The economic downturn and the lags in the usage of information and communications technology (ICT) have taken a toll on countries e-readiness rankings, according to a new research released by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
UK has slipped from the eighth to the thirteenth spot among all the countries. The research has shown that the scores of all but nine of the 70 countries in the study declined over the past year.
Denmark, one of the nine countries reclaimed the first rank in the world e-readiness table, which was held by the US last year. Other north European countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway have reaffirmed their places among the top ten e-readiness countries.
The US and the UK have seen the fall in their rankings as their business environments have been hit in the past year.
However, the research shows that few developing countries are keeping pace and even outperforming in some areas.
The research also noted that many developed countries could benefit from the recession as the governments have increased spending on IT infrastructure projects as a part of their economic stimulus plans to hasten recovery.
Robin Bew, editorial director of the Economist Intelligence Unit, said: The results of this year’s research underscore the fact that digital development does not take place in a vacuum.
Tough economic conditions can constrain the drivers of technology adoption and use. Policymakers can help maintain the momentum of digital advancement, but above all they should refrain from introducing protectionist measures, which will only make matters worse.
