Long-Term Care Challenges in an Ageing Society: The Role of ICT and Migrants Results from a Study on England, Germany, Italy and Spain

This report synthesizes and discusses the findings of a series of studies on the use of ICT to support caregivers providing Long-Term Care at home, with particular attention to migrant caregivers. The use of Information Communication Technologies (ICT) for health and social care is playing an increasingly important role in the context of the demographic changes. As, on the one hand, people are getting older and the need for care is increasing, and, on the other hand, the number of formal and informal caregivers is decreasing, technical devices are seen as a possible solution to this dilemma. At the same time, people in need of care and their relatives have a tendency to informally employ private care assistants, often from migrant backgrounds, to assist those in need of care in their homes with daily tasks, so as to avoid and postpone their transferral into institutional care. To better understand the current and prospective use of ICT to assist informal caregivers, and in particular those of migrant origin, JRC-IPTS conducted a series of exploratory studies, assessing the situation in Italy, Spain, Germany and the UK. This report gives an overview on the situation of domiciliary care in each of these countries; investigates the opportunities for ICT in home care and identifies drivers and barriers for the deployment of ICT by caregivers with a particular focus on migrant care assistants.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Public Procurement for the Promotion of R&D and Innovation in ICT

This report discusses the findings of a study carried out by JRC-IPTS which aimed to assess the status of public technology procurement in the EU member states in terms of size, evolution, drivers and barriers. As the study was exploratory, it cannot be claimed that the results are conclusive. However, they have clarified several important points which are worth considering in the policy-formulation process. The public sector has the potential to positively influence innovation and R&D through public procurement. It provides a sufficient and stable demand for innovative products, thereby reducing the risks associated with innovation for suppliers. It also acts as the main or first user of new products or services. Thus, public procurement can be most influential in the early stages of the life-cycle of a product, promoting emerging industries.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

ICT, Social Capital and Cultural Diversity: Report on a Joint DG JRC/IPTS-DG INFSO Workshop held in Istanbul (Turkey), 25 April 2007

This report presents the key results of an expert workshop jointly organized by the Information Society Unit at IPTS and DG Information Society and Media, Directorate H, eInclusion Unit, complemented by additional research. The objective of the workshop was to analyse the potential of ICT (in particular social computing) and social capital, for the social and economic integration and participation of Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities (IEM). This objective had been defined as a priority in the Riga Ministerial Declaration on eInclusion. The report also contains policy recommendations, based on the analysis presented, with a view to contributing to the preparation of the 2008 eInclusion Initiative.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Envisioning Digital Europe 2030: Scenarios for ICT in Future Governance and Policy Modelling

The report Envisioning Digital Europe 2030 is the result of research conducted by the Information Society Unit of IPTS as part of the CROSSROAD Project - A Participative Roadmap on ICT research on Electronic Governance and Policy Modelling (www.crossroad-eu.net ). After outlining the purpose and scope of the report and the methodological approach followed, the report presents the results of a systematic analysis of societal, policy and research trends in the governance and policy modelling domain in Europe. These analyses are considered central for understanding and roadmapping future research on ICT for governance and policy modelling. The study further illustrates the scenario design framework, analysing current and future challenges in ICT for governance and policy modelling, and identifying the key impact dimensions to be considered. It then presents the scenarios developed at the horizon 2030, including the illustrative storyboards representative of each scenario and the prospective opportunities and risks identified for each of them. The scenarios developed are internally consistent views of what the European governance and policy making system could have become by 2030 and of what the resulting implications for citizens, business and public services would be. Finally, the report draws conclusions and presents the proposed shared vision for Digital Europe 2030, offering also a summary of the main elements to be considered as an input for the future development of the research roadmap on ICT for governance and policy modelling.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

The Socio-economic Impact of Social Computing: Proceedings of a Validation and Policy Options Workshop

This report presents the major outcomes of a validation and policy options workshop on social computing, held at IPTS in Seville, on 26-27 February 2008. It points to a number of relevant issues (including methodological and conceptual ones) that need to be taken into account in a study of the socio-economic impacts of social computing. It argues that there is little room for direct policy interventions in social computing but that framework conditions and impacts at sector-level (e.g. education, government) need to be considered. The report also discusses the future of social computing and the opportunities it offers Europe.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

The Impact of Social Computing on the EU Information Society and Economy

This report provides a systematic empirical assessment of the creation, use and adoption of specific social computing applications and its impact on ICT/media industries, personal identity, social inclusion, education and training, healthcare and public health, and government services and public governance.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Have Information and Communication Technologies and the Internet really changed employability, job search and selection and recruitment processes?

