Giorgio Pirina, Ca’ Foscari University of Venice
Digital transition
Digital inclusiveness describes the key role of digital technologies in counteracting the digital divide, which is based in and reinforces territorial inequality. The extent to which digital technologies and their underlying infrastructures have become integral to contemporary society is hugely significant, particularly due to their extensive reach. Indeed, these technologies increasingly permeate everyday life and the various spheres of social reality. The “digitization of just about everything” represents a major social transformation, and is a trend that became even more apparent during the Covid-19 pandemic, when a substantial portion of activities shifted to digital formats.
The European Union has identified the digital transition as one of the key ways to tackle some of the most pressing challenges of our time, including social, economic, and territorial inequalities that affect rural, inner, peripheral, and disadvantaged areas. It aims to fulfil the needs of individuals, public administrations and businesses by ensuring widespread access to high-quality broadband connections and electronic devices, and by reducing differences between various populations and regions in terms of their access to and the quality of social services, skills, technology, and infrastructure. The Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) has been developed to measure the digital performance and progress of EU Member States. It includes country profiles that help Member States identify areas requiring priority actionas well as thematic chapters that provide EU-level analysis across key digital areas.
Digital divide
The digitial divide describes disparities in terms of digital and information infrastructues and access to digital skills, both for individuals and institutions. This leads to differences in the use of information technology between countries (the global digital divide) and within countries (the social digital divide). This can hinder participation in political. and social life. Thus, these conditions can have a negative impact on territorial socio-economic development and the opportunities available to people.
In the EU, 54% of individuals have above basic overall digital skills. There is also a territorial digital divide, with rural areas having a lower share of individuals with above basic digital skills. Furthermore, there is a gender-based digital divide in Southern and Eastern Europe, with women experiencing greater difficulties in accessing digital technologies. A digital divide exists in terms of other demographic factors such as age, class, country of origin, gender, and administrative status (especially non-EU migrants) across all areas of the European Union.
Digital preparedness
Digital preparedness is important with respect to the above-mentioned problems. It requires the increasing recognition of the role of digital technologies in shaping development paths and alleviating exclusion and poverty in developing countries. Digital preparedness is also an indicator of the ability of public entities and private companies to respond to emergencies through the use of digital infrastructure. The provision of digital services and infrastructure is crucial: it ensures that a broad spectrum of people, communities, businesses, and organizations can access digital technology.
This includes providing technology for essential services, such as telemedicine in healthcare, remote learning in education, and tele-work or remote work, as well as supporting non-core service, which need access to digital technology in order to remain competitive. To achieve effective accessibility, significant public investment in digital infrastructure is necessary.
Digital inclusiveness
Digital inclusiveness is a process through which digital technologies are made more inclusive, ensuring the fairer and more equal development of conditions for people both at an individual and a collective level. Public policies should thus embrace digital inclusiveness.
The EU has made several efforts to counteract the digital divide and foster more sustainable development, including improving people’s living conditions. The Next Generation EU investment plan and EU cohesion policy exemplify this commitment. Specifically, EU cohesion policy aims to use digital investments to bridge the digital divide both socially and geographically. This involves supporting the digitalization of firms, enhancing access to e-government and e-health services, improving digital skills, and promoting broadband deployment in remote and rural areas, thus helping to ensure that no EU region is left behind.
