An article on the SRI International website, Access is Critical to Global Economic Growth and Improved Human Welfare, describes The Power of Access, a recently issued report by the think-tank's Center for Science, Technology, and Development, commissioned by FedEx. According to SRI, it's “the first comprehensive effort in defining, measuring and analyzing access as a driving force of change and progress.” The report and accompanying documents are downloadable from The Power of Access website.
Access is one of those meta-experiences that are so huge, they escape most individuals' day-to-day attention. According to the SRI researchers, however, access determines much else that we experience in our everyday lives -- even the opportunity to have diverse experiences, and benefit by them. According to the researchers, smaller nations with consolidated societies and uniform cultures fare best when it comes to providing their inhabitants with access.
Frederick Smith, FedEx chairman, on accepting the report, noted “The power of Access lies in the opportunities it creates for individuals, business, and nations to participate, make choices, and improve their prospects. Three variables define access: time, space and information. For the first time in history we have a low-cost, standardized information exchange available to anyone with a computer, regardless of time or space.”
SRI established the analytical framework for defining the drivers and benefits of access, and for quantifying access and measuring its impacts. SRI created the Access Index (TM) and provided a numerical ranking of 75 countries based on their “openness” -- the access of a country, its business, and its citizens to physical items and information from the rest of the world.
The countries with the highest levels of Access are listed below. These rankings suggest that access is particularly important for countries that have small internal markets, limited domestic resources, and/or rely heavily on international trade. For example, the United States and Japan -- with large internal markets and resources -- rank 12th and 19th respectively on the Access Index.
Top Ten Countries
in the Access Index
1 Hong Kong
2 Singapore
3 Denmark
4 Switzerland
5 Netherlands
6 Finland
7 Germany
8 Sweden
9 United Kingdom
10 France
SRI found that higher levels of access enable higher economic growth, strongly relate to higher levels of personal income (as depicted in the following chart), and are critical for economic survival and growth.
“Access is a catalytic process that enables interactions, contacts, and exchanges among people, businesses, and nations,” said John A. Mathieson, Director of SRI's Center for Science, Technology, and Economic Development. “Access indicates opportunity -- the opportunity to accomplish a broad range of actions, from attaining physical presence to communicating, and from acquiring to using. The power of Access lies in the opportunities it creates for individuals, businesses, and nations to participate, make choices, and improve their future prospects.”
BOB JACOBSON is fascinated by the experience of experience. A planner and technologist, Bob has a Ph.D. in Urban Planning & Design from UCLA. He's been a policy researcher, technology CEO, science writer, and consultant. As a Fulbright Scholar, he studied cellular telephony's impacts on transborder communities in the Nordic Arctic Circle. Bob edited Information Design (MIT Press 2000) and is now writing a book on the theory and practice of creating edifying, transformative experiences.
PAULA THORNTON says, "Understanding human behavior (economics), optimizing interactions (design) and facilitating conversations (markets), are the means to achieve strategic differentiation. This is the focus of our discipline. It is not a 'nice to have'‚ and is not, like documentation once was, an afterthought. It is the means by which to start a strategic discussion and the means by which to drive a tactical initiative. All design should be evidence-based."
1. Phil on June 15, 2006 8:50 AM writes...
"Three variables define access: time, space and information"
Oh just those? Remind me again what phenomenon is NOT defined by time, space, and information?
Couldn't this post give even ONE example of what "access" actually means here? Access to water? Access to computers? Access to politicians? Surely you can't just lump all these things into one topic called "access."
Permalink to Comment2. Bob Jacobson on June 16, 2006 12:27 PM writes...
Phil, my main point was about meta-experience, but to answer your question directly....
I worked at SRI and have high regard for its rigor. I read the Access report. In it I found (1) The Access Model and (2) a list of indicators with which SRI composed the Access Opportunities Index.
Glad to do your research for you. An invoice is in the ether.
