The influence of ICT on society and government

Everything is changing and nothing is impossible. And all of that 'thanks to the built-in micro-electronics', to quote Wim de Bie's parody of Chriet Titulaer. Modern information and communication technology appeals greatly to the imagination of people who are convinced that the blessings of technology will (continue to) descend on everyone and will give the (information) society a completely different appearance. Sceptics usually sneer that it will not be that bad and that such predictions very rarely come true. The Dutch government wanted to get a bit more precise and clearer about what really is going on. If there are really fundamental changes going on, they could have consequences for government policy. The Infodrome think tank, set up for that purpose and led by Rick van der Ploeg, has asked a number of scientists to map out the research into the influence of ICT on society within their discipline. The influence of ICT on society and government brings together three interesting studies: Socio-psychological effects of ICT and their policy implications, The conceptual deficit (the interaction between ICT and law) and e-economy: ICT and market forces.