http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan011707.pdf.

Knowledge Society
Every society is a Knowledge Society.
It produces, distributes, uses and stores explicit knowledge (information) and tacit
knowledge. It is not
important if that society has a national, sub-national or transnational basis, but it has to
have boundaries demarcated by customs, informal rules as well as codified rules (e.g.
laws) and the ability (again informal or formal) to enforce them. Thus, nation states seem
to be good vessels for a Knowledge Society. So are the informal domains of shared
interest supported by speed, outreach and networking capabilities of the Internet.
Knowledge Societies differ among themselves in the rate at which explicit and tacit
knowledge is
produced, distributed and, very importantly, utilized.
The rate of production, distribution and utilization of knowledge has always been
possible to regulate in part by adopting appropriate policies. [Among them policies that
valorize diversity (including the
rebels) seem important.] Such policies demarcate the space in which creativity can
flourish, and in
which the broadly understood cost to produce (create), distribute, and utilize
knowledge is low and
falling. Policies can expand this space or shrink it.
From this point of view, societies can organize not to know (Regressing Knowledge
Societies); to be
chaotic or random / accidental about it (Stagnating Knowledge Societies); or, they can
organize for
accelerated production, distribution and utilization of knowledge (Advancing Knowledge
Societies).

Thus, a Knowledge Society is not a phase of development that should be achieved,

proclaimed as a
success and protected. As human creativity is at its basis, it can be a process that can
advance and even accelerate endlessly.
Recently, by application of ICT the rate of production, dissemination and utilization of
knowledge can
achieve super-acceleration to a velocity at which a qualitative gap appears between those
that organize to know (and to use what they know) and the others. At a point still difficult
to define, they start to appear and behave differently, hence the illusion that they and only
they are the Knowledge Societies or that they and only they are advanced in the
process of transition to it.
Theoretically, it should be possible to identify and define areas for measurement and
action:
Rate of change (e.g. regression, advancement);
The point at which a disconnect between the leading Knowledge Societies and others
appears;
Nature and prevalence of policy measures that accelerate (e.g. human rights and
freedoms;
policy concerning education, S&T, R&D; intellectual property rights; public
information);
Nature and prevalence of practices and tools that accelerate (e.g. institutions,
partnerships,
diagnostic assessments, learning processes);
Nature and prevalence of skills (competencies) that accelerate.
With regard to measurement, for variety of reasons this focus seems more appealing than
the more
traditional measurement frameworks, for instance those concentrating on knowledge
assets or knowledge
systems alone.

There is a real danger that the discussion, research, broad understanding and most
advanced practice of knowledge creation / distribution / utilization would be interpreted
through one dimension, that of the market only. However, it must be appreciated that the
knowledge-based disconnect of the market with the rest of the society would unavoidably
lead to the dominance of the private value over the public value. As a consequence, the
market would establish the purpose for knowledge creation and utilization in a society
(e.g. maximization of the private value).
There is also a danger that this discussion, research, broad understanding and most
advanced practice of knowledge creation / distribution / utilization would be interpreted
through one dimension, that of the government only. The disconnect between the public
administration elite and its organizations and the rest of the society would lead to
dominance of the sovereign over the rest of the society. The
government would then unavoidably de-link from the society and again, maximization of
private value in this case represented by the public elite - would dominate the public
value.
Therefore, as the rate of production, distribution and utilization of knowledge in a
society advances
(accelerates) in general, political governance of this process becomes crucial. This is also
important in
ensuring that usefulness is not trumped by sheer volume but also in limiting the
potential for the
unethical use of knowledge resources.
To say it differently, in any society, the rate of creation, distribution and utilization of
knowledge via
broad political participation in order to inform the political processes must always equal
or surpass the rate in any single sub-sector of that society. Policies, rules and laws that
govern the state of the public sphere, genuine participation, as well as capabilities and

competencies of people as citizens must keep up in pace of their development with the
production, distribution and utilization of knowledge in any and all sectors of the society.
This would enable steering all the knowledge processes, so that they support what people
want (e.g. via definition, examination, challenge to and possible adjustment of purpose).
As the rate of production, distribution and utilization of knowledge in a society
advances (accelerates), great attention must be paid to the cultural setting of this process.
Social institutions and values must support this advancement (acceleration), or it would
fizzle out. Hopefully, not in all cases this would require changing the culture. [Bad past
experience with creation of a new man.] It would always be preferential to find existing
(underutilized or utilized in a different context) social institutions that could facilitate
these processes and their rate of development. This would achieve the necessary balance
between fast rate of change and stability.
Finally, public administration can play a leading role in the effort to accelerate a national
knowledge
society by better capturing and employing its own knowledge resources. These actions
will necessitate
looking beyond the technical side of ICT applications and more at content issues,
knowledge
management, and multidisciplinary collaboration, etc. It may necessitate also that
governments start to
think and act as networks.

