Measuring ICT usage quality for information society building

Abstract

In 2003 the World Summit on Information Society made a call for measuring the state of Information Society (IS) building between countries. The purpose of the measuring was to assess and compare IS practices around the globe as well as share best practices. A number of measurement tools have since been developed, and a number of previously constructed tools have been employed to fulfil this goal. Even though many variations in terms of indicators have been employed, the construction of measurement tools is subject to certain limitations. One limitation is that they do not incorporate these indicators on the actual levels of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) usage off the country's stakeholders. This paper analyses the most currently used indices for measuring the state of Information Society building from the perspective of their constituent indicators. Based on the analysis, an alternative framework for IS measurement, addressing the important aspects of ICT usage quality, is developed based on data from the EU member states. By applying the framework on measuring of ICT usage quality at Romania, Cyprus and Estonia, the usefulness is tested positive, and the need to evaluate the actual levels of ICT usage for the purpose of better policy-making, while establishing an information society, is accentuated.