The Problem Of Turning Of The Arab World Into A Knowledge Society - Essay Example

Limited by economy, technology and the society itself, a knowledge society, should ideally endeavor to transmit knowledge continuously through learning; and ensure that whatever is being learnt is relevant and useful. For it to be useful, it must be correct; this means that an individual may simply possess information that if wrongly synthesized, proves useless. This brings to light the key difference between information and knowledge; that information needs to be shared amongst human minds for it to become knowledge. The other important aspect is access, where for knowledge to be useful to the society as a whole it has to be accessible. People within the society should be able to afford it; this brings in the cost factor. Access also raises the issue of networks and networking; that for the knowledge to be transmitted to individuals within the society, there must be proper networks. Inevitably, technological factors come into place (Mokyr 1). Presently, the level of intellectual advancement in the Arab world, is dawdling, this can be gauged by factors such as the number of books published, fraction of scientists in the population and percentage of GDP spent on research (Guessoum). The report on Science Research conducted by UNESCO in 2012 reveals that 6000 books were published in 20 Arab countries in comparison to 100,000 published in North America, using equivalent population. Furthermore, the scientific production is also dismal as 41 research papers in comparison to 147 in the world were produced each year per million people. In addition, noted was the spending on both applied and basic research that proved to be quite low. Conversely, in Europe, the policies favor science and research viewing them as valuable tools of driving economic growth while maintaining a competitive pace with giants such as USA. This is depicted by the policies that have been enacted that encourage innovation-oriented research. More so, the higher education system in European states advocates for learning methods that include use of technology and are not only properly governed, but also have adequate funding and provide all with equal opportunities and social justice. This has motivated all potential contributors to the attainment of a thriving knowledge society (Brennan). As portrayed by the Arab Human Development Report (AHDR), there are four issues that affect the quest for knowledge, which include political, religion, human will and culture. Primary to these is good governance, where over time it has been made clear that the achievement of technological and scientific progress would require freedom brought about by good governance. The freedom to arrive at these is in three main areas that consist of assembly, speech and opinion. This has been the main deterring factor in the Arab world (AHDR 165). Alternatively, the right to knowledge is equated to the right to development; this implies that the factors that hinder development would be similar to those that hinder the pursuit of a knowledge-based society. Three issues that are paramount to achieving development are comprehensive freedom, women empowerment and awareness. Overall, there needs to be a reformation of political, social and economic structures in the Arab world (AHDR 166). Fundamentally, this implies suitable policies, institutions, environments and effective work force. Another significant factor is attitudes of the influential personalities in the Arab world. This falls under the human will, issue mentioned previously. Their attitude is vital as it weighs on the structure of institutions such as the market. This is because the market rewards the efforts of individuals who contribute to economic growth while moderating their prudence (Mokyr 8). The Arab world is characterized by a focus on water and oil as the major drivers of economic growth. These two resources are controlled by the group of the elite who dictate the market. This hinders development of a knowledge society, as these persons are not enlightened on the potential benefits of supporting knowledge advancements through literary work and scientific research anchored by technology (AHDR 165). Thirdly, there is the issue of educational institutions that form the knowledge capital. Comparing to the rest of the world, children from the Arab countries rank low in qualitative performance. This is attributed to the fact that a large number of youth in Arab countries possess only basic education; therefore, this deters them from participating in building a knowledge-based economy. In addition, the education system in Arab countries does not inculcate innovation-based educational practices that are in practice, in modern knowledge capital. The educational practices need to adapt the recent technologies, mechanisms and laboratories in order to match up to global leaders such as in the European states. In addition, there is a huge disparity in the level of knowledge among adults, teenagers and young children. The previously mentioned goes hand in hand with the factor of scarcity of organizations that amass, distribute and augment knowledge. These organizations include funding agencies and research institutions such as universities and academies; and regulations that govern them, in terms of provisions for experiments, nature of innovations made i.e. open source and credit precedence. This will enable the flow of knowledge and ease access to collective stores of knowledge that are essential to progression over time. Once there is access, social institutions are formed, and the issue of freedom of opinion comes into play where the political forces attempt to deter technological innovations (Mokyr 10). Notably also, is the failure by Arab countries to embrace other cultures in the world. This has blocked their progress as they miss the opportunity to interact and learn from others whilst exchanging ideas. This prevents them from acquiring new knowledge through, for example, expatriates in the West. They are used to convey and localize new developments in ICT- Information and Communication Technology. This has also slowed the distribution of already acquired knowledge, as proper networks have not been established. This is because they are unaware of appropriate communication networks (AHDR 176). In conclusion, Arabs should continue forging relations with European states and others to articulate a balance clearly between the main concern areas e.g. water and energy and between social, educational and cultural significance of research (Guessoum). This will aid in the pursuit of a knowledge-based society. Works Cited Mokyr, John. “The Knowledge Society: Theoretical and Historical Underpinnings. Department of Economics and History”. Northwestern University. 2004. Web. 20 Nov 2012 Guessoum, Nidhal. “Does the Arab World (not) need basic research?” Nature Middle East. 2012. Web. 20 Nov 2012 Brennan, John. “Knowledge is Power: The building of a European Knowledge Society”. European Science Foundation. 2006. Web. 20 Nov 2012 < http://www.esf.org/media-centre/ext-single-news/article/knowledge-is-power-the-building-of-a-european-knowledge-society-130.html> “United Nations Development Programme & Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development”. The Arab Human development Report 2003 (AHDR): Building a Knowledge Society. 2003. Web. 20 Nov 2012 < http://www.arab-hdr.org/publications/other/ahdr/ahdr2003e.pdf> Read More