Raising unemployment levels across Europe co-exist with important levels of uncovered vacancies, in particular in the ICT sector. At the same time, Information and Communication technologies (ICTs) have become an ever more important feature of work, education and learning and social participation, and estimates point at 85% of jobs that will require some sort of ICT skills in 2020. This article presents the key findings of a literature review, designed to examine the concept of employability, its dimensions and the factors which affect it, and to provide evidence on how ICT contributes to employability, in particular for job seekers, employers and labour market intermediaries.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Envisioning Digital Europe 2030: Scenario Design on ICT for Governance and Policy Modelling

The paper outlines a set of proposed visionary scenarios on how governance and policy modelling could develop by 2030. These scenarios have been designed through a foresight exercise conducted by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) as part of the CROSSROAD Project, a support action of the European Commission 7th Framework Programme. After presenting the conceptual framework and methodological approach followed, the main results of the trends analysis conducted as part of the project are discussed. This entails the presentation of societal trends and a deeper analysis of policy and research trends that are considered central for understanding and mapping ICT research for prospective governance and policy modelling. Based on the framework proposed, four internally-consistent views of what the European Information Society might be by 2030 have been designed. The resulting scenarios and the consequent implications for citizens, businesses and public services are then presented. The timeframe in which certain (or all) the elements of the visions will occur are influenced by the technological and societal ¿speed of change¿. However, considering the unprecedented growth and speed of take up experienced in several research areas under investigation, it is argued that the world we will be living in by 2030 will be radically different from the world we are living in today. Finally, the key areas of expected change and the research challenges identified for building a Digital Europe twenty years from now are presented.JRC.DDG.J.4-Information Societ

Digital Europe 2030: designing scenarios for ICT in future governance and policy making

The article outlines a set of visionary scenarios on how governance and policy making could develop by 2030 by using advanced ICT tools and modelling techniques and integrating them into governance processes and policy making mechanisms. These scenarios have been designed through a foresight exercise conducted by the Institute for Prospective Technological Studies (IPTS) as part of the CROSSROAD Project, a support action of the European Commission¿s 7th Framework Programme. After presenting the conceptual framework and methodological approach followed, the main results of the trends analysis conducted as part of the research are discussed. This entails an analysis of main societal, policy and research trends that are considered central for understanding and mapping ICT research for prospective governance and policy making. The article then presents the scenario design framework developed and the resulting four internally-consistent views of what the European Information Society might be by 2030. The consequent implications of each scenario for citizens, businesses and public services are discussed. The pace at which the elements of the visions unfold will, however, be influenced by the speed of change of the overall technological landscape and societal context. Considering the unprecedented growth and speed of ICT uptake and the rapid emergence of technologies which enable applications for ICT for governance and policy making (e.g. social computing, mobile technologies, pervasive computing, etc.), it is argued that the world in 2030 will be radically different from the world we live in today. Finally, the article identifies the key areas where change is expected, proposes possible research directions and discusses the future research and policy challenges to be addressed in order to build a Digital Europe twenty years from now.JRC.J.4-Information Societ

Telecare and telehealth for informal carers: a research in 12 Member States on their benefits and policy role for the success

Introduction: Research acknowledges the relevance of social support and coping strategies to manage the pressure of care experienced by informal carers, where ICT-based services like telecare and telehealth can provide more effective and efficient support to individuals compared with traditional interventions. Nevertheless there is still little evidence of their benefits of these technological services for informal carers and on the factors associated with their successful development and transfer. Aims and objectives: The aim of this study was to study how the technologies for independent living of the elderly affect the informal carers, and to identify the policy role to develop and scale these technological services in the European Union. Methods: The methodology was to map the most relevant ICT-based initiatives existing in Europe to support informal carers of older people living in the community. We develop an impact assessment methodology that identified the most relevant factors of impact. We then carried out them an in-depth analysis of 5 selected good practices of telecare and telehealth in European countries to better understand the impact of such services. Moreover, we cross- analysed of 12 good practices of ICT based services for informal carers to identify the key success factors to develop such services. Results: We found that telecare and telehealth provide relief, independence and peace of mind for informal carers. This allows carers to have more active social lives and more time for themselves. These tools can guarantee a decreased in demand by carers and care recipients for support and care services. The research also evidenced that key issues for the success of telecare and telehealth is to articulate a multi-level policy framework based mainly on policy leadership, combination of funding programmes, and support of intermediaries (in particular the third sector). Conclusions: Telecare and telehealth are technologies for elderly people that can also benefit informal carers. Challenges still exist for their development, but a multi-level policy framework can help for the success.JRC.J.3-Information Societ