In the contemporary picture there is conjoint consensus amongst all the policy makers from across the sphere that devoid of ICT and digital inclusion; the growth of an individual is stalled. Specially in developing economy like India, where poverty eradication and employment generation are foremost objectives; digital inclusion is a must. Considering factors like lack of infrastructure, primary education and availability affordable technologies and others, the strategic intervention and collaborative efforts by government and non-government organizations is indispensable. Present study provides an analysis of secondary data in order to investigate the current status of digital inclusion and digital divide of Indian population. Further it also illustrates the strategies to eradicate the digital divide and cites example from successful digital inclusion campaigns from other parts of world.
LEFIS organized a meeting in July 2007 in Jaca (Spain) to discuss the status and the perspectives of e-Government especially applied to the legal aspects of society. As it is known the potential benefits of e-Government are numerous and they include greater efficiency, improved public services, enhanced engagement with citizens. Yet progress has been relatively slow, particularly when compared with other sectors such as e-Commerce. From the presentations of some experiences focused in particular on digital divide, e-Participation, form of government, role of citizens, planning methodology in proposing solutions for citizens, the book highlights some problems and solutions to help overcome barriers.
This article aims at discussing e-government website usability in relation to concerns about digital inclusion. E-government web design should consider all aspects of usability, including those that make it more accessible to all. Traditional concerns of social exclusion are being superseded by fears that lack of digital competence and information literacy may result in dangerous digital exclusion. Usability is considered as a way to address this exclusion and should therefore incorporate inclusion and accessibility guidelines. This article makes an explicit link between usability guidelines and digital inclusion and reports on a survey of local government web presence in Portugal.
This research brings together digital inequality scholars from across the Americas and Caribbean to examine efforts to tackle digital inequality in Uruguay, Chile, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica, the United States, and Canada. As the case studies show, governmental policy has an important role to play in reducing digital disparities, particularly for potential users in rural or remote areas, as well as populations with great economic disparities. We find that public policy can effectively reduce access gaps when it combines the trifecta of network, device, and skill provision, especially through educational institutions. We also note, that urban populations have benefitted from digital inclusion strategies to a greater degree. This underscores that, no matter the national context, rural-urban digital inequality (and often associated economic inequality) is resistant to change. Even when access is provided, potential users may not find it affordable, lack skills, and/or see no benefit in adoption. We see the greatest potential for future digital inclusion in two related approaches: 1) initiatives that connect with hard-to-reach, remote, and rural communities outside urban cores and 2) initiatives that learn from communities about how best to provide digital resources while respecting their diversely situated contexts, while meeting social, economic and political needs.
Un somero análisis del discurso sobre la brecha digital y sus paliativos rápidamente trae reminiscencias de modelos de desarrollo aplicados otrora en América Latina. Propongo como objetivos de este trabajo: (1) registrar históricamente el discurso sobre la brecha digital, trazando sus orígenes en la agenda pública y su estatus de mandato social; (2) examinar sus limitaciones conceptuales como categoría de análisis de desarrollo aplicada a comunidades; (3) distinguir niveles de uso de las tecnologías, con el fin de deducir modelos implícitos de desarrollo en dicho discurso, y (4) analizar continuidades y quiebres con políticas pretéritas de promoción de tecnologías y difusión de innovaciones. ; A brief analysis about the Digital Gap' discourse and its solutions immediately brings memories about development paradigms applied in Latin America in the past. In that sense, I propose for this paper: (1) consider historically the discourse about the digital gap; stating its origins in the public agenda and its current status of social mandate; (2) examine its conceptual limitations as a development category applied to communities; (3) distinguished between levels of use, with the objective of deducing implicit models of development suggested by the discourses; and, (4) analyse continuities and breakthroughs with previous politics about promotion of new technologies and innovation in the region
According to Eurostat, in 2013 Portugal was the fifth country with the highest percentage of people that never used the Internet (33% of the population), preceded by Romania (42%), Bulgaria (41%), Greece (36%) and Italy (35%). On the other hand Denmark and Sweden have the lowest, both with 4%. Germany and United Kingdom have also low percentage 13% and 8% respectively. The average in the 28 EU member countries is 21%. Information and communications technology (ICT) are becoming more prevalent in all areas and fields of society. The digital inclusion has been seen as very beneficial to the individual, economy and society. So for the digital excluded, namely with disadvantaged background, like social exclusion, geographical exclusion or age exclusion (elderly), the ICT can take an even more important role to help them integrate in society. Despite a growth in the number of Internet users in the last decades, there are still a lot of people that don't use, or even never used this tool. This project aims to address this problem by engaging synergies of nine partners in four countries (Portugal, Italy, United Kingdom and Germany) whose good practices will be shared and validated by the Science and Technology Foundation in Portugal. This network will work both at local, regional, national and international levels in transversal and trans-sectorial areas, both in terms of the partners involved (academic and enterprise), and in terms of the focus group (VET; adult education with disadvantaged background; HEI with special focus on this group) literacy inclusion, re-qualification and employability. As a strategic partnership project this proposal intends to promote actions, to build contents, digital instruments and to analyse the impact of ICT in a glocal (global&local) world, rooted in a process of civilisational change (social, political, economic and cultural). Always taking leverage of the individual skills and competences of each partner, anchored by the best research and state of the art practices. The main ...
