The Power of Access
February 11, 2007
The Power of Access
SRI International, an independent, nonprofit research institute conducting client-sponsored research and development for government agencies, commercial businesses, foundations, and other organizations, based in Menlo Park, California, has teamed up with FedEx to produce a report: “How Greater Access is Changing the World: A Landmark Study on the Relevance of Access to People, Businesses and Nations.”
Definitions of Access from the SRI study:
“Every day, a stream of information, goods, capital and ideas flows around the world because of a single powerful force: Access. Access is what makes all forms of interaction and exchange possible between people, businesses and nations. Far from being an abstract idea, Access touches all of us. The world has seen an enormous increase in physical and digital Access in the past 35 years. It’s fueling the remarkable transformation of the world’s economy, helping businesses and nations to flourish, and empowering individuals with greater choices and opportunities. Access is such a part of life and business today that by understanding it, we gain a greater understanding of the world around us.”
Excerpts from the SRI study:
“The SRI study defines the benefits of Access in terms of People, Businesses and Nations. It finds that increased Access has a tremendous positive impact on economic growth, quality of life, competitiveness, international trade and financial flows. Access benefits people, businesses and nations alike through greater opportunities to participate, choose and improve their prospects: (1) People benefit through the opportunities created by access to job markets, social groups, life choices, personal finance, health and education; (2) Businesses benefit from greater access to physical goods and information, transforming the ways companies operate, innovate, compete and create value; and (3) Nations benefit because they thrive or stagnate depending on their level of access to the inputs that supply their economies — and to their ability to market what they produce.
”The report’s Access Index ranks 75 nations around the world based on nearly two dozen indicators of physical and information Access. The results are unequivocal: The 10 nations that afford their citizens the highest degree of Access had an average GDP per capita growth rate of 22.6% between 1993 and 2003. The 10 lowest Access nations posted an average rate of only 14.1%.”
