The Changing Public Policies in Information Technology: Canada, The Netherlands and Sweden

Abstract

Information Technology (IT) began to be widely used across all sectors of the economy in the 1980s, prompting governments to develop new policy instruments. By comparing the evolution of IT policy in Canada, the Netherlands and Sweden during this period, this report identifies public policy changes and their underlying objectives, focusing on uses rather that production. The report examines each government's response to the economic and social impact of IT developments. The three countries studied have deium-sized economies, each with a large IT firm relative to the size of the home market.