DIGITALIZATION OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION: A STUDY OF REGIONAL ASPECTS OF DIGITAL INCLUSION

Abstract

The digital transformation of the Russian economy, due to the digitalization of the world economy, and the need to increase the competitiveness and security of the national economy, is an urgent scientific and practical task. One of the basic concepts of the digital economy is “digital inclusion”, which determines the competitiveness of an individual, a company, a region, and a country in the digital economy. The level of “digital inclusion” is significantly differentiated both between individual countries and within the country, between population groups. Differences in the level of “digital inclusion” are the reason for the digital gap, which is firmly establishing among other “traditional” forms of inequality. However, “digital inclusion” is practically not considered by Russian researchers. In addition, it is not paid attention to in the program documents of the government of the Russian Federation, dedicated to the digitalization of the Russian economy.

The study systematizes the elements and principles of the digital economy, their impact on the determinants of economic efficiency, and the system of economic risks. The reasons for the differences between countries in the speed of building the digital economy, the role of information and communication technologies (ICT), and systems of skills required in the digital economy are analyzed. The concept of digital inclusion as a socio-economic phenomenon has been analyzed, a methodology has been developed for a comprehensive assessment of the digital inclusion of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation, based on the multiple access model, which comprises five aspects of digital inclusion, a motivational, aspect, a material aspect, an aspect of the ICT skills and the purpose of their use. The developed technique is based on the theory of multidimensional comparisons (distance method). A system of factorial indicators of digital inclusion has been developed. The digital inclusion of 85 constituent entities of the Russian Federation has been assessed and their ranking is made according to the “digital involvement” indicator