Civil Society and the New Economy

During 1990s, the transformations that took place in the world economy, focused mainly on information and communication technology (ICT), were expected to mark the beginning of an era in which recessions would only be a memory of the past. This transformation principally driven by the capacity of ICT was called the new economy (NE). At the early stages of the 21st century, it is increasingly evident that the NE did not accomplish all the marvels that were expected from it. However, Stiglitz (2003) stated that even if it was the basis for a short-term boom and for a recession that overcame even the postwar period rate, the basis for the NE is real. The Internet, technological advances, and the new ways to produce and make business are genuine. “If the 18th and 19th Centuries marked the passage from agricultural economy to the industrial economy, and most of the 20th Century witnessed the change from an industry-based economy to a services-based economy, the last decade of the 20th Century signaled the change to a weightless economy, the knowledge economy” (Stiglitz, 2003, p. 228). In such a situation, information management (Talero & Gaudette, 1996) becomes a window to opportunity.