1 Information Technology & Economic Development: A Case Study of Ireland Eileen M. Trauth, PhD 2008...

March 2008 Athens University of Economics & Business

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Information Technology & Economic Development: A Case Study of Ireland

Eileen M. Trauth, PhD

2008 Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Gender StudiesAssociate Dean for Diversity, Outreach

& International EngagementDirector, Center for the Information Society

College of Information Sciences & TechnologyThe Pennsylvania State University

[email protected]://cis.ist.psu.edu

mailto:[email protected]

http://cis.ist.psu.edu/



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Agenda

• Conceptualization of information economy

• Research design: model, questions & methodology

• Case study of Ireland’s emergent information economy


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The Information Economy

Information Society

Information Economy

SecondaryInformationSector

Primary InformationSectorHW, SW, systems/servicesContentIT people


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Developing the Components of the Information Economy

• Technological Infrastructure– impact of technological convergence on

telecommunications policy

• Organizational Infrastructure– the evolution of the information resource

• Human Infrastructure– end user/IS professional skills and

knowledge


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Information Economy:Research Interest

Investigating the role of socio-cultural context in the development of a sustainable information economy

Socio-cultural factors examined simultaneously at societal and organizational levels of analysis


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Research Model:Influence-Impact Model of

Technology-Society Interaction

MultinationalSector

Indigenous Sector

Irish InformationEconomy

Infrastructure

Irish Society Irish Society

Public Policy

Economy

Culture Culture

Economy

Infrastructure

Public PolicyInfluence Impact


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Research Questions

How does the socio-cultural context within which the information economy exists help to shape its structure?

How are the effects of an information economy manifested in a society?


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Research ChallengesLinking public policy to the evolution of an information economy

Examining cultural influence in a tangible way

Linking culture to the characteristics of an information economy


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MethodologyEthnographic investigation of Ireland’s emerging information economy at both societal and organizational levels of analysis.

Societal (government, education) Organizational (HW, SW,

systems/services sectors) Multinational firms Indigenous firms


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Data Collection: Interviews(Fulbright 1989-1990)*

Formal and ad hoc interviews with workers and managers in (American and Irish) firms in Irish information sector

Formal interviews with representatives of government & industrial policy agencies

Ad hoc interviews with members of society______

* Dublin City University


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Data Collection: Participant Observation

Participant observation in information sector firms (micro) (1989-1993)

Participant observation in Irish society (macro) (1989-1999)


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Data Collection: Document Analysis

Public policy documents about industrial & information policy

Cultural & historical literature

Contemporary news


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Data Analysis & Interpretation

Grounded Theory: open coding

Interpretation (reflexive)

Triangulationliterature

research communities (global IS, internat’l business)

Member checkingreturn visitsIrish studies research community


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Findings

1. Identification of relevant socio-cultural characteristics

2. Fitting the information economy to the culture

3. The role of public policy in evolution of the information economy

4. Generalizable implications for the information age


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Findings-1: Socio-cultural Characteristics

The Workers

young

educated

middle class

male

family-oriented


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The Workplace

social

interconnected

interpersonal

post-colonial

religious


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The Workplace

productive (‘live to work’ vs ‘work to live’)

late

remote (island mentality, circumspect, confident

collective (tribe, recognition)


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The Workplace

anti-authoritarian

non-hierarchical

non-union


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Findings-2: Fitting the Information

Economy to the Culture young/productive - flexible, enthusiastic, inexperiencededucated - well-rounded, skilled, able to learnreligious/interpersonal/cooperative - caring, helpful, vision of the whole


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Findings-2: Fitting the Information Economy to the Culture

non-industrial/non-hierarchical/late - output vs. input orientation

anti-authoritarian - questioning, creative


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Supporting entrepreneurship and risk

- fear of failure, self-confidence, begrudging

Building wealth

- nonmaterialistic, family priorities


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Removing labor force barriers

- gender, age, social class

Remaining Irish

- cultural identity, cross-cultural

work environment


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Findings-3: Influence of Public Policy

Evolutionary Approach

Environmental Scanning

Adaptive Response

Unintentional


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Stages of Evolution

crisis response: radical change

industrialization by invitation

multinational IT firms

recognition of an information economy


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Environmental Scanning

recognize potential of IT sector

develop societal infrastructures

(education, telecom, trans.)

migrate toward ‘suitable’ IT sub-sectors


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Adaptive Response

1971: computer manufacturing as

‘clean industry’

1982: refine foreign investment scheme

1992: migrate toward software


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Unintentional

industrial (not post-industrial) jobs

not a coherent IT sector

responding to crises

incorporating changes into vision


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Findings-4: Generalizable Implications for the Information Age

Need to understand the characteristics of information work

- facilitating information work

- ensuring a supply of qualified information workers

- managing the information workplace


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Need to leverage socio-cultural characteristics

- recognizing the influence of cultural context

- exploiting distinctive characteristics

- overcoming barriers


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Need to adapt the vision along the way

- reconfiguring industrial and information policy

- adjusting the business climate


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Follow-on ResearchUnderstanding the nature of information work (the creative economy)

Overcoming barriers to underrepresented groups (gender, race, ethnicity, age, social class)

Development of the IT labor force (education, professional development)

Impact of the information economy on society (culture, economy, infrastructure, policy)


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Ireland 2003 +

Methodology• 2003-2006 Science Foundation Ireland,

Walton Visitor Award (Univ. Limerick)

- ethnographic investigation - comparative study of gender• 2005-2007: regional case study of

sustainable knowledge economy - PhD student (Ben Yeo)


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Ireland 2003 +Impact of Information Economy on Irish Society • Culture

– gender – materialism

• Economy– sustaining wealth

• Infrastructure– telecommunications – transportation – educational institutions

• Policy– immigration – discrimination


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Eileen M. Trauth, 2000. The Culture of an Information Economy: Influences & Impacts in the Republic of Ireland. Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Other publications:http://cis.ist.psu.edu



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