Governments Losing Ground. An exploration of administrative consequences of information and communication technology (summary)
Developments in information and communication technology will inevitably have consequences for the capacity of the national state to act effectively. Only governments that fully recognise this fact will be able to respond to the fundamental changes they face, the WRR says in its report Governments Losing Ground. An exploration of administrative consequences of information and communication technology (Report no. 54, 1998)
National states will have to function differently
In this report, the WRR explores the changes in society being driven by information and communication technology and the new challenges they pose for governments. On the one hand, the technology gives governments more policy options, while on the other, the effectiveness of certain policy instruments will weaken further.
Open approach
In this exploratory study, the WRR advocates, partly in view of the many uncertainties, an ‘open approach’ to the consequences of ICT in society. Only if a clear distinction is made between what the national state is still able to do and what it has to do can it respond effectively to the fundamental changes it faces.