Digital Agenda

The Digital Agenda Observatory, now in its thirteenth edition, aims to provide decision makers with interpretation models, tools based on solid empirical evidence and areas for comparison to implement the opportunities offered by Digital Innovation regarding major issues that influence the country’s competitiveness (Public Sector efficiency, adoption of advanced digital technologies, resources available to promote Digital Transformation, support for development, etc.).

In this regard, the Digital Agenda Observatory aims to be a qualified, independent, long-lasting and stable “place” in which to develop communication between Digital Innovation and Political, Government and Public Sector (PS) worlds.

Digital Agenda, Observatory Research

The Digital Agenda Observatory aims to study and pursue five lines of research:

1. Impact

This line of research focuses on the comparative analysis of Italy and other European countries’ levels of digitization, investigating the correlations between digitization and economic-social inequalities on a national, European and global scale. The line of research also aims to identify effective policies to lessen such inequalities, focusing on the key role that cohesion funds can have in this context. It also aims to assess the progress of the PS in improving the usability of public services and identify strategies to balance innovation with economic, social and environmental sustainability, drawing on international best practices. The line of research also aims to investigate what priorities European countries are setting as part of their NRRPs and what are the emerging challenges related to the level of digitization of the PS once the plan is concluded.  Expected key outputs include monitoring tools, such as dashboards, to track the implementation of the  Italian Digital Agenda under the NRRP and cohesion funds, as well as analysis of the impact of the three-year  IT Plan in the PS (in collaboration with AgID). Lastly, this research includes a comparison of digitization and inequality indicators among different European countries, assessing the impact of digitization on society and proposing additional indicators to be monitored to measure progress and existing inequalities.

2. Technologies

This line of research aims to analyze the impact of disruptive digital technologies on public authorities, decision-makers and companies working with PS, as well as end users, through international comparisons. The objective is to produce strategic indications on how to seize the opportunities offered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) and High-Performance Computing (HPC) in public sphere, identifying best practices and strategies for an interoperable digitalization, Effective and sustainable post-NRRP. Through collaboration with the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, the research examines the state of adoption of Artificial Intelligence in the PS by assessing the level of maturity of individual Member States and the impact on the optimization of public processes. The strand also analyses the state of participation to national digital platforms, such as SEND and PDND, focusing on the business models needed to ensure their sustainability and evolution once the NRRP is completed, In line with the principles of the Government as a Platform model. It also aims to identify best practices and a set of key e-services. In addition, the mapping of GovTech start-ups is expected to be kept up to date, to quantify the size of the national and international market, and to develop an analysis of governance strategies to promote the integration of new technologies within public services.

3. Resources

This branch of the Digital Agenda Observatory aims to qualify, quantify, and analyze in detail the resources for the Digital Transformation of the PS, focusing in particular on the impact of the NRRP and European funds. The objective is to provide strategic guidance on managing public spending on digital solutions and services, ensuring an efficient and sustainable distribution of adopted and available resources. A characterization of the digital innovation supply system to the Italian PS is planned, with a grading of public expenditure enabling to assess the allocation of funds at territory and sector levels. Specific focus is given to the analysis on how NRRP and Structural Funds resources and funds are used, through monitoring of public tenders, sustainability assessment in the medium to long term, and the impact on PS investment strategies. Research also looks at the public eProcurement platform market, evaluating