Share:


Digital transformation and economic growth – DESI improvement and implementation

    Magdalena Olczyk Affiliation
    ; Marta Kuc-Czarnecka Affiliation

Abstract

The paper aims to improve the methodology of the Digital Economic and Society Index (DESI), the European Commission’s newest index to assess the development of the digital economy. In particular, we investigate whether methodological changes to the structure of DESI improve its ability to capture the digital transformation of EU economies. Using the sensitivitybased analysis, we check whether the selection of weights of individual elements included in the DESI is optimal or should be improved.
We also verify the importance of DESI in explaining changes in GDP per capita in EU economies. In the literature, we find that digital transformation has enabled the creation of new business models and maximized efficiency in traditional firms. Using DESI, we empirically test whether the gap between rich and poor countries in European Union can be closed or eliminated through rapid and intensive digital transformation.
Our results show that the DESI – when modified by eliminating the pillars on internet services and digital public services – has the same explanatory power. Connectivity is the dimension with the largest impact on digital transformation in EU countries. We also find that DESI is a significant regressor to explain changes in GDP per capita in EU countries.

Keyword : composite indicators, digital transformation, DESI, economic growth, sensitivity analysis, European Union

How to Cite
Olczyk, M. ., & Kuc-Czarnecka, M. (2022). Digital transformation and economic growth – DESI improvement and implementation. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 28(3), 775–803. https://doi.org/10.3846/tede.2022.16766
Published in Issue
Apr 29, 2022
Abstract Views
1978
PDF Downloads
1979
Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

References

Abdel Azim, R., Salman, O., & El Henawy, I. (2020). The Role of e-Government as a stimulus for economic growth. The International Journal of Business Management and Technology, 4(5), 69–79. http://www.theijbmt.com/archive/0935/1632455370.pdf

Aker, J. (2017). Using digital technology for public service provision in developing countries potential and pitfalls. In S. Gupta, M. Keen, A. Shah, & G. Verdier (Eds.), Digital revolutions in public finance (pp. 201–224). International Monetary Fund.

Al-Refai, M. (2020). The impact of e-government on economic growth in GCC countries. International Review, (1–2), 18–26. https://doi.org/10.5937/intrev2001018a

Aly, H. (2020). Digital transformation, development and productivity in developing countries: Is artificial intelligence a curse or a blessing? Review of Economics and Political Science. https://doi.org/10.1108/REPS-11-2019-0145

Anderson, D. (1990). Investment and economic growth. World Development, 18(8), 1057–1079. https://doi.org/10.1016/0305-750X(90)90088-F

Arrelano, M., & Bond, S. (1991). Some tests of specification for panel data: Monte Carlo evidence and an application to employment equations. Review of Economic Studies, 58(2), 277–297. https://doi.org/10.2307/2297968

Arvin, B., & Pradhan, P. (2014). Broadband penetration and economic growth nexus: Evidence from cross-country panel data. Applied Economics, 46(35), 4360–4369. https://doi.org/10.1080/00036846.2014.957444

Baiashvili, T., & Gattini, L. (2020). Impact of FDI on economic growth: The role of country income levels and institutional strength (EIB Working Paper 2020/02). European Investment Bank.

Baig, A., Hall, B., Jenkins, P., Lamarre, E., & McCarthy, B. (2020). The COVID-19 recovery will be digital: A plan for the first 90 days. https://www.mckinsey.de/~/media/McKinsey/Business%20Functions/McKinsey%20Digital/Our%20Insights/The%20COVID%2019%20recovery%20will%20be%20digital%20A%20plan%20for%20the%20first%2090%20days/The-COVID-19-recovery-will-be-digital-A-plan-for-the-first-90-days-vF.pdf

Banerjee, A., Rappoport, P., & Alleman, J. (2020). A cross-country analysis of ICT diffusion, economic growth, and global competitiveness. In J. Alleman, P. Rappoport, & M. Hamoudia (Eds.), Applied economics in the digital era (pp. 63–102). Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-40601-1_3

Barro, R. J. (2001). Education and economic growth (OECD Working Paper). 1825455tec. http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/5/49/1825455.pdf

Becker, W., Saisana, M., Paruolo, P., & Vandecasteele, I. (2017). Weights and importance in composite indicators: Closing the gap. Ecological Indicators, 80, 12–22. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.03.056

Bełz, G., Wawrzynek, Ł., & Wąsowicz, M. (2019). Network potential of innovation in digital transformation projects. Transformations in Business & Economics, 18(2B) (47B), 694–708.

