1 st CEE Symposium on Business Informatics

This paper deals with the dilemma followed from the double character of knowledge. On the one hand, knowledge is an individual and social good determining quality of life. On the other hand, knowledge is an economical good, a funding concept of the knowledge-based economy. The dilemma is: should knowledge be for free or paid? It is argued in the paper that achievement of knowledge (information) society without knowledge-based economy is impossible. A compromise approach to financing knowledge is proposed motivated by the need of sustainable development of economy as a condition of social welfare. This approach consists of public financing only precisely defined part of the knowledge sector: first, knowledge that does not develop any more, and knowledge necessary to bring new social groups of people to the knowledge-based economy.