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STS2320 Mohamed A I.
concepts such as ‘knowledge economy’ or ‘knowledge society’. It is also
sometimes restricted to a narrow understanding that limits the focus to
education or technology. Given the variations in its use and meaning, the GKI
aims to introduce a more systematic understanding of knowledge in two
respects. First it breaks down the concept into its constituent components—
i.e. education, economy, research and technology. Therefore, it recognizes the
multidimensional nature of knowledge systems in all contexts and applications
relating to economic and social structures. Second it also enables a more
scientific and evidence-based linkage between development and a
multidimensional concept of knowledge, in keeping with the notion of human
development as applied by the UNDP as well as the concept of sustainable
development agreed by world leaders in 2015 at the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development. The GKI is a joint initiative between the United
Nations Development Programme and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al
Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF).
Attempts to bridge knowledge gaps between countries cannot depend on
improvizational processes or interpretations based on unreliable data and
analysis. Rather, it is necessary to gather a precise and objective description of
the reality of those gaps in their different manifestations. This requires a
systematic assessment process based on scientific indicators that take into
consideration the multidimensional nature of knowledge and its functional
links to sustainable human development. The Global Knowledge Index has
been developed in response to this specific need.
Several attempts to measure knowledge in the context of understanding
knowledge within the broader context of the economy or institutional
structures may include:
1. World Bank Institute (2008) introduced a Knowledge Assessment
Methodology (KAM). This methodology is based on two indices: the
Knowledge Index (KI) and the Knowledge Economy Index (KEI). The first
is the simple average of three pillars: innovation; education; and ICT
infrastructure. The second represents an arithmetic mean of four
pillars, with the addition of the economic and institutional system. The
World Bank stopped producing the index as of 2013.
2. World Economic Forum (2010) proposed the Lisbon Scorecard as a tool
for comparing the progress made by EU member states towards
developing knowledge economies to that achieved by the USA and
East Asian countries. The last modified format covered five pillars:
innovation; liberalization; enterprise; employment and social inclusion;
and sustainable development and the environment.
3. The European Innovation Scoreboard includes 27 indicators under four
main groups: framework conditions, investments, innovation activities
and impacts, see Leon (2017).
4. United Nations Development Programme and Mohammed bin Rashid

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