Scenarios for a Sustainable Information Society Strategy for the Mediterranean Region Jesse Marsh Atelier Studio Associato [email_address] www.atelier.it

Globalisation Three main centres of power: USA European Union South-East Asia Sources of competitiveness in the global economy: Systemic technological capacity Access to a large, integrated, affluent market Differential between production costs and market prices Political capacity to steer growth strategies The new international division of labor : Producers of high value , based on informational labor ; Producers of high volume , based on lower-cost labor ; Producers of raw materials , based on natural endowments ; Redundant producers, reduced to devalued labor … From Manuel Castells, “The Rise of the Network Society”

Three main centres of power:

USA

European Union

South-East Asia

Sources of competitiveness in the global economy:

Systemic technological capacity

Access to a large, integrated, affluent market

Differential between production costs and market prices

Political capacity to steer growth strategies

The new international division of labor :

Producers of high value , based on informational labor ;

Producers of high volume , based on lower-cost labor ;

Producers of raw materials , based on natural endowments ;

Redundant producers, reduced to devalued labor …

Technology Definitions from The American Heritage Dictionary, Microsoft Bookshelf 1. a. The application of science, especially to industrial or commercial objectives. B. The scientific method and material used to achieve a commercial or industrial objective. 2. Anthropology. The body of knowledge available to a civilization that is of use in fashioning implements, practicing manual arts and skills, and extracting or collecting materials. A humourous invention for a fork-pen that allows employees to work during lunch. A material object produced for an industrial objective (shipping wine), transformed by social practice.

Creativity of milieu From Charles Landry/Comedia, “Helsinki: Towards a Creative City, Seizing the Opportunity and Maximising Potential”

Sustainability

Cultures: Centrum CENTRUM

Cultures: Peripheria CENTRUM PERIPHERIA

Cultures: Mediterranea CENTRUM PERIPHERIA MEDITERRANEA

Creativities

An example: tourism What are people buying from other people? In relation to sustainable well-being, in increasing order of local added value and not considering getting there... Nice pictures of the natives “ Redundant producers, reduced to devalued labour” A week on the beach “ Producers of raw materials, based on natural endowments” Cheap carpets, ceramics, etc. “ Producers of high volume, based on lower-cost labour” New knowledge about other cultures “ Producers of high value, based on informational labour”

What are people buying from other people?

In relation to sustainable well-being, in increasing order of local added value and not considering getting there...

Nice pictures of the natives

“ Redundant producers, reduced to devalued labour”

A week on the beach

“ Producers of raw materials, based on natural endowments”

Cheap carpets, ceramics, etc.

“ Producers of high volume, based on lower-cost labour”

New knowledge about other cultures

“ Producers of high value, based on informational labour”

Knowledge Economies KNOWLEDGE PRODUCTION KNOWLEDGE “ MINING” CENTRUM PERIPHERIA MEDITERRANEA Metaphor: patents per year of T. A. Edison Metaphor: mining gold in the Mekong river Raw Material: Capital Resources Raw Material: Cultural Resources Transforming “embedded knowledge” into global niche market products Creating “new knowledge” for global mass market products

Policy directions The promotion of open local networks which can interlink different types of actors “ Political capacity to steer growth strategies” Emphasize cultural added value rather than lower cost of labour “ Differential between production costs and market prices” Integration of electronic commerce and international networks with local realities “ Access to a large, integrated, affluent market” Diffusion of media and communicational competence for bottom-up empowerment “ Systemic technological capacity”

The promotion of open local networks which can interlink different types of actors

“ Political capacity to steer growth strategies”

Emphasize cultural added value rather than lower cost of labour

“ Differential between production costs and market prices”

Integration of electronic commerce and international networks with local realities

“ Access to a large, integrated, affluent market”

Diffusion of media and communicational competence for bottom-up empowerment

“ Systemic technological capacity”

Enabling trends INFORMATION  COMMUNICATION PRODUCT  PROCESS SECTORIAL  INTEGRATED HOMOGENEITY  MOLTEPLICITY LINEAR  CYCLICAL COORDINATION  ANIMATION EVOLUTION  RUPTURE

INFORMATION  COMMUNICATION

PRODUCT  PROCESS

SECTORIAL  INTEGRATED

HOMOGENEITY  MOLTEPLICITY

LINEAR  CYCLICAL

COORDINATION  ANIMATION

EVOLUTION  RUPTURE