General participation as a precondition for knowledge-based development: universal regularities and Latvia’s case Prof. Edvins Karnitis Expert Latvia’s Commission of Strategic Analysis Subcommittee of Saeima on Monitoring the Implementation of the National Development Plan

Knowledge Business Technological excellence Public services Quality of life I n f o r m a ti o n Education research Innovation ICT tools and services Enabler Catalyst RESOURCEGOAL Information society = knowledge-based development information knowledge wisdom

ICT tools & services Information Knowledge Growth InnovationEconomy Processing Transformation Use Productivity Growth Support EU25: 40% of productivity growth and 25% of GDP growth is achieved due to ICT ICT – growth catalyst Investments Sources: Eurostat, WEF

People First A human-centred knowledge-based growth model approved by Saeima (Parliament), October 2005

Resource: knowledge People: educated, wise and creative Acquisition Welfare, security, sustainability Research & development Innovation, technological excellence Creation Usage Keeping Development Exploitation NDP: a mid-term implementation programme Results of applied research Demand Motivation Financial supply Quality & quantity

Latvia today: impressive growth, progress in innovation Sources: Eurostat, WEF

ICT and innovation: unutilised potential so far Sources: Eurostat, CSB

knowledge creation and transfer; also everyday improvements; in any sector, region and job; material motivation – profitability; selective support of innovative business (taxes, investment and export support, etc.); cooperation with research institutions; creative industries: integration in the economics; To motivate business: innovation Source: LIDA

programmes for market oriented research; commercialisation of results; cooperation with industries; basic science in priority areas; renewal of research community; material motivation – remuneration system; psychological motivation – academic career, patents; To motivate academic society: applied research Source: LIDA

Society about knowledge: strongly understanding, moderately interested, underinformed and insufficiently active Source: Eurobarometer, 2006

Renewal of highly skilled human resources Sources: Eurostat, MS&E

Education: from several guru to mass-production of knowledge potential qualitative basic, compulsory secondary, competitive and publicly accessible tertiary education; higher level specialists, master and doctoral degrees; life-long learning for everybody; from brain donor country to brain beneficiary country; Source: Eurostat

Motivation to learn: employment and earnings Source: Eurostat

Usage of online public services Source: Eurostat

Internet access in households Sources: Eurostat, CSB

Motivation for access: supply of online services Sources: ITU, Eurostat

Computer literacy Sources: Eurostat, CSB

deeper integration of the Baltic Sea Region: political, legal and economic aspects; active function of metropolises – real knowledge hubs; Hanseatic League; strengthening capacity and competitiveness of Riga; Riga as a knowledge gateway, transfer of Riga’s excellence and potential to towns; Baltic Sea region and polycentric development towns as the knowledge, business, social and culture centre of surroundings; virtual enterprises and e-work – the base for development of rural areas;

Public opinion study: in general, things are going in the right or in the wrong direction? Source: Eurobarometer, 2006