As more of our everyday lives become digital, it has become crucial to include everyone in the digital society. This special issue is examining the different layers of digital inclusion and data literacy by drawing on research, policy, and practice developments around literacies in various regions and contexts. It highlights the politics around them so as to propose policies that are needed to include more people in datafied societies, and what types of literacies they should learn. This issue includes three commentaries by experts in the field and five peer-reviewed academic papers that go towards tackling digital inclusion. This means to find solutions to the fact that many people are left behind technological advancements, and that these create what is commonly called - the digital divide.
With a growing range of education, information, government, and community services moving online, internet access is increasingly regarded as an essential service. The benefits of the digital economy cannot be shared when some members of the community are still facing real barriers to online participation. Digital inclusion is based on the premise that everyone should be able to make full use of digital technologies – to manage their health and wellbeing, access education and services, organise their finances, and connect with friends, family, and the world beyond. Digital inclusion is likely also to be important for our national welfare: it is, for example, a necessary element in the environmental, social and economic transformations embodied in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) was first published in 2016, providing the most comprehensive picture of Australia's online participation to date. The ADII measures three vital dimensions of digital inclusion: Access, Affordability, and Digital Ability. It shows how these dimensions change over time, according to people's social and economic circumstances, as well as across geographic locations. Scores are allocated to particular geographic regions and sociodemographic groups, over a six-year period from 2014 to 2019. Higher scores mean greater digital inclusion. This 2019 ADII report incorporates data collected up to March 2019, and revises earlier editions. Key findings: Digital inclusion is improving in Australia The gaps between digitally included and excluded Australians are substantial and widening for some groups Rural Australia leads the way in NBN take-up and access improvements Building digital confidence is important for enhancing digital inclusion Although value for money has improved, affordability remains a key challenge Mobile-only users are less digitally included The age gap is substantial but narrowed in 2019 The digital inclusion gap between Australians with disability and other Australians is substantial but narrowed in 2019 Indigenous digital inclusion is low, but improving Geography plays a critical role Some Australians are particularly digitally excluded Collaboration across all levels of government is needed
With a growing range of education, information, government, and community services moving online, internet access is increasingly regarded as an essential service. The benefits of the digital economy cannot be shared equally when some members of the community are still facing real barriers to online participation. Digital inclusion is based on the premise that everyone should be able to make full use of digital technologies – to manage their health and wellbeing, access education and services, organise their finances, and connect with friends, family, and the world beyond. The Australian Digital Inclusion Index (ADII) was first published in 2016, providing the most comprehensive picture of Australia's online participation to date. The ADII measures three vital dimensions of digital inclusion: Access, Affordability, and Digital Ability. It shows how these dimensions change over time, according to people's social and economic circumstances, as well as across geographic locations. Scores are allocated to particular geographic regions and sociodemographic groups, over a five-year period from 2014 to 2018. Higher scores mean greater digital inclusion. This ADII report incorporates data collected up to March 2018.
The COVID-19 pandemic precipitated attention to the public consequences of digital exclusion and to local, state, and federal emergency digital inclusion efforts. In this case study, we examine private sector, municipal government, and nonprofit efforts to close the divide during the pandemic in Philadelphia, which has one of the worst urban connectivity rates in the United States. Drawing on news accounts, policy documents, and interviews with city staff, we assess Philadelphia's digital inclusion efforts during the pandemic. Our findings show that inclusion efforts faced challenging logistics, limited data on the unconnected, funding concerns, and sometimes pushback from Internet service providers (ISPs). The latter were by necessity crucial partners in connectivity efforts but failed to address basic digital access gaps without significant public and governmental pressure, signaling the need for public alternatives. Our analysis foregrounds the disconnect among well-resourced ISPs, connectivity gaps marked by digital redlining in the poorest communities, and political constraints on robust public broadband policy.
