The Global Digital Economy: A Comparative Policy Analysis

302 Pages·2015·2.1 MB·English

by  Carin Holroyd

The Global
Digital Economy

The Global
Digital Economy
A Comparative Policy Analysis
Carin Holroyd and Ken Coates
Copyright 2015 Cambria Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced
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This book has been registered with the Library of Congress.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-60497-891-9 (alk. paper)
Table of Contents
List of Figures............................................................... vii
List of Tables................................................................. ix
Acknowledgements.......................................................... xi
Introduction: Government and the Realities of the New
Economy.............................................................. 1
Chapter 1: The Second Wave of the Digital Revolution................ 17
Chapter 2: The Contours of the Digital-Content Economy............ 63
Chapter 3: Government, National Innovation Strategies, and the
Emergence of the Digital-Content Sector.................. 121
Chapter 4: Major Initiatives in the Content Revolution............... 153
Chapter 5: Digital Futures................................................ 191
Chapter 6: Conclusion and Policy Recommendations................. 219
Bibliography................................................................ 241
Index......................................................................... 277

List of Figures
Figure 1: Distribution of Internet users, 2000–2012 .................... 47
Figure 2: Broadband prices versus speed, 2012 ......................... 48
Figure 3: Internet users by language, 2011 .............................. 49
Figure 4: Internet users around the world ...............................49
Figure 5: Internet users by region ........................................50
Figure 6: Mobile-phone subscriptions around the world, 2004–
2013 ................................................................50
Figure 7: Internet users around the world, 2004–2013 ................. 51
Figure 8: US device ownership over time ............................... 52
Figure 9: Mobile share of noncomputer device traffic ................. 55
Figure 10: Noncomputer traffic share by devices .......................57
Figure 11: App downloads and usage by country ...................... 58
Figure 12: Reasons for in-app purchases, 2011 ........................ 110
Figure 13: Mobile-game spending, 2011 ................................ 111
Figure 14: Countries’ wireless broadband subscriptions,
2013 ............................................................. 144
viii The Global Digital Economy
Figure 15: Percentage of fiber connections in total broadband
subscriptions, 2013 ............................................147