The Knowledge Economy: From 1980 to the Present Day

The knowledge economy: from 1980 to the present day A new economic phase marked by the following phenomena: globalization, the accelerated technological revolution and the persistent rise in unemployment. For developed countries loped, this period begins with the end of the “Thirty Glorious Years”. Most countries of OECD have recorded, to varying degrees, a slowdown in productivity. The slowdown in productivity is explained by a lower rate of capital accumulation, lower capacity utilization, reduced possibilities for transfer and technological catch-up. Thus, the growth in the productive potential of the major OECD economies had weakened. The context was different for Underdeveloped Countries (PSD). Having obtained their independence between the end of the 1950s and the beginning of the 1960s, they failed in the strategic choices of their policies. They arrived around the 1980s with a trade balance deficit, a significant external debt marked by debt service which heavily affected the public budget. The use of international debt has been facilitated by the global economic situation. Indeed, following the second oil shock, there were significant transfers of resources to oil-producing countries which deposited these surpluses in Western commercial banks. As investments and demand for funds have declined in developed countries, Furthermore, the 1990s were marked by the expansion of the mobile telecommunications market which is based on two technological innovations: radiocommunication (using transmission by radio waves) and wireless telephony (allowing transmission signals while consuming a minimum of frequencies). Radio communications with mobiles are experiencing spectacular growth in all industrialized countries, accounting for 22% of the world telecommunications market in 1997, compared to 5% in 1981. Electronics and computing have been introduced into production and management methods. relating to the industrial and tertiary sector. For example, in the automobile industry, electronic chips are used in injectors, ABS braking systems, gearboxes and airbags. In this context, the European Council demonstrated, in March 2000 in Lisbon, its ambition to make Europe "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge economy in the world. world by 2010"10 in order to meet society's needs in terms of jobs, competitiveness, energy and the environment. To achieve this, the EU has set itself the objective of investing 3 % of GDP in R&D, 2/3 of which should be provided by private companies. With the financial and economic crises, the 2010 deadline was postponed to 2020. The development of the knowledge economy according to Pascal da Costa11 and Aurélie Dudézert12 requires the existence of certain conditions allowing companies to produce and share knowledge. Valuing knowledge involves the following steps: - First of all, recognize that the employee plays an essential role in achieving the objectives of the company - Propose management methods allowing more autonomy - Accept a mode of organization less focused on task specialization, opening the way to exchange and inter-functional collaboration To develop the knowledge economy, we must open up knowledge production to the entire company. Therefore, decompartmentalization and the involvement of all employees in the production of knowledge allow the company to create new market opportunities.