G.3. Quaternary Activities

UPSC Full Course [English]

About Lesson

Quaternary activities involve the collection, production, and dissemination of information, as well as the creation of new knowledge.
These activities are primarily centered around research and development and are considered an advanced form of services requiring specialized knowledge and technical skills.

Quinary Sector

Quinary activities, on the other hand, are carried out by the highest level of decision-makers or policymakers. These activities differ subtly from knowledge-based industries as they primarily deal with top-tier decision-making, policy formulation, and other high-level intellectual tasks that influence society.
Quinary activities are services that focus on the creation, re-arrangement and interpretation of new and existing ideas; data interpretation and the use and evaluation of new technologies.
Often referred to as gold collar‘ professions, they represent another subdivision of the tertiary sector representing special and highly paid skills of senior business executives, government officials, research scientists, financial and legal consultants, etc.

The Digital Divide

Opportunities emerging from the Information and Communication Technology based development is unevenly distributed across the globe. There are wide ranging economic, political and social differences among countries.
How quickly countries can provide ICT access and benefits to its citizens are the deciding factor.
While developed countries in general have surged forward, the developing countries have lagged behind and this is known as the digital divide.
Similarly digital divides exist within countries.
For example, in a large country like India or Russia, it is inevitable that certain areas like metropolitan centres possess better connectivity and access to the digital world versus peripheral rural areas