The UK’s Digital Road to strongRecoverystrong - ITIF.pdfVIP

l s e e n t e rp ri s e lt d. t h e i n fo rm at i o n t e c h n o l o gy a n d i n n o vat i o n fo u n d at i o n The UK’s Digital Road to Recovery by jonathan liebenau, robert atkinson, patrik kärrberg, daniel castro and stephen ezell | april 2009 Spurring investments in ising unemployment in the UK threatens the welfare of hun- ICT infrastructure not dreds of thousands of individuals, and exacerbates the current only can provide an im- Reconomic crisis. Spurring investment in the UK’s infrastruc- portant short-term boost ture is an effective immediate strategy to compensate for the downturn. to the UK economy; it However, while investments to improve the country’s traditional physical also can lay the ground- infrastructure (roads, bridges, sewer systems, etc.) are necessary and im- work for long-term eco- nomic growth, interna- portant, investments in certain parts of the UK’s information and com- tional competitiveness, munication technology (ICT) resources, or digital infrastructures, will and significant improve- have a greater positive impact on jobs, while at the same time laying the ment in quality of life. groundwork for sustained productivity and innovation. The United King- dom has made considerable efforts to be one of the leading nations in the production and utilisation of ICT; the current recession offers an oppor- tunity to further, rather than undermine, those efforts. This ambition is consistent with the Chancello