Digital divide stifles GDP
Only 36 percent of Polish households own a computer as compared with almost 80 percent in Denmark or 74 percent in Holland. When it comes to internet usage, statistics show an even bigger divide between Poland and the rest of Europe, with only 29 percent of Poles using the web against an EU average of 47 percent.
"During the last decade, IT didn't have a huge impact on Poland's GDP growth. In the [US] 60 percent of GDP growth was due to IT, in the EU the figure was 40 percent and in Poland a mere 20 percent. It could be much more," said Professor Michał Kleiber, the President's social adviser and former Minister for Science and Information Society, at a conference organized by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
"Digitalization in Poland should be based on three pillars: universal broadband internet access, high quality online content and services, and finally a thorough IT education. Another important issue to tackle is internet security," he added.
According to Delia Meth-Cohn, the EIU's senior consultant on CEE, the Middle East and Africa, Poland can learn from both the good and bad experiences of other European countries which have launched digitalization programs. In February this year Italy initiated a national program for students called "C@ppuccino for a PC" enabling students to take a bank loan of up to EUR 1,200 (zł.4,700) to buy a laptop.
Paying back the loan costs EUR 1 (zł.3.90) a day - the price of a cappuccino. The government earmarked a EUR 10 (zł.39.40) million fund to finance discounts for the poorest students. Thanks to a similar program in France over 400,000 students bought a laptop.
However, a digitalization program in Hungary failed because the tax breaks for the purchase of IT equipment also applied to digital cameras and game consoles.
"It is very important for the government to make sure that objectives and target groups are clearly set. It is also essential to have a good partnership with the private sector - IT companies and financial institutions," Meth-Cohn said. However, at present Poland has no plans to adopt a similar digitalization program.