Berman, S. (2012). Digital transformation: Opportunities to create new business models. Strategy & Leadership, 40(2), 16–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/10878571211209314

Bilan, Y., Mishchuk, H., Roshchyk, I., & Kmecova, I. (2020). An analysis of intellecutal potential and its impact on the social and economic development of European countries. Journal of Competitiveness, 12(1), 22–38. https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2020.01.02

Birlea, S., & Capatina, A. (2017). The impact of internet and e-commerce on economic growth. Journal of Danubian Studies and Research, 7(1), 48–57.

Bradley, E. (2020, August 16). Teaching digital skills to young people is vital for future economic growth. Fenews. https://www.fenews.co.uk/featured-article/53211-teaching-digital-skills-to-young-people-is-vital-for-future-economic-growth

Briglauer, W., & Gugler, K. (2018). Go for gigabit? First evidence on economic benefits of (ultra-)fast broadband technologies in Europe (Center for European Economic Research Discussion Paper No. 18–020). https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3165417

Burlacioiu, C., Moise, I., Boboc, C., & Croitoru, E. O. (2018, November). Digital technology trend in Romania and its impact on the young segment. Proceedings of The 12th International Management Conference “Management Perspectives in the Digital Era” (pp. 824–835). Bucharest, Romania. http://conference.management.ase.ro/archives/2018/pdf/5_5.pdf

Cedefop. (2017). Cedefop European public opinion survey on vocational education and training. Publications Office of the European Union. www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/5562_en.pdf

Česnauskė, J. (2019). Digital economy and society: Baltic States in the EU context. Economics and Culture, 16(1), 80–90. https://doi.org/10.2478/jec-2019-0009

Cinelli, M., Spada, M., Kim, W., Zhang, Y., & Burgherr, P. (2021). MCDA Index Tool: An interactive software to develop indices and rankings. Environment Systems and Decisions, 41, 82–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10669-020-09784-x

Cioacă, S. I., Cristache, S. E., Vuţă, M., Marin, E., & Vuţă, M. (2020). Assessing the impact of ICT sector on sustainable development in the European Union: An empirical analysis using panel data. Sustainability, 12(2), 592. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12020592

Deloitte. (2021, February). Digitalisation: An opportunity for Europe. https://www.vodafone.com/sites/default/files/2021-03/Digitalisation-An-Opportunity-for-Europe.pdf

Dritsakis, N., Varelas, E., & Adamopoulos, A. (2006). The main determinants of economic growth: An empirical investigation with granger causality analysis for Greece. European Research Studies Journal, 9(3–4), 47–58.

Ejemeyovwi, J. O., Osabuohien, E. S., Johnson, O. D., & Bowale, E. I. K. (2019). Internet usage, innovation and human development nexus in Africa: The case of ECOWAS. Journal of Economic Structures, 8(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40008-019-0146-2

Elding, C., & Morris, R. (2018). Digitalization and its impact on the economy: Insights from a survey of large companies. ECB Economic Bulletin, 7, 1–9. https://www.ecb.europa.eu/pub/economic-bulletin/focus/2018/html/ecb.ebbox201807_04.en.html

European Commission. (2017). Special Eurobarometer 460: Attitudes towards the impact of digitization and automation on daily life. Directorate-General for Communication. https://data.europa.eu/euodp/en/data/dataset/S2160_87_1_460_ENG

European Commission. (2020a). Digital Economy and Society Index 2020: Methodological note. http://ec.europa.eu/newsroom/dae/document.cfm?doc_id=67082

European Commission. (2020b). Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). Directorate-general for communications networks, content and technology. Brussels. https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/digital-economy-and-society-index-desi

Fatima, S., Chen, B., & Ramzan, M. (2020). The nexus between trade openness and GDP growth: Analyzing the role of human capital accumulation. SAGE Open, 10(4), 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020967377

Feenstra, R. C., Inklaar, R., & Timmer, M. P. (2015). The next generation of the Penn World Table. American Economic Review, 105(10), 3150–3182. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20130954

Gnaldi, M., & Del Sarto, S. (2018). Variable weighting via multidimensional IRT models in Composite Indicators construction. Social Indicators Research, 136, 1139–1156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-016-1500-5

Greco, S., Ishizaka, A., Tasiou, M., & Torrisi, G. (2019). On the methodological framework of composite indices: A review of the issues of weighting, aggregation, and robustness. Social Indicators Research, 141, 61–94. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-017-1832-9

Habib, M. M., Mileva, E., & Stracca, L. (2017). The real exchange rate and economic growth: Revisiting the case using external instruments. Journal of International Money and Finance, 73(B), 386–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jimonfin.2017.02.014

