What became of the Information Society and development? Assessing the Information Society’s relevance in the context of an economic crisis

Abstract
Although it is widely assumed that the development of an Information Society is an engine for sustainable economic growth, this often remains more of an assumption than a demonstrable outcome. A critical analysis of that link is much needed, and particularly pertinent during times of crisis where it can be even more tested. To assist in meeting this aim, this article builds a new Information Society level of development composite index, and then it assesses the relationship between this index and a number of indices that offer a comprehensive approach to development (as inequality, sustainability or economic resilience). In general, the results corroborate the idea that the Information Society paradigm has definitively arrived in the current social and economic reality, promoting economic development and human welfare, but its benefits are not totally deployed yet.