The Political Economy of Digital Transformation in the European Union

Öz

The digital area is considered a part of the European Union's (EU) economic and social integration process. However, significant variations in the level of digitalization among member states coupled with widening digital gap, cause challenges to the political sphere. This article examines the inequalities and deprivation experienced by European citizens within the framework of the Union's digitalization objectives, from an economic-political standpoint. It also discusses the digital transformation process within the EU, exploring approaches such as social justice, equality, and sustainable development. In this context, the article analyses strategy documents and reports about the EU's digitalization efforts, utilizing data on digital skills and digital infrastructure from the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) published by the Union. The main findings of the research indicate that the EU has low performance in terms of cross-country inclusivity, convergence, and social integration in the digitalisation process, and this situation deepens inter-regional digital infrastructure differences and inadequacy of human resources. This condition inter-regional disparities in digital infrastructure and highlights inadequacies in human resources. These findings hold significance in providing insights into foreseeable challenges for the EU's digital transformation process, particularly concerning the 2030 targets.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• European Union
• Fundamental Rights
• Digitalisation
• Economy Politic
• Digital Gap

Avrupa Birliği’nde Dijital Dönüşümün Ekonomi Politiği

Öz

Avrupa Birliği (AB) için dijital alan, ekonomik ve sosyal bütünleşme sürecinin bir parçası olarak görülmektedir. Buna karşın, üye ülkeler arasında dijitalleşme düzeyine yönelik önemli farklılıklar ve derinleşen dijital boşluk, politik alana zarar vermektedir. Bu makale, Birliğin dijitalleşme hedefleri ekseninde Avrupa yurttaşlarının yaşadığı eşitsizliği ve yoksunluğun eleştirisini ekonomik politik perspektifte tartışmış, dijital dönüşüm sürecini AB’de sosyal adalet, eşitlik ve sürdürülebilir kalkınma gibi yaklaşımlar ekseninde ele almıştır. Bu kapsamda, AB’nin dijitalleşme sürecine yönelik strateji belgeleri ve raporları analiz edilmiş, ayrıca Birlik tarafından yayınlanan Dijital Ekonomi Toplum İndeksinde (DESI) yer alan Dijital Beceriler ve Dijital Altyapı verileri kullanılmıştır. Araştırmaya ilişkin temel bulgular, Birliğin dijitalleşme sürecinde ülkeler arası kapsayıcılık, yakınsama ve toplumsal içerme konusunda düşük bir performansa sahip olduğunu, bu durumun da bölgeler arası dijital altyapı farklılıkları ve insan kaynağının yetersizliğini derinleştirdiğini göstermektedir. Elde edilen sonuçlar, AB’nin dijital dönüşüm sürecine yönelik 2030 hedefleri için öngörülebilir değerlendirmeleri ortaya koymak açısından önemlidir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Avrupa Birliği
• Temel Haklar
• Dijitalleşme
• Ekonomi Politik
• Dijital Boşluk

Kaynakça

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