ABSTRACT
Calls to “build a knowledge society” have become a key feature of presentday development discourses. The argument that a knowledge society contributes to social and economic development best finds its expression in publications, policies, and programs disseminated by the World Bank, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United Nations (UN), and other international development agencies. The authors of a UNESCO report, entitled “Towards Knowledge Societies,” state that a “reflection upon knowledge societies and how to build them makes it possible to rethink development itself” (2005: 19). They further claim that “[k]nowledge societies are about capabilities to identify, produce, process, transform, disseminate and use information to build and apply knowledge for human development. They require an empowering social vision that encompasses plurality, inclusion, solidarity and participation” (27). A UN regional report, sponsored by the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), articulates the contributions of a knowledge society to development in the following way:
[A] knowledge society leads to citizens, who are more creative, gender balanced, adaptable and skilled. Learning and developing new skills and abilities not only leads to economic growth and prosperity, but also supports wider social objectives of inclusion and equality. Investment in people and skills does not only bring benefits to children and young people, but allows the creation of new skills that give rise to new jobs, new technologies and new industries.
