Digital Transformation and Institutional Inequality

Gavin James

Abstract

This review examines digital transformation and institutional inequality. The organizing question is how data systems and platforms redistribute access, administrative burden, visibility, and power across social groups. Ten related scholarly sources are synthesized through a decision-centered framework spanning problem definition, mechanism, measurement, evaluation, implementation, and governance. The review does not invent experiments, pooled estimates, or unreported quantitative results. It instead evaluates the strength and transferability of the available evidence, with particular attention to measuring digital inclusion through connectivity while ignoring institutional treatment. The resulting framework links technical or empirical performance to explicit use conditions and identifies tests that should precede wider adoption in education, welfare, work, and public services.

Keywords

digital transformationinequalityinstitutionsexclusionpublic services

References

Alenezi, M. (2023). Digital Learning and Digital Institution in Higher Education. Education Sciences, 13(1), 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010088 DOI
BONILLA, Y., & ROSA, J. (2015). #Ferguson: Digital protest, hashtag ethnography, and the racial politics of social media in the United States. American Ethnologist, 42(1), 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12112 DOI
González-Betancor, S. M., López-Puig, A. J., & Cardenal, M. E. (2021). Digital inequality at home. The school as compensatory agent. Computers & Education, 168, 104195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104195 DOI
Gregori, P., & Holzmann, P. (2020). Digital sustainable entrepreneurship: A business model perspective on embedding digital technologies for social and environmental value creation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 272, 122817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122817 DOI
Heeks, R., Gomez-Morantes, J. E., Graham, M., Howson, K., Mungai, P., Nicholson, B., & Belle, J. P. V. (2021). Digital platforms and institutional voids in developing countries: The case of ride-hailing markets. World Development, 145, 105528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105528 DOI
Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 90-91(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2019.100315 DOI
Soluk, J., Kammerlander, N., & Darwin, S. (2021). Digital entrepreneurship in developing countries: The role of institutional voids. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120876 DOI
Valdés, K. N., Alpera, S. Q. Y., & Suárez, L. M. C. (2021). An Institutional Perspective for Evaluating Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Insights from the Chilean Case. Sustainability, 13(17), 9850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179850 DOI
Yang, Y., & Han, J. (2023). Digital transformation, financing constraints, and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(6), 3189-3202. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2546 DOI
Yoo, I., & Yi, C. G. (2022). Economic Innovation Caused by Digital Transformation and Impact on Social Systems. Sustainability, 14(5), 2600. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052600 DOI

Publication details

Journal: Convergence in Science and Society
Volume: 1 (2026)
Article number: css20260004
License: CC BY 4.0

[1] Alenezi, M. (2023). Digital Learning and Digital Institution in Higher Education. Education Sciences, 13(1), 88. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci13010088 DOI

[2] BONILLA, Y., & ROSA, J. (2015). #Ferguson: Digital protest, hashtag ethnography, and the racial politics of social media in the United States. American Ethnologist, 42(1), 4-17. https://doi.org/10.1111/amet.12112 DOI

[3] González-Betancor, S. M., López-Puig, A. J., & Cardenal, M. E. (2021). Digital inequality at home. The school as compensatory agent. Computers & Education, 168, 104195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2021.104195 DOI

[4] Gregori, P., & Holzmann, P. (2020). Digital sustainable entrepreneurship: A business model perspective on embedding digital technologies for social and environmental value creation. Journal of Cleaner Production, 272, 122817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122817 DOI

[5] Heeks, R., Gomez-Morantes, J. E., Graham, M., Howson, K., Mungai, P., Nicholson, B., & Belle, J. P. V. (2021). Digital platforms and institutional voids in developing countries: The case of ride-hailing markets. World Development, 145, 105528. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105528 DOI

[6] Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda. NJAS - Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 90-91(1), 1-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.njas.2019.100315 DOI

[7] Soluk, J., Kammerlander, N., & Darwin, S. (2021). Digital entrepreneurship in developing countries: The role of institutional voids. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 170, 120876. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120876 DOI

[8] Valdés, K. N., Alpera, S. Q. Y., & Suárez, L. M. C. (2021). An Institutional Perspective for Evaluating Digital Transformation in Higher Education: Insights from the Chilean Case. Sustainability, 13(17), 9850. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13179850 DOI

[9] Yang, Y., & Han, J. (2023). Digital transformation, financing constraints, and corporate environmental, social, and governance performance. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 30(6), 3189-3202. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.2546 DOI

[10] Yoo, I., & Yi, C. G. (2022). Economic Innovation Caused by Digital Transformation and Impact on Social Systems. Sustainability, 14(5), 2600. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052600 DOI