Purpose This paper explores how policy-level stakeholders tackle digital inclusion in the context of UK rural communities. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with stakeholders that operate nationally in government departments, government funded organisations and third sector organisations that provided a policy-level perspective on digital inclusion initiative provision across England, Scotland and Wales. Activity theory (AT) was utilised as a theoretical framework, where a variety of factors–tools, rules, community, division of labour and contradictions–were found to have an influence on digital inclusion initiative provision. Findings Digital inclusion initiative provision in UK rural communities is organised through the multi-stakeholder involvement of national organisations, and collaboration with intermediary organisations to provide digital skills training and support. The process is fraught with difficulties and contradictions, limited knowledge sharing; reduced or poor-quality connectivity; lack of funding; lack of local resources; assumptions that organisations will indeed collaborate and assumptions that intermediary organisations have staff with the necessary skills and confidence to provide digital skills training and support within the rural context. Research limitations/implications This study highlights the benefit of using AT as a lens to develop a nuanced understanding of how policy-level stakeholders tackle digital inclusion. Practical implications This study can inform policy decisions on digital inclusion initiative provision suitable for rural communities. Originality/value The contribution of this paper provides new insights into the understanding of how policy-level stakeholders tackle digital inclusion and the provision of digital inclusion initiatives; it builds on the use of AT to help unpick the complexity of digital inclusion initiative provision as a phenomenon; it reveals contradictions in relation to trust, and the need for knowledge sharing ...
In an increasingly digitalised society, participation becomes dependent on digital skills – the ability to understand and use the everyday Internet technologies that surround us. People who have difficulty acquiring these skills risk being digitally excluded. One such group is the elderly; all research studies show that they are disadvantaged. The project focuses on digital inclusion for elderly citizens, addressing goal 10 of the United Nations global sustainability goals: reduced inequality within and among countries. It brings together researchers, industry and government in a collaborative practice (action research) program designed to increase theoretical knowledge of digital inclusion in Sweden, and to provide useful guidelines and tools for improving societal involvement of elderly citizens. The collaborative practice approach incorporates survey and interview techniques to ensure scientific rigor. A feature of the project is the use of a cross-generational teaching and learning approach – young people (digital natives) interacting with elderly - which has not previously been researched. Our initial results show that the benefits for the elderly include reduced isolation, more autonomy and independence, and better health.
The progressive development of the Digital Age has given rise to a growing number of concepts related to individuals' experiences with their digital literacy, from the level of competence or lack thereof conceptualized in the digital divide, to the very concept of digital citizenship, essential today for participation in democratic societies. This article analyses the different interpretations made of these concepts with a view to clarifying their appropriate use according to the situations to be studied, understood as an intellectualized evolution of the realities and experiences lived by individuals and society. Since the beginning of the millennium, several national and regional digital inclusion projects began, encouraged by the European policies that aimed to alleviate the already existing digital gap. In this sense, the KZgunea program, the Basque government's digital inclusion project is analyzed as a paradigmatic case of the evolution of government programs and policies in favour of an adequate level of digital literacy that allows individuals to fully participate in all fields of today's increasingly digitized society. This report is part of a PhD thesis that analyzes digital literacy as an instrument of empowerment and social inclusion, to improve employability, and as a key to the construction of digital citizenship in the 21st century. Keywords: digital citizenship; digital literacy; digital divide; digital competence; digital inclusion programs.
As more of our everyday lives become digital, it has become crucial to include everyone in the digital society. This special issue is examining the different layers of digital inclusion and data literacy by drawing on research, policy, and practice developments around literacies in various regions and contexts. It highlights the politics around them so as to propose policies that are needed to include more people in datafied societies, and what types of literacies they should learn. This issue includes three commentaries by experts in the field and five peer-reviewed academic papers that go towards tackling digital inclusion. This means to find solutions to the fact that many people are left behind technological advancements, and that these create what is commonly called - the digital divide.
Strategies and policies to bridge identified and potential digital divides is a core challenge when forming an inclusive and participatory digital democracy and society. In line with the progress and development of digital technologies and applications governments have to address digital divides. This project discusses how social and digital divides have been addressed in a project called "The Digital media bus in Östergötland". This project builds on the library buses that have has been running in the region for long a long time. The libraries in Sweden also have to address digital inclusion and implement strategies towards increased use of and knowledge about information technologies. This analysis builds on an action research approach. The analyse here are focusing on the implementation, project management and how the project has addressed digital inclusion. Finally, we end up discussing the diversity of digital inclusion, elaborating on the meanings of digital divides and digital diversity.
