Evaluating Digital Inclusion: A Framework for Indexing Inclusive Progress

Younhee Kim () and Cheol-Yeung Jang ()
Additional contact information
Younhee Kim: Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg
Cheol-Yeung Jang: Dae-Kyeung University

Public Organization Review, 2025, vol. 25, issue 3, No 23, 1315-1332

Abstract: Abstract As digital transformation drives technological change and innovation, digital inclusion becomes critical for enhancing individuals’ economic, social, and political opportunities. However, its conceptualization and measurement remain underdeveloped in context-specific backgrounds. This study aims to construct a digital inclusion framework for indexing the level of digital inclusion. Using expert surveys conducted in South Korea in 2023 and the analytical hierarchy process, this study empirically validates a structured approach to measure an individual level of digital inclusion. The results confirmed three dimensions of digital inclusion in terms of access, competency, and usage, each comprising multiple subcategories and indicators. Among three characteristics of digital inclusion, both access and usage hold the highest weight, followed by competency. These findings underscore the foundational role of digital access and usage in fostering inclusive digital growth, providing a practical assessment framework to ensure equitable digital participation across diverse contexts.

Keywords: Analytical hierarchy process; Digital access; Digital competency; Digital divide; Digital inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11115-025-00857-6 Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:kap:porgrv:v:25:y:2025:i:3:d:10.1007_s11115-025-00857-6

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer. ... ce/journal/11115/PS2

DOI: 10.1007/s11115-025-00857-6

Access Statistics for this article

Public Organization Review is currently edited by Ali Farazmand

More articles in Public Organization Review from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().