Ideas and concepts on the Hungarian information economy

摘要

The authors discuss in comparable terms the labor and capital resources and production of the information economy in Hungary—a centrally planned country. The data indicate that Hungary, with her growing information economy, follows the general trends experienced earlier in a number of market-oriented countries. Since 1980, those with information occupation have constituted the largest group within the economically active. Contribution of information activities to value added (GDP) amounted to almost 32%, half of which was produced in the secondary information sector. Figures are also given in natural units (bits) for Hungarian information production, export, and import. To explain the secular sectoral changes, the authors draft a logical flow model that considers regional differences in the demand, supply, and life cycle of goods and the changes of productivity during the life cycle. They point out that if no satisfactory capital were invested into the information economy, it would become a ballast rather than the engine of the country. Since the state budget is incapable of raising investments to the necessary extent, it is of great importance that as many economic units as possible would get an opportunity for and become interested in making up the missing amounts.