Realities and opportunities in the global information economy

Abstract

Based on a paper delivered at the March 7, 1988 FLICC forum on “Federal Information Policies: The Impact on Competitiveness,” this article addresses the increase in Foreign Direct Investment in the United States information industry. The presence of foreign companies in the United States—and the converse—reflects the international economic realities and their contributions to the well-being of the host countries. The injection of foreign ownership into the debate over the privatization of Federal agencies, in general, and of the National Technical Information Service, in particular, has deflected attention from the critical domestic concerns of economic efficiency and operational optimization. Only through promoting the international exchange of information—within the context of a much-needed national information policy—can the United States recapture control over its economic destiny.