He, L., & Li, N. (2020). The linkages between life expectancy and economic growth: Some new evidence. Empirical Economics, 58(5), 2381–2402. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00181-018-1612-7

Hilbert, M. (2020). Digital technology and social change: The digital transformation of society from a historical perspective. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 22(2), 189–194. https://doi.org/10.31887/dcns.2020.22.2/mhilbert

Hoa, T., & Pan, S. (2016). The impact of e-government on competitiveness-based economic growth in Vietnam. The Southeast Asia Journal, 26(2), 59–98. https://doi.org/10.21485/hufsea.2016.26.2.003

IMD World Digital. (2020). IMD World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2020. IMD World Competitiveness Center. https://www.imd.org/globalassets/wcc/docs/release-2017/world_digital_competitiveness_yearbook_2017.pdf

Katz, R., & Callorda, F. (2019). Assessing the economic potential of 10G networks. Telecom Advisory Services.

Kim, Y. E., & Loayza, N. V. (2019). Productivity growth: Patterns and determinants across the world. Economía, 42(84), 36–93. https://doi.org/10.18800/economia.201902.003

Kinda, T. (2019). E-commerce as a potential new engine for growth in Asia. (IMF Working Papers 135). International Monetary Fund. https://doi.org/10.5089/9781498317467.001

Kiseľáková, D., Šofranková, B., Onuferová, E., & Čabinová, V. (2019). The evaluation of competitive position of EU-28 economies with using global multi-criteria indices. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 14(3), 441–462. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2019.021

Kontolaimou, A., & Skintzi, G. (2018). Digitization patterns of the Greek economy and society. Greek Economic Outlook, 37, 41–48.

Kotarba, M. (2018). Digital transformation of business models. Foundations of Management, 10(1), 123–142. https://doi.org/10.2478/fman-2018-0011

Kuc-Czarnecka, M. (2020). COVID-19 and digital deprivation in Poland. Oeconomia Copernicana, 11(3), 415–431. https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2020.017

Laitsou, E., Kargas, A., & Varoutas, D. (2020). Digital competitiveness in the European Union Era: The Greek case. Economies, 8(4), 85. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies8040085

Li, X., & Liu, X. (2005). Foreign direct investment and economic growth: An increasingly endogenous relationship. World Development, 33(3), 393–407.

Lindén, D., Cinelli, M., Spada, M., Becker, W., & Burgherr, P. (2021). Composite Indicator Analysis and Optimisation (CIAO) Tool, v.2.

Lindgren, I., Madsen, C., Hofmann, S., & Melin, U. (2019). Close encounters of the digital kind: A research agenda for the digitalization of public services. Government Information Quarterly, 36(3), 427–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.giq.2019.03.002

Macdougald, J. J. (2011). Internet use and economic development: Evidence and policy implications. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/3225

Máchová, R., Volejníková, J., & Lněnička, M. (2018). Impact of e-government development on the level of corruption: Measuring the effects of related indices in time and dimensions. Review of Economic Perspectives, 18(2), 99–121. https://doi.org/10.2478/revecp-2018-0006

Małkowska, A., Urbaniec, M., & Kosała, M. (2021). The impact of digital transformation on European countries: Insights from a comparative analysis. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 16(2), 325–355. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2021.012

McKinsey. (2018). The rise of Digital Challengers. https://www.mckinsey.com/~/media/McKinsey/Featured%20Insights/Europe/Central%20and%20Eastern%20Europe%20needs%20a%20new%20engine%20for%20growth/The-rise-of-Digital-Challengers.ashx

Melitz, M. (2003). The impact of trade on intra-industry reallocations and aggregate industry productivity. Econometrica, 71(6), 1695–1725. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0262.00467

Mićić, L. (2017). Digital transformation and its influence on GDP. Economics, 5(2), 135–147. https://doi.org/10.1515/eoik-2017-0028

Minges, M. (2016). Exploring the relationship between broadband and economic growth. http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/178701467988875888/pdf/102955-WP-Box394845B-PUBLIC-WDR16-BP-Exploring-the-Relationship-between-Broadband-and-Economic-Growth-Minges.pdf

Molinari, B., & Torres, J. L. (2018). Technological sources of economic growth in Europe and the U.S. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 24(3), 1178–1199. https://doi.org/10.3846/20294913.2017.1280557

Moroz, M. (2017). The level of development of the digital economy in Poland and selected European countries: A comparative analysis. Foundations of Management, 9(1), 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1515/fman-2017-0014

Mühleisen, M. (2018). The long and short of the digital revolution. Finance and Development, 55(2), 4–8.

