Information society strategies: Plan Avanza and Plan Avanza 2 Plan Avanza
Plan Avanza, the previous information society strategy, was Spain’s umbrella strategy for the advancement of an information society. Launched in 2005 to cover the period 2006-2010, it addressed action in four areas: digital citizenship, digital economy, digital public services, and digital context. It provided a major, concerted policy response to the role to be played by ICT in the Spanish economy and society. Some of its milestones were public sector modernisation, increased broadband availability, ICT diffusion, and the emergence of the ICT sector as a driver of growth.
In 2010 the OECD reviewed the previous information society strategy (OECD, 2010b) and identified three areas of action: leadership and commitment as key drivers; progress in ICT diffusion and access; and a move towards greater value creation from ICTs. It framed its proposals for future policy within these three themes (OECD, 2010c), recommending that the previous plan should:
- • strengthen the contribution of ICTs to economic recovery and long-term objectives for green growth and innovation;
- • support a demand-driven, user-centred strategic approach to public service delivery;
- • maximise the impact of initiatives while making optimal use of resources invested.
These policy recommendations have contributed to Spain’s continuous adjustment of its efforts to put in place an information society strategy and to its finalisation of Plan Avanza 2.
The OECD described the previous information society strategy as the most ambitious and comprehensive policy that the government of Spain had undertaken towards the advancement of an information society (OECD, 2010b). The OECD also asserts in its initial review that the plan has an important role to play in the current economic context. In the short term, it could make an especially important contribution to Spain’s economic recovery and, in the long term, play a crucial part in promoting sustainable economic growth.
