In contemporary international division of labor the importance of ICT technologies and social capital is increasing, and allows the economy to be more competitive due to arising many connections to the global information networks. The major goal of this article was analyzing (mostly in descriptive manner) and comparing the recent trends in GDP growth and its composition and international trade of high-technology manufactures and services for developed and BRIC countries. The results of conducted statistical data analysis justify the conclusion that some developing economies, especially China and India, are in fact gaining on importance in international trade of high-tech products and knowledge-intensive business services, even having become more effective competitors to the post-industrial economies in so-called creative industries. Such an outcome has been caused mostly by foreign direct investments flowed in during two last decades, but also was conditioned by social and educational policy leading to development of networked human capital.

Development of information and telecommunication technologies (ICT) and growing popularity of the Internet as communication medium were the most important incentives having influenced the global knowledge-based economy for at least two decades. Although the ICT infrastructure development degree is still often considered as an information society measure, it seems that nowadays, when so many people has broadband and mobile access to the Web, more appropriate ones are those reflecting ICT skills and efficient Internet usage qualifications. One of the new concepts is "open innovation", which in a wider sense could be understood as an exemplification of networked knowledge and innovation exchange method possible thanks to the contemporary Internet revolution. The main purpose of this paper is to evaluate the general concept of open innovation environment, which could be created in Poland to facilitate and foster a scientific and innovation-oriented cooperation among different stakeholders, like companies (especially SMEs), universities, public institutions and the mass of individual Internet users. To achieve this goal, the latter part of the paper is dedicated to the electronic survey results analysis and discussion. This survey has been conducted via social media and other electronic communication channels in course of author's research concerning new models of knowledge diffusion and technology transfer in electronic networks, especially on the Web.

The main goal of the paper is to analyze the selected macroeconomic, trade-related and social-related indicators concerning Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey (collectively named as MINT) from 2000 till 2017, especially in comparison with BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). The outcomes are to be the confirmation basis, if the MINTs could play more important role in the global economy in the near future. Conducted statistical data and report based research has proved that there is no convincing evidence of such process, especially taking into consideration the resent economic and political issues in Mexico and Turkey.

One of the undeniable feature of the contemporary international division of labor is increasing importance of ITC technologies and social capital, which allow the economy to be more competitive due to arising many connections to the global information networks. Based on conducted research it seems that a straightforward distinction between most developed, post-industrial economies and other economies on different, but lower stages of development, is simply obsolete. First and foremost, some developing countries are gaining on importance in international trade of high-tech products and knowledgeintensive business services (China and India are the most evident examples). On the other hand, these countries have become more and more effective competitors to developed countries in so called creative industries. This is partly caused by foreign direct investments flowed in especially during two past decades, but also is a consequence of social and educational policy leading to development of networked human capital, a substantial asset in the modern global economy. In a way such progress of developing countries under scrutiny in this article should be considered as an indication for Eastern European countries, such Poland and Ukraine, which are technologically backward on course for knowledge-based economy creation.

Information and telecommunication technology development is undeniably one of the most important factors for global knowledge diffusion and digital society creation processes in the contemporary world economy. The purpose of this paper is to analyze ICT infrastructure advances having taken place in the European Union, Japan and the United States in last fifteen years, and -based on the analysis results -to specify the most significant, present and potential future problems for Polish economy due to its ICT usage backwardness. While ICT infrastructure development level in Poland is closing to the EU averages, still the vital issue is lack of Internet usage possibilities and increasing digital divide between urban and rural regions, which in the near future can constrain a socioeconomic growth and competitiveness of Polish economy.