Dynamics of ICTs: assessing investments in R&D. A global cross-comparison

The paper describes the dynamic features of the ICT sector today, through a comparison among countries of the evolving role of investments in R&D in ICT. 41 geographical areas are analysed: 28 European member states, the EU as a whole, the United States, Canada, Australia, five Asian countries (Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, China and India), three European countries not belonging to the EU (Russia, Norway and Switzerland) and one Latin American country (Brazil). The analysis has been made possible by the development of comparable long time series (from 1995 to the most recent year, 2014 or 2015 depending on the indicator), based on official sources and covering an array of indicators related to the ICT content of economic activities, with a focus on R&D.