Putting the IC into 'Policy' - Strategic analysis for optimising the role of ICT in EU policy delivery : final report

This document presents the conclusions of the Optimising ICT study into the effects of ICT on the policy process. The remit of the study has evolved to examine the disjunction between physical markets and their online counterparts caused by the presence of ICT factors that either elude policymakers altogether or cannot be avoided. The report traces the study from its inception and intellectual origins in the Eco Search initiative to optimise online energy labelling through to conclusions and recommendations in the form of a tool box. The starting point is the recognition that ICTs profoundly influence policy formulation and effectiveness across a range of domains. This linkage is (potentially) two-way: ICTs may contribute to or help address problems in 'non-ICT' areas; conversely, 'non-ICT' considerations may need to be taken into specific account when formulating ostensibly ICT-centric policy. One source of this linkage is the emergence of on-line substitutes or complements for off-line activities; another is the potential of data generated and mediated by this on-line migration to expose incorrect or obsolete assumptions and to indicate where interventions could be improved, reduced, cross-linked or reoriented. The potential of these links is limited by the fact that institutions with specific policy responsibilities tend to collect information of most relevance to their own obligations and perspectives and are sometimes reluctant to share information, collect data on behalf of others or collaborate in developing solutions. We use the term 'Internet-ready' to denote areas with the potential for more effective and appropriate interventions based on the on-line migration of off-line activities - and especially where existing instruments and legal frameworks allow as-yet-unrealised adaptation in interventions and policy processes. This report considers their identification, prioritisation and management.