Strategies and policies to avoid digital divide: The Italian case in the European landscape

Abstract

The digital divide is a phenomenon that affects, with different intensity, several European countries, including Italy. Public policies, at the European and Italian level, play a relevant role in reducing the gap among countries with different level of digital development, and need to cope with its multifaceted nature. Currently both a European strategy for digitalization and an Italian digital agenda have been issued as policies to tackle the problem. This paper analyses from an exploratory perspective the strategies and policies issued by the Italian government to address the digital deployment of ICT infrastructures in the public administration, specifically targeting the education sector, within the background of the European context.