Integrated Digital Sustainability Framework for Inclusive Growth and Social Development

Abstract

Digital transformation is becoming an integral mechanism to facilitate sustainability, inclusive development, and social progress. Availability of digital infrastructure, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, cloud computing, digital platforms, mobile applications, and data-driven services provides new avenues for enhancing access to education, health care, job opportunities, financial services, governance, and environmental management. But digital transformation does not ensure that such initiatives will be sustainable or inclusive. Access asymmetry to connectivity, digital skills, devices, funding, and services can strengthen social and economic disparities. Increasing reliance on digital systems poses new environmental, institutional, privacy, cybersecurity, and governance issues. In this paper, we create a conceptual framework for understanding the relationship between digital sustainability and inclusive growth and social development. We consider the following four dimensions of sustainability: economic, social, environmental, and institutional. These dimensions are enabled by the following components: digital infrastructure, digital skills, governance, and innovation. The article highlights the limitations of current literature on digital sustainability, digital inclusion, sustainable development, and socially enabling technologies. It outlines how digital technologies could support inclusive education, health care access, livelihoods, financial inclusion, smart governance, and green digitization through various paths. A plan for implementation has been outlined, highlighting the role of each stakeholder such as the government, business, community, educational institutes, and technology companies. Sustainability metrics have been proposed to assess the outcomes for economy, society, environment, and institutions. The paper focuses on the fact that responsible governance, access to technology, digital literacy, and assessment are prerequisites for a digital transformation to result in sustainable development.