E-ready or not

The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2007 e-readiness ranking is released today and it makes very interesting reading. Scandanavia’s e-powerhouse, Denmark, tops the list for the second year running while the US and Sweden tie for second place. No big surprises there.

What grabs my attention are the huge gains made by countries with governments that are leading the digitial intiative. Singapore, for example, has jumped 7 places from 13th to 6th place in this year’s ranking. Hong Kong has leapt from 10th to 4th. Taiwan puts in a similar show - vaulting from 23rd to 17th place. All of these countries are pushing e-initiatives  - from cheap broadband to e-government services and anti-cybercrime legislation.

Meanwhile the old world is showing its age. Germany has sunk 7 places to 19th on the rankings, Belgium has slipped from 17th to 20th place, Switzerland is down from 3rd to 5th place and the Netherlands at 8th place from 6th. Australia, Finland, Norway and Canada have also slipped.

 Tiny Bermuda, meanwhile, up five places to 15th, shows what a determined government can achieve when it sets its mind to something. The holiday island now outranks South Korea in terms of its e-business environment and how amenable it is to internet-based opportunities -largely to do with its ability to keep cyber-crime at bay and provide a safe, secure place for e-commerce activities.