1. THE ACCESS MODEL
Space
Space represents the distance between the entity seeking access and the “thing” (physical or informational) being sought. It involves geography and the physical locations of supply and demand. Supplies that are nearby are normally easier to access than those in distant locations. Access dramatically reduces the economic constraint of geographic distance and allows entirely new patterns of production, consumption, and economic development.
Time
This component centers on the amount of time required to obtain that which is being sought. Access not only creates the ability to obtain goods, services, information, etc., in an increasingly short period of time, but also allows the orchestration of delivery, meaning delivery in the specific time horizon desired by the user/customer. Both time-related changes have profound implications for consumer and producer behavior.
Information
Information is anything that reduces uncertainty. Since uncertainty affects the consequences of decisions, information aids decision-making by helping one to choosebetween alternatives. Information may be in the form of facts, opinions, or algorithms that are capable of being transmitted and reproduced.2 Increasingly, information is available in digital form.
At its core, access can be explained in the following formula, in which access (A) is a function of time (T), space (S), and information (I).
f (T, S, I) = A
2. INDICATORS AND DATA SOURCES FOR
THE ACCESS OPPORTUNITIES INDEX TM
Market Reach
Breadth of International Markets [Exporting
companies from your country sell
(1=primarily in a small number of foreign
markets, 7=in virtually all international
country markets)]
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.11)
Actual vs. Expected Size of Traded Sector
[countries with large trade sectors
compared to what would be expected,
given their population, geographic size,
and location, receive a higher score]
Fraser Institute Economic Freedom of the World Report 2004 (Variable 4-C)
Extent of Regional Sales [Exports from
your country to neighboring countries are
(1=limited, 7=substantial and growing)]
World Economic Forum
Global Competitiveness
Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.10)
Supply Chain Strength
Production Process Sophistication
[Production processes use (1=labor
intensive methods or previous generations
of process technology, 7=the world's best
most efficient process technology)]
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.06)
Value Chain Presence [Exporting
companies in your country are (1=primarily
involved in resource extraction or
production, 7=not only produce but also
perform product design, marketing, sales,
logistics, and after-sales services)]
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.02)
Air Freight as a % of GDP
World Bank World Development Indicators
Air Freight Average Annual Growth Rate
over 10 Years (1993-2003)
World Bank World Development Indicators
B2B and B2C E-Commerce as a % of GDP
World Economic Forum
Global Information Technology Report 2003-
2004 (Variables 16 and 17)
Innovation
Capacity for Innovation [Companies obtain
technology (1=exclusively from licensing or
imitating foreign companies, 7=by
conducting formal research and pioneering
their own new products or processes)]
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.04)
Uniqueness of Product Designs [Product
designs are (1=copied or licensed from
abroad, 7=developed locally)]
World Economic Forum
Global Competitiveness
Report 2001-2002 (Variable 10.05)
Firm-Level Technology Absorption
[Companies in your country are (1=not
interested in absorbing new technology,
7=aggressive in absorbing new
technology)]
World Economic Forum
Global Information Technology Report 2003-
2004 (Variable III.2.02)
High-Tech Exports as a % of GDP
World Bank
World Development Indicators
Patent Applications Filed (by residents and
non-residents)
World Bank
World Development Indicators
Science and Technical Journal Articles per
10,000 People
World Bank
World Development Indicators
Royalty and License Fees (receipts +
payments) as a % of GDP
World Bank
World Development Indicators
Growth and Competitiveness
Manufacturing and Services Exports
Average Annual Growth Rate over 10
Years (1994-2004)
World Trade Organization
WTO Statistics Database
Total FDI Stock (outward + inward)
Average Annual Growth Rate over 10
Years (1993-2003)
UNCTAD
World Investment Report
2004 (Annex Table B3 and B4)
Stock Market Capitalization as a % of GDP
World Bank
World Development Indicators
Nature of Competitive Advantage
Permalink to Comment[Competitiveness of your country’s
companies in international markets is
primarily due to [1=low cost labor or local
natural resources, 7=unique products and
processes)]
World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2004-2005 (Variable 9.01)