The world now invests nearly $4 trillion a year on information and communications technologies. This is propelling rapid evolution in the global economy, transforming everything from the way manufacturers manage their supply chains and retailers serve their customers, to the way doctors provide healthcare and police monitor crime statistics to improve public safety.
But capturing the maximum possible benefit from all this innovation — to spur growth, create jobs and improve people’s quality of life — will require modernizing global trade rules to promote rather than inhibit international sales and exports of the kinds of products and services that are powered by software, cloud computing and data analytics.
With major trade negotiations now underway in the Atlantic and Pacific — plus separate multilateral talks progressing on services and IT products — we have a historic opportunity to enact such an agenda and drive long-term growth in the digital economy. That is the main conclusion of a new report from BSA | The Software Alliance, titled, “Powering the Digital Economy: A Trade Agenda to Drive Growth.”