Myovella, G., Karacuka, M., & Haucap, J. (2020). Digitalisation and economic growth: A comparative analysis of Sub-Saharan Africa and OECD economies. Telecommunications Policy, 44(2), 101856. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2019.101856

Nagy, S. (2019). Digital economy and society – a cross country comparison of Hungary and Ukraine. arXiv:1901.00283

Nassrullah Mzwri, A. M., & Altinkaya, Z. (2019). The impact of e-commerce on international trade: Case of Turkey. International Journal of Contemporary Research and Review, 10(01), 21190–21209. https://doi.org/10.15520/ijcrr.v10i01.641

Nelder, J. A., & Mead, R. (1965). Simplex method for function minimization. Computer Journal, 7(4), 308–313. https://doi.org/10.1093/comjnl/7.4.308

Niebel, T. (2018). ICT and economic growth – Comparing developing, emerging and developed countries. World Development, 104, 197–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.11.024

OECD. (2008). Handbook on constructing composite indicators: Methodology and user guide. OECD publishing. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264043466-en

OECD. (2019a). OECD skills Outlook 2019: Thriving in a Digital World. Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/df80bc12-en

OECD. (2019b). Going digital: Shaping policies, improving lives. Going digital: Shaping policies, improving lives. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264312012-en

OECD. (2019c). Measuring the digital transformation. A Roadmap for the Future. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264311992-en

OECD. (2020a). Policy options to support digitalization of business models during Covid-19. G20 digital economy task force in 2020. https://www.oecd.org/sti/policy-options-to-support-digitalization-of-business-models-during-covid-19-annex.pdf

OECD. (2020b). Digital transformation for an inclusive and sustainable recovery post Covid-19. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/docserver/329ec061-en.pdf?expires=1628608364&id=id&accname=guest&checksum=D546BD88F7977FC803F18D8D71F396C7

Olszewska, K. (2020). Fostering digital business transformation and digital skill development for economic growth and social inclusion in Poland: A preliminary study. Nierówności Społeczne a Wzrost Gospodarczy, 62(2), 278–293. https://doi.org/10.15584/nsawg.2020.2.18

Osman, A. (2020). ICT development, e-government development, and economic development: Does institutional quality matter? Information Technologies and International Development, 16, 1–19.

Pan, Y. (2013). Study on the effect of government spending on GDP growth. In W. Du (Ed.), Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering: Vol. 209. Informatics and management science VI (pp. 303–311). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4805-0_36

Park, H. J., & Choi, S. O. (2019). Digital innovation adoption and its economic impact focused on path analysis at national level. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 5(3), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/joitmc5030056

Parui, P. (2021). Government expenditure and economic growth: A post-Keynesian analysis. International Review of Applied Economics, 35(3–4), 597–625. https://doi.org/10.1080/02692171.2020.1837744

Paruolo, P., Saisana, M., & Saltelli, A. (2013). Rating and rankings: Voodoo or science? Journal of the Royal Statistical Society. Statistics in Society. Series A, 176(3), 609–634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-985X.2012.01059.x

Peetz, D. (2019). The realities and futures of work. ANU Press. https://doi.org/10.22459/RFW.2019

Peterson, E., & Wesley, F. (2017). The role of population in economic growth. SAGE Open, 7(4), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017736094

Ritter, T., & Pedersen, C. (2020). Digitization capability and the digitalization of business models in business-to-business firms: Past, present, and future. Industrial Marketing Management, 86, 180–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.11.019

Rohman, I., & Bohlin, E. (2012). Does broadband speed really matter for driving economic growth? Investigating OECD countries. 23rd European Regional ITS Conference. https://econpapers.repec.org/scripts/showcites.pf?h=repec:zbw:itse12:60385

Roszko-Wójtowicz, E., & Grzelak, M. M. (2020). Macroeconomic stability and the level of competitiveness in EU member states: A comparative dynamic approach. Oeconomia Copernicana, 11(4), 657–688. https://doi.org/10.24136/oc.2020.027

Sabbagh, K., Friedrich, R., El-Darwiche, B., Singh, M., & Koster, A. (2013). Digitization for economic growth and job creation: Regional and industry perspectives. In The global information technology report (pp. 35–42).

