1.1: The Networked Readiness Index 2014
Box 3: Challenges faced by BRICS economies to fully leverage ICTs
Since the beginning of the worst financial and economic
crisis of the past 80 years, the global economy has
experienced a change in its traditional growth patterns.
Advanced economies exhibited negative or sluggish
growth, while emerging markets, and notably the BRICS
economies—Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China,
and South Africa—continued to show robust growth.
Several different reasons may explain these growth patterns
for emerging markets; among them are the development
of stronger domestic markets, an increase in the price of
commodities, and access to more and better financing
thanks to higher capital in-flows.
Notwithstanding this progress of the BRICS, we have
recently observed that many of these emerging economies
are experiencing difficulties in maintaining the rapid economic
growth of these past years. Many of the favorable conditions
fueling that growth have begun to fade away; this can
have consequences not only for these particular countries,
but—given their size and increasing importance in an
interconnected world—also for the global economy.
In order to support sustained and stable growth in the
long term, emerging markets must increase their levels of
productivity, which they can do in two ways: by introducing
the necessary reforms that will improve the functioning
of their markets and boost their innovation potential, and
by better leveraging their digital ecosystems. In terms of
the latter, an analysis of the Networked Readiness Index
(NRI) results for the past years shows that, in general, little
progress has been achieved.
Figure A: The NRI in BRICS economies, 2012 and 2014
1. Political and
regulatory environment
7
10. Social
impacts
2. Business and innovation
environment
6
5
4
9. Economic
impacts
3. Infrastructure
and digital
content
3
2
1
8. Government
usage
4. Affordability
7. Business
usage
5. Skills
6. Individual usage
BRICS 2012
BRICS 2014
Source: Authors’ calculations.
Table A: The NRI in BRICS economies, 2012 and 2014
BRAZIL
Networked Readiness Index
RUSSIAN FEDERATION
INDIA
CHINA
SOUTH AFRICA
2012
2014
2012
2014
2012
2014
2012
2014
2012
2014
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
Rank Value
65
3.9
69
4.0
56
4.0
50
4.3
69
3.9
83
3.8
51
4.1
62
4.1
72
3.9
70
4.0
101
3.5
116
3.4
100
3.5
87
3.8
78
3.7
91
3.8
64
3.9
77
3.9
34
4.6
31
4.8
1. Political and
regulatory environment
77
3.6
78
3.6
102
3.2
100
3.4
71
3.7
73
3.6
46
4.1
56
4.0
23
4.9
20
5.0
2. Business and
innovation environment
121
3.5
135
3.3
83
3.8
73
4.2
91
3.8
103
3.9
105
3.7
115
3.8
50
4.4
53
4.5
72
4.7
76
4.7
32
5.4
37
5.5
64
4.8
85
4.6
66
4.8
73
4.8
94
4.1
98
4.2
3. Infrastructure and
digital content
68
4.0
56
4.5
40
4.8
47
4.8
100
3.2
119
2.7
87
3.5
86
3.5
82
3.6
68
4.2
4. Affordability
67
5.3
91
5.0
17
6.2
14
6.4
1
6.9
1
7.0
42
5.7
60
5.6
94
4.6
112
4.0
5. Skills
86
4.7
91
4.6
53
5.2
64
5.1
100
4.3
101
4.0
57
5.2
59
5.2
101
4.3
97
4.3
54
3.8
47
4.1
60
3.7
53
4.1
78
3.4
91
3.4
51
3.8
61
3.9
76
3.4
70
3.7
6. Individual usage
66
3.3
59
4.2
52
3.9
46
4.6
117
2.0
121
2.1
82
2.9
80
3.3
96
2.6
78
3.4
7. Business usage
33
4.0
41
3.9
83
3.4
84
3.4
47
3.8
51
3.8
37
4.0
44
3.9
34
4.0
30
4.2
8. Government usage
59
4.0
54
4.3
71
3.7
61
4.1
46
4.3
41
4.5
33
4.6
38
4.6
89
3.6
103
3.6
53
3.7
57
3.6
73
3.4
44
3.9
52
3.7
60
3.6
41
4.0
56
3.7
81
3.3
89
3.3
9. Economic impacts
52
3.5
64
3.3
53
3.4
41
3.6
41
3.6
50
3.5
79
3.2
81
3.1
59
3.4
49
3.5
10. Social impacts
54
3.9
58
3.9
89
3.4
41
4.3
65
3.8
73
3.7
30
4.8
44
4.2
98
3.3
113
3.0
Environment subindex
Readiness subindex
Usage subindex
Impact subindex
(Cont’d)
© 2014 World Economic Forum
The Global Information Technology Report 2014 | 21