Government role in information and communications technology innovations

摘要

In this paper, we present a framework to analyse the effectiveness of public policies in the area of information and communications technology (ICT). The framework combines technological changes and changes to the overall value chain in the development and commercialisation of the technology. Innovations can be categorised into four types - incremental, architectural, platform, and radical. Examples illustrate each kind and show the distinction between innovations in equipment and innovations in services. The perception of an innovation based on the same technology can therefore differ according to the firm's position in the value chain. The framework can be used to evaluate and guide government interventions to promote industrial development, including standardisation. The examples in the paper are from applications using the licensed part of the electromagnetic spectrum (cellular communication, high-definition television) where governments intervene by default. We propose that this framework be used to improve the current patent system for architecture innovations.