Saisana, M., Saltelli, A., & Tarantola, S. (2005). Uncertainty and sensitivity analysis as tools for the quality assessment of composite indicators. Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, 168(2), 307–323. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-985X.2005.00350.x

Salahuddin, M., & Gow, J. (2016). The effects of Internet usage, financial development and trade openness on economic growth in South Africa: A time series analysis. Telematics and Informatics, 33(4), 1141–1154. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tele.2015.11.006

Saleem, H., Shahzad, M., Khan, M. B., & Khilji, B. A. (2019). Innovation, total factor productivity and economic growth in Pakistan: A policy perspective. Journal of Economic Structures, 8(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40008-019-0134-6

Saltelli, A. (2007). Composite indicators between analysis and advocacy. Social Indicators Research, 81, 65–77. https://doi.org/0.1007/s11205-006-0024-9

Saltelli, A., & Tarantola, S. (2002). On the relative importance of input factors in mathematical models: Safety assessment for nuclear waste disposal. Journal of American Statistical Association, 97(459), 702–709. https://doi.org/10.1198/016214502388618447

Saltelli, A., Tarantola, S., & Campolongo, F. (2000). Sensitivity anaysis as an ingredient of modeling. Statistical Science, 15(4), 377–395. https://doi.org/10.1214/ss/1009213004

Sibe, J. P., Chiatchoua, C., & Noel Megne, M. (2016). The long run relationship between population growth and economic growth: A panel data analysis of 30 of the most populated countries of the world. Análisis Económico, XXXI(77), 205–218.

Solomon, E. M., & van Klyton, A. (2020). The impact of digital technology usage on economic growth in Africa. Utilities Policy, 67, 101104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2020.101104

Solow, R. M. (1956). A contribution to the theory of economic growth. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 70(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.2307/1884513

Spirakis, G., Spiraki, C., & Nikolopoulos, K. (2010). The impact of electronic government on democracy: E-democracy through e-participation. Electronic Government, 7(1), 75–88. https://doi.org/10.1504/EG.2010.029892

Srivastava, S. K., & Panigrahi, P. K. (2016). The impact of e-government and e-business on economic performance: A comparative study of developing and developed countries. Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government, 22(1), 36–50.

Stavytskyy, A., Kharlamova, G., & Stoica, E. A. (2019). The analysis of the digital economy and society index in the EU. Baltic Journal of European Studies, 9(3), 245–261. https://doi.org/10.1515/bjes-2019-0032

Stock, J. H., & Wathon, M. W. (2020). Introduction to econometrics (4th Global ed.). Pearson Education Limited.

Thalassinos, E., Cristea, M., & Noja, G. G. (2019). Measuring active ageing within the European Union: Implications on economic development. Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, 14(4), 591–609. https://doi.org/10.24136/eq.2019.028

Timmer, M., & Van Ark, B. (2005). Does information and communication technology drive EU-US productivity growth differentials? Oxford Economic Papers, 57(4), 693–716. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3488862

Toader, E., Firtescu, B. N., Roman, A., & Anton, S. G. (2018). Impact of information and communication technology infrastructure on economic growth: An empirical assessment for the EU countries. Sustainability, 10(10), 3750. https://doi.org/10.3390/su10103750

Torres-Reyna, O. (2007). Panel data analysis fixed and random analysis using stata. Data and Statistical Services. Princeton University.

Turunen, J., Harmsen, R. T., & Bayoumi, T. (2011). IMF Working Papers: 2011(140). Euro area export performance and competitiveness. International Monetary Fund. http://elibrary.imf.org/view/IMF001/119459781455265459/119459781455265459/11945-9781455265459.xml

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. (2019). Digital economy report 2019: Value creation and capture – implications for developing countries. UNCTAD. https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2019_en.pdf

Van Dijk, J. (2005). The deepening divide: Inequality in the information society. SAGE.

Van Dijk, J., & Van Deursen, A. (2014). Impact: Why digital skills are the key to the information society. In Digital skills (pp. 43–62). Palgrave Macmillan.

Verhoef, P. C., Broekhuizen, T., Bart, Y., Bhattacharya, A., Qi Dong, J., Fabian, N., & Haenlein, M. (2021). Digital transformation: A multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda. Journal of Business Research, 122, 889–901. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.09.022

Vidruska, R. (2016). The digital economy & society index and network readiness index: Performance of Latvia on European Union Arena. In New Challenges of Economic and Business Development – 2016 (pp. 901–917). Univeristy of Latvia.

Vyshnevskyi, O., Stashkevych, I., Shubna, O., & Barkova, S. (2020). Economic growth in the Conditions of digitalization in the EU countries. Studies of Applied Economics, 38(4), 2–17. https://doi.org/10.25115/eea.v38i4.4041

Zhao, F., Wallis, J., & Singh, M. (2015). E-government development and the digital economy: A reciprocal relationship. Internet Research, 25(5), 734–766. https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-02-2014-0055