Bálint Magyar

State Secretary For Development Policy Prime Minister's Office

magyar.balint@meh.hu

The Government Leaders Forum 2008, Europe

The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

BottlenecksBottlenecks

• technological – will be removed

• financial – manageable

• cultural – new focus

• political – never talked about

Are governments part of the problem or part of the solution?

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

IllustrationIllustration• Medieval Monastery Book Helpdesk

YouTube: monastery book helpdesk

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Paradigm ChangeParadigm Change

Problems with lack of understanding:

• Can one think of the unthinkable?

• Can two-dimensional beings be requested to think in three dimensions?

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

From Stock Society to Flow SocietyFrom Stock Society to Flow Society

• Cycle of change is shorter than term of government; due to campaign logic risks are minimalised →conservative promises

You can’t jump twice through the same Windows5

The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Problems of political decision makersProblems of political decision makers

• Generational problem: gap between political decision-makers and early adapters of new technologies

• Problem of products: virtual, evasive, resists political populism

• Problem of needs: government should respond to widely unrecognized needs

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Political consequencesPolitical consequences

• Contradiction between hunt for votes and future building

• Neo-luddite populism and anti-globalism

• Segmented bureaucratic system, bumpy cooperation vs. global, integrated market networks

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

False government system responseFalse government system responsess

• New technologies are used to conserve old mechanisms

• Government programmes serve to spread outdated technologies without modernising the context of use

• Government orders only respond but not urge development

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

What governments should be attentive toWhat governments should be attentive to

• Continuous upgrading of state assignments and comprehensive state provision systems, (public administration, education , health care, etc.)

• Central projects and financial initiatives must focus on needs not yet interiorized on a large scale

• Continuous normative budget support to be granted to amortization and updating of equipment serving already interiorized needs

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overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

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Human interfaceHuman interface

• LLL + digital literacy = Upgraded Labour Force 3.0

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

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Tasks facing Europe I.Tasks facing Europe I.

• Right of access to information is not enough - equal opportunities should be ensured

• Establishment of communal spaces where free access to the Internet and other facilities are available

HOMEless - NETless

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Tasks facing Europe IITasks facing Europe II..

• Common content regulations:– EQF (European Qualification Framework),– Bologna Process,– ECECE (Educational Content Exchange Centre for Europe)

• Free access to basic content

Tearing down virtual Berlin walls12

The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Tasks facing Europe III.Tasks facing Europe III.

• Radical restructuring of European Union funding.

Less „pomme de terre” – more „Terra bytes”

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The G

overnment Leaders F

orum 2008, E

urope

Governments can do the most to become part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Thank you for your attention!

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