Digital economy blueprint

1.5 RATIONALE FOR DIGITAL ECONOMY

1.5.1 Socio-cultural

Worldwide, political leaders face an era of unprece-

dented change. The manner in which citizens interact 

with their governments, their expectations of govern-

ment and their interactions with each other have been 

revolutionised by globalisation, social media, internet 

access, rapidly evolving behavioral norms and new 

previously undiscovered psychological vulnerabili-

ties. The advent, as it were, of the Fourth Industrial 

Revolution as it is characterised, has led to a signif-

icant fracture in the structure of the economy which 

has in turn led to a growing dearth of jobs. The econ-

omy has gone digital.

Government has a critical role to play in the creation, 

establishment and promulgation of a digital economy, 

first as an orchestrator of the national ecosystem, as a 

controller of significant natural and monetary resourc-

es and finally as the indicator of preferred direction to 

the private sector. The creation of a digital economy is 

a whole-of-government effort - requiring articulation, 

consensus and the use of political will.

Government holds the key to unlocking the third party 

provision of services, reducing operational and trans-

actional friction in the ecosystem, while facilitating 

innovation around digital services and opportunities. 

Government digital platforms come in a wide array of 

shapes and sizes, some of which are:

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DIGITAL ECONOMY BLUEPRINT