Digital transformation and digital divide in times of COVID-19: regional patterns of change in European transition economies

Nemény, Dorka Virág (2023) Digital transformation and digital divide in times of COVID-19: regional patterns of change in European transition economies. MA/MSc, Lámfalussy Sándor Közgazdaságtudományi Kar (volt Közgazdaságtudományi Kar).

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Absztrakt (kivonat)

Digital transformation and the improvement of Information and Communication Technolo-gies have crucial impact on economic growth, competitiveness and sustainable development. Digitalisation provides opportunities but also poses risks as digital divide may deepen in economic, demographic, social and territorial divisions. Accordingly, supporting digital transformation has been of high priority in the European Union. The main purpose of my study is to explore the patterns of digital transformation and digital divide among the NUTS-2 regions of the 11 Central and South-East European transi-tion economies (CSE-11) over the period 2016–2021 with special regard to the consequenc-es of the COVID-19 crisis. After presenting the concept of digital divide, its terminological background, previous research on the subject and methods to capture digitalisation, I provide an overview on the key areas and fields of action made by the EU, including strategic documents and the Digital Economy and Society Index, the relation of digital development and the Multiannual Finan-cial Frameworks, and key findings of existing analyses at the European level. A database of 7 ICT-related indicators from Eurostat for 49 regions of CSE-11 is em-ployed. Univariate analyses enable to examine the extreme (top and bottom) positions in the relative growth of regions, explore the convergence vs. divergence patterns in EU-27 and CSE-11 comparison, and analyse the patterns of balance vs. imbalance regarding growth dynamics. Multivariate analysis of multidimensional scaling derives two dimensions from the original indicators and allows to explain similarities and distances between regions. Us-ing scatter plots and mapping differences provide a better insight in the features of digital di-vide. The overall conclusion is that there has been convergence in all ICT-related indicators within several regions of the European transition economies, but a sharp divide is still visible among regions. Also, regions belonging to the same country are more similar than different, and regions of relatively low capacities in digitalisation tend to be the same ones with respect to all indicators. I believe that my findings have the potential to contribute to the discussion and research on digital transformation and digital divide at the European level.

Magyar cím

Digitális átalakulás és digitális szakadék COVID-19 idején: a változás regionális mintázatai az európai átmeneti gazdaságokban

Angol cím

Digital transformation and digital divide in times of COVID-19: regional patterns of change in European transition economies

Intézmény

Soproni Egyetem

Kar

Lámfalussy Sándor Közgazdaságtudományi Kar (volt Közgazdaságtudományi Kar)

Tanszékcsoport/intézet

LKK - Közgazdasági és Nemzetközi Kapcsolatok Intézet

Szak

LKK - Nemzetközi gazdaság és gazdálkodás mesterszak (MA)

Témavezető(k)

Helyi kari azonosító

KMAN-23/05

Mű típusa:	Diplomadolgozat (MA/MSc)
Felhasználói azonosító szám (ID):	Dorka Virág Nemény
Dátum:	02 Feb 2024 12:36
Utolsó módosítás:	02 Feb 2024 12:36
URI:	http://diploma.uni-sopron.hu/id/eprint/12145

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