Digital policy narratives: addressing grand challenges or exacerbating digital inequalities?

COVID-19 and the digital divide in the UK

Intrinsic value of food chain data

In the current context, digital transformation has become a fundamental factor for the change of the productive matrix in Ecuador. This is because the world is becoming increasingly digital and companies need to adapt to this new reality to remain competitive in the domestic and international market. However, despite the efforts of the Ecuadorian government to promote digital transformation, there are still obstacles that limit its implementation in an efficient and effective way: insufficient knowledge on the subject and its benefits for social practice. Many companies have not yet adopted digital technologies in their processes and activities. On the other hand, there are barriers such as lack of internet access in some rural areas and lack of training and education in digital skills. The objective of this study is to provide an analysis of the levels of intersectional interdependence in the context of Ecuador's productive matrix, identifying the main challenges, strengths and opportunities, so that it allows proposing recommendations for their effective integration with the digital transformation. The research methodology consisted of reviewing the existing literature on digital transformation and its integration into Ecuador's productive matrix. Information was also gathered from studies and statistical data related to the level of adoption of digital technologies in the country. The findings revealed that, although digital transformation has advanced in some sectors of the Ecuadorian economy, there is still great potential for growth in others. In addition, it was identified that the main barriers to the implementation of digital transformation are the lack of investment in technology, the lack of training and education in digital skills and the lack of awareness of the benefits of digital transformation. As a central conclusion, it can be stated that digital transformation is a key factor for the change of the productive matrix in Ecuador. However, it is necessary to overcome the barriers and challenges that exist in the implementation process. To this end, policies and programs must be established to encourage the adoption of digital technologies, communication infrastructures must be improved, and education and training in digital skills must be encouraged. This is the only way to achieve a real change in the country's productive matrix and take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the digital era.

Background:Digital skills training to increase the competitiveness of teaching staff is related to the development of digital pedagogical skills that are relevant to 21st century learning. Digital skills training can be provided to educational staff, such as teachers and lecturers, through vocational education programs and digital skills courses. Research purposes:This research was conducted with the aim of finding out how much impact digital skills training has on increasing the competitiveness of teaching staff to find out and analyze how digital skills training affects the competence and competitiveness of teaching staff in the digital era. This research aims to support the development of relevant and effective digital skills training programs to improve the competence of teaching staff, so that they can help create a workforce that is ready to face the challenges of the digital economy. Method:The method used in this research is a quantitative method.This method is a way of collecting numerical data that can be tested. Data was collected through distributing questionnaires addressed to students. Furthermore, the data that has been collected from the results of distributing the questionnaire will be accessible in Excel format which can then be processed using SPSS. Results:From the research results, it can be seen thatDigital skills training is one way to increase the competitiveness of teaching staff. To increase the competitiveness of teaching staff, it shows that this training can influence the competency and competitiveness of teaching staff in the digital era. Digital skills training can help educators develop relevant digital pedagogical skills, which will help them adapt to increasingly sophisticated learning needs and integrate digital technologies in teaching. Conclusion:Digital skills training can help educators develop digital pedagogical skills that are relevant to twenty-first century learning. This will help them adapt to increasingly sophisticated learning needs and integrate digital technology in teaching.

Nearly 6 million workers support the multi-billion-dollar digital economy as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the U.S. labor market. Middle-skill jobs in the digital economy sector that pay higher wages and do not require a bachelor’s degree are underrepresented people of intersectional marginalized identities. This exploratory study builds upon previous research on digital inequities by examining the digital economy values, behavior, and interests of a small sample of residents in an area of Charlotte, North Carolina with known digital, social, and economic inequities. Analyses included descriptive and bivariate statistics. Given the exploratory nature of the study, no causal inferences are made, however, preliminary findings suggest a need for further research on digital skills training that addresses the intersectional barriers experienced in marginalized communities, and the need for place-based interventions that leverage localized policies in the areas of affordable housing, workforce development, and economic development. Implications and limitations are discussed.

Digitalising food manufacturing

Youth unemployment is one of the most pressing issues confronting world leaders in the 21st century. Youth unemployment has negative implications for economic and social progress. In Nigeria, youth unemployment hit an all-time high of 55.4% in the third quarter of 2018. With almost all sectors been digitalised, digital skills become one of the most promising solutions to youth unemployment. It is a necessity for wage employment and in the creation of a personal business. However, anecdotal and empirical evidence shows that many youths lack the requisite skills for using digital technology productively. Hence, there is an increase in international and local efforts toward digital skills training for youths. This study reports the findings from a pilot digital skills training programme organised by the Double You Initiative in July 2019. It was based on a quantitative research approach with the use of an online questionnaire to obtain information from youths across Nigeria through a purposive sampling technique. The findings show that youths within the ages of 19 and 24 will likely subscribe more to digital skills training than any other age group. Also, undergraduate students are more interested in digital skills training, and the most common digital skill preference among youths is digital marketing. The lessons from the digital skills training reported in this paper can be useful in enhancing the preparedness of stakeholders towards the provision of digital skills training that will promote decent jobs for youths in Nigeria.