http://www.morst.govt.nz/uploadedfiles/Documents/Publications/research
%20reports/Knowledge,%20innovation%20and%20creativity.doc.
i. The Dynamics of the Knowledge Society

The term knowledge society identifies the dominant feature of the social
transformations associated with globalisation as the world-wide integration of economic
activity, information as the raw material of production, and communication through
electronic networks as a global medium of social exchange.
A reflexive society

Knowledge is first and foremost a capacity for social action. It provides the means
both for conserving and reproducing certain features of society over time, and for
impelling social change and innovation. It is the social product of human
intelligence and creativity.

Objectified knowledge, that is, any knowledge which is recorded and is publicly
available, now provides the principal source of knowledge. Whether its origin is
science, arts, tradition, or mass media, the totality of this stock of recorded
knowledge is the raw material on which postmodern or knowledge societies draw
to perpetuate and remake themselves.

The management of this stock of knowledge to ensure its public accessibility, its
conservation and its renewal, is a primary government responsibility. A national
knowledge infrastructure which makes what is already known generally available
for further use must be fully developed.

Using the term cultural knowledge for the knowledge base of a society
recognises that knowledge is a collective accomplishment, where new knowledge
is conditional on what has come before and rarely if ever is generated by an
individual in isolation.

As the members of a democratic society become more knowledgable, so

centralised controls will become less effective and political organisation will
become more fragmented.

Economy

Capitalism as the economic engine of the knowledge society develops by creating

new markets for new products. Both markets and products are increasingly
differentiated, with information goods (cultural and media products) and the
informational aspect of primary products becoming increasingly important.
Economic activity is increasingly concentrated in urban areas, and its base
material is information.

Technology

Electronic and digital information technologies are (much more than earlier
technologies like writing and print) closely aligned with human cognitive and
communicational capabilities - discursive, imaginative, and computational; vocal,
graphic and symbolic with which we create cultural and economic activity, and
envisage and plot social change.

A critical marker of knowledge society capability is the density of

communications and transport networks.

Competencies

Certain types of knowledge and skill (broadly informational) are necessary. They
include:

Cultural literacy (to recognise and exploit social, cultural, lifestyle, and ethnic
distinctions).

Managerial expertise (to coordinate the complex production regimes and

networks).

Teamwork (integral to highly diversified production).

Technological competence (particularly of computers and programming to track

and time-manage production and to facilitate information management).

Customer relations and human resources.

All types of design work.

Language and communication competence.

A reflexive relation to knowledge and practice.

http://www.unisys.com/public_sector/insights/insights__compendium/knowledge__societ
y.htm
Embracing the Knowledge Society:
A Public Sector Challenge
Far more radical in concept than its close relative, the information society, the knowledge
society will require a fundamental change in approach and the public sector will play a
key role in making the knowledge society a reality.
But what is a knowledge society?
This white paper defines a knowledge society as one where all stakeholders not just
big business have equal access to information technology resources and can share in

the benefits. Further, it emphasizes the social and economic benefits that are derived from
making knowledge a central organizing principle across a society.
To illustrate the potential impact of a knowledge society, this white paper highlights the
success of both the MP3 file-exchange concept and the Open Source software
environment.
Both MP3 and Open Source were driven by small groups of programmers scattered
around the world, collaborating without traditional organizational support, capitalization,
marketing, sales force or even meetings. Their success resulted from the combination of
sharing expert knowledge and receiving informed opinions from independent people
united around a common interest and who are strongly motivated to cooperate freely.
As the guardian of societys legal framework, the public sector is in a unique position to
nurture the knowledge society, since its function is to serve the public interest, rather than
focus on financial return.
Unleashing the untapped power of technology to achieve societal goals thats the crux
of the knowledge society and its potential. Read the full white paper to learn more about
the revolution thats waiting to happen.