with radio and television in the twentieth century. In this regard, scholars who seek brief summaries of the