Problem setting. Digitalization, as a defining trend today, inevitably leads to significant transformations in the system of public administration. Digital transformation in the public sector are critical important value to meet the customer needs in the digital age. The COVID-19 pandemic and quarantine restrictions have led to the rapid development of various digital technologies and tools, and to strengthen the negative socio-economic trends (poverty, unemployment, inequality, social exclusion, return of migrant workers) and led to the unusual conditions of life and work. Therefore, there is a growing need to strengthen the role of public authorities in regulating the socio-economic development of the country through broad inclusion of different segments of the population, communities and territories, in particular, taking into account current trends and opportunities for digital technology in public administration.Recent research and publications analysis. Theoretical and applied aspects of inclusive development and growth are reflected in researches by: J.Gupta, S.Klasen, R.Ranieri, R.A.Ramos, L.Winters, A.Atkinson and E.Marlier. Peculiarities and interrelation of digital development, inequality and inclusion are considered in the works of S.Rader, M.Fouwani and A.Joshua.The works of: K.Schwab, O.Karpenko, V.Namesnik, N.Savchenko, L.Fedulova, and T.Zaporozhets are devoted to the issues of digital transformation of public administration and digital development of society. Conceptual principles are defined in detail in the Concept of Development of the Digital Economy and Society of Ukraine for 2018-2020, as well as in international reports and declarations.However, little attention is devoted to the issue of the use of digital technologies in public administration of inclusive local development to address pressing problems in Ukraine, particularly at local level.The paper objective – to substantiate the need and opportunities for the use of digital technologies in public administration of inclusive local development.The paper main body. The article substantiates the necessity and possibilities of using digital technologies in public administration of inclusive local development. In particular, are presented: the conceptual foundations of the formation of an inclusive society in the digital age, the features of the using digital technologies and ensuring digital inclusion at the national and local levels.Information, communication and digital technologies are becoming an increasingly important part of the social and economic life of the population around the world. To ensure the quality functioning of households, enterprises, communities and countries in general, it is necessary to have a developed digital infrastructure. Digital access allows people to earn a living, have social contacts, expand access to information and a variety of public services, and promote better public decision-making policies.Analyzed and defined terms such as “inclusion”, “inclusive society”, “digital inequality (exclusion, gap)”, “digital inclusion”, “rural gap”, “gender gap”. The possibilities of digital technologies and digital development are revealed, which should be aimed at increasing the efficiency of activity, economic growth, employment and improving the life quality of all citizens, including vulnerable and marginalized population categories. Is proved that the public administration system must constantly change and adapt to the digital society realities in order to ensure the diverse needs of the population.Conclusions and perspectives for further research. The research showed that digital development and digital access allow to bring services and services closer to the person (consumer), to make them more convenient and accessible, which contributes to improving the quality of life of different segments of the population. This is facilitated by the availability of broadband Internet and infrastructure, the availability of appropriate devices (computers, smartphones, routers, etc.), advanced digital skills and a desire to receive services online. Opportunities for digital participation in decision-making for the benefit of community and country development are also increasing.Public policy on digital inclusion must take into account the unique information and communication needs of all groups, especially vulnerable and marginalized groups in specific social situations, so that they can function effectively in the digital society.Prospects for further research may be to explore the possibilities of public administration in the field of digital development to strengthen the socio-economic potential of Ukraine and to reduce various types of inequalities in response to new challenges.

Despite the benefits of digital technologies (DT) to enhance the performance of the construction industry, the implementation of DT in construction practice has lagged behind. Existing studies have extensively investigated the readiness of single DT, but with limited types of DT and a lack of practicability for construction practitioners. Based on a questionnaire survey, we developed a readiness model and a self-assessment tool for assessing DT readiness for construction companies. Among the 15 indicators of DT readiness surveyed, ‘organizational culture’, ‘leadership and top management support’ and ‘top management’s perception’ were identified as the three most critical indicators. Using factor analysis and fuzzy synthetic evaluation approaches, the readiness model incorporates 15 critical indicators within two groups, quantified weightings, membership functions and criticality indices. The self-assessment tool was developed and validated to assess DT readiness for construction companies based on objective weightings, pinpointing where changes are needed in response to technological disruptions and digitalization transformation. This study incorporates both individual and organizational indicators in a novel organizational DT readiness model and provides a self-assessment tool for construction organizations when adopting multiple DT. The research outcomes can assist the decision-making resources for construction companies to plan and monitor their DT adoption process.

IntroductionDigital inequality is the unequal distribution of digital and internet-based devices, utilities and services. Digital legacy is the digital and virtual remnant that an individual leaves when they die. Globally,...

