Global Launch of the 2019 Network Readiness Index

The Portulans Institute and the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) are pleased to invite you to attend the Global Launch of the 2019 Network Readiness Index and Report.

Join us on December 18th, 4:00 pm to 5:45 pm CEST, at the Graduate Institute Geneva, for the launch of the NRI 2019. This event commemorates the launch of the 2019 Network Readiness Index (NRI), sharing this year’s results. The NRI, first launched in 2002 by the World Economic Forum, has been redesigned by its co-editors, Soumitra Dutta and Bruno Lanvin, to reflect how technology and people need to be integrated within an effective governance structure in order to have the right impact on our economy, society and the environment.

The redesigned NRI ranks a total of 121 economies based on their performances across 62 variables, and recognizes the pervasiveness of digital technologies in today’s networked world and therefore rests on four fundamental dimensions: Technology, People, Governance and Impact. This holistic approach means that the NRI covers issues ranging from future technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to the role of the digital economy in reaching the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Speakers:

Prof. Bruno Lanvin, Portulans Institute co-founder, and Executive Director for Global Indices at INSEAD
Prof. Soumitra Dutta, Portulans Institute co-founder, Professor of Management and Former Founding Dean SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University and Founding Co-Editor, Global Information Technology Report (NRI)
Chrystiane Roy, First Secretary, Permanent Mission of Canada in Geneva
James (Jim) Poisant, Secretary-General, WITSA
Irene Mia, Global Editorial Director, the Economist Intelligence Unit (tbc)

The NRI 2019 is a publication by Portulans Institute, in partnership with the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA).

About the NRI:

The Network Readiness Index (NRI) was first published in 2002 and provided a holistic framework for assessing the multi-faceted impact of ICT on society and the development of nations. Until 2016, the NRI was part of the Global Information Technology Report (GITR) published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), Cornell University and INSEAD. The NRI was forward-looking. It anticipated many of the aspects that would become critical in the following years. Early on, the NRI identified the three key stakeholders for ICT: individuals/society, businesses, and governments, and included elements of ICT application that were novel for the time — for example, a focus on the political environment and quality of regulations. At a time when the primary concerns in ICT revolved around infrastructure issues, the NRI provided a forward-looking and holistic perspective on the application of ICT within national economies.

The NRI rapidly developed into an influential global benchmark for the application and utilization of ICT. Many economies utilized the NRI to design their ICT strategies, and the NRI was used and frequently quoted by leaders from the public and private sectors. Over the ensuing two decades, the NRI framework underwent one major revision, which allowed an explicit focus on the impact of ICT. Despite the challenges inherent in collecting data from more than 120 economies, the NRI chose to retain its extensive global coverage and evolved into a trusted global benchmark of the use of ICT for development and competitiveness.

Earlier this year, due to some internal re-organizations and changed priorities, the WEF handed over the production of the NRI to Soumitra Dutta and Bruno Lanvin. This provided an opportune moment to revisit the NRI framework and make it future-ready. Over the last decade, ICT has become more integrated with our lives than we could have ever anticipated. This has in turn raised important issues of trust, governance, and impact that have become critical in recent years.

About the Portulans Institute:

Founded in 2019 by Soumitra Dutta, Bruno Lanvin, and Carolina Rossini, the Portulans Institute (PI) is an independent nonprofit, nonpartisan research and educational institute based in Washington, D.C. Our areas of expertise include technology competitiveness, innovation readiness, and people and global talent. Our mission includes:

To develop cross-community knowledge and dialogue on how people, technology and innovation contribute to sustainable and inclusive growth.
To inform policymakers by producing independent, rigorous metrics and data-based research.
To collaborate with private sector leaders in driving a business agenda that invests in people, technology, and innovation for a prosperous common future.
To host and co-organize events and conferences on the above issues affecting human-centric sustainable economic prosperity.

About WITSA:

The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) is the leading recognized international voice of the global ICT industry, whose members from over 80 countries and economies represent more than 90 percent of the global ICT market. WITSA’s vision is “Fulfilling the Promise of the Digital Age.” When everyone on Earth has access to and is benefiting from ICT, WITSA’s vision will be realized. WITSA is dedicated to advocating policies that advance industry growth and development, facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services, strengthening WITSA’s national industry associations and providing members with a broad network of professional contacts.

WITSA members are leaders in a globally interconnected marketplace. Because the challenges facing the ICT industry are undisputedly global in nature, WITSA members work together to achieve a shared vision on important issues of common interest. WITSA makes it possible for its members — ranging from Mongolia and Argentina to Kenya and the United States — to identify common issues and priorities, exchange valuable information and present a united position on industry issues.