The extent to which the benefits of digital technologies can be utilized in the faculty of communication depends on certain variables having an impact on the quality of technology-based learning. In this context, one of the variables affecting the quality is the students’ use of technology, their competence concerning digital technologies and their attitudes towards them. As such, the technology use and the attitudes of the students at the faculty of communication towards digital technologies were compared according to the variables of gender and grade levels and examined with a relational approach based on the causalcomparative model. The research was conducted with the participation of 262 students studying at the faculty of communication in different universities located in Konya, Isparta and Kayseri. In the study, “Technology Usage” and “Attitude towards Digital Technologies” scales were used as data collection tools. As a result of the analysis of the research data, it was found that the technology use of the students at the communication faculty was at a moderate level, while their attitudes towards digital technologies indicated a high and positive tendency. Furthermore, the technology use and the attitudes towards digital technologies differ according to gender and grade levels of the students studying at the faculty of communication

The study aims to analyze key issues and research trends in international research on the digital inequality of immigrants. Based on a total of 401 articles on digital inequality of immigrants published in Web of Science registered journals between 2000 and February 2023, the authors identified key research topics. The analysis reveals an increasing number of articles on immigrants’ digital inequality, starting with two articles in 2006, and showing a sharp increase since 2020. Research areas on the digital inequality of immigrants are led by various academic fields, including social science, medicine, and multidisciplinary studies. Five topics were identified through topic modeling and word network analysis: ‘immigrants’ digital inequality in health’, ‘COVID-19 and immigrants’ digital inequality’, ‘Immigrants’ digital inequality in education’, ‘Immigrants’ inequality in the digital age’, and ‘Digital inequality of migrant workers’. It was shown that topics of ‘immigrants’ digital inequality in health’ and ‘Immigrants’ inequality in the digital age’ have been attracting significant attention.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has emerged as an innovative educational approach, and it is increasingly gaining its prominence in the higher education in Malaysia. Past research shows that digital literacy competence has strong and positive influence on academics’ motivation and academic productivity. However, there is little research carried out to examine the impact of digital literacy skills on the improvement of learning performance of university students in PBL environment. This study aims to examine the influence of digital literacy skills training on the learning performance of university students in the Physics course conducted in PBL approach. This study utilises Solomon four-group design by setting up two experimental groups and two control groups for the experiment. Seventy eight students in the School of Liberal Arts and Science of Taylor’s University in Malaysia participated in this study. The study investigated whether digital literacy skills training would improve the learning performance of the university students and if a cause and effect relationship existed between digital literacy skills training and learning performance. The independent variable of this study was the digital literacy skills training. The dependent variables were the learning performance scores which constitute two subjective measures, namely, learning satisfaction and learning attitude, and one objective measure, the learning score. A between-group factorial ANOVA showed that the treatment of digital literacy did have an impact on learning performance. The findings inferred that there was a cause and effect relationship (causation) between digital literacy skills training and improvement in learning performance of university students in PBL environment. The philosophy of learning through problem-solving process in PBL is conceptually parallel to digital literacy competency standards for higher education. This study confirmed that digital literacy skills training may help raise the learning performance of university students learning under PBL environment.

The advent of digital technologies has brought about new opportunities and challenges to the education system globally. The use of digital technologies by educators in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) is a portal for innovative teaching and learning. While there is a gradual increase in the use of these innovative technologies by HEIs in South Africa, there is still a long way to transform the educational system fully. Effective use of digital technologies in teaching and learning needs a certain level of digital literacy. Digital literacy enhances teaching and learning by helping educators integrate and use digital technologies, while equipping students with skills to access the internet effectively. The impact of digital technology has beaconed the need of educators to acquire 21st-century skills. Digital literacy skills are critical in realising the potential and benefits of digital technologies. This paper investigates the importance of digital technologies in education and the impact of digital literacy skills on the effective use of these technologies in HEIs in South Africa. Data collection was primarily based on a critical review of literature relating to the application of mobile technologies in HEIs in South Africa. The results revealed various barriers inhibiting educators from adopting mobile technologies in teaching and learning, including lack of digital literacy skills, time constraints, unwillingness to change, lack of educator confidence, poor technological infrastructure, and lack of digital or mobile devices. The study provides recommendations to enable and inspire educators in HEIs to use mobile digital technologies effectively.

The discussion about the advisability of using digital technologies in the process of art therapy has been going on for several decades, but now it has become even more relevant in connection with the covid 19 pandemic and the need to provide remote psychological assistance to different groups of the population. The purpose of the article is to review foreign studies that reflect different ways of including digital technologies in art therapy work, an overview of specific examples of successful work using digital technologies (phototherapy, animation therapy, digital art, virtual reality tools). Doubts of specialists in the benefits of digital technologies are associated, first of all, with a change in the very nature of artistic creation, the loss of its sensory basis, loss of contact with artistic materials, as well as the risks of losing social connections outside the network. Among the arguments for the inclusion of digital technologies in the practice of art therapy prevail technical (the convenience of creating and storing digital works). There are also psychological (the ability to go through new experiences) and social (the ability to work with young people in their usual format, the availability of remote work and quick access to media space). The arguments of the authors are presented in a summary table. The main problematic points are identified. In order for digital technologies to become a natural part of art therapy work, training programs for specialists are necessary, as well as the development of special applications, since existing ones often do not take into account the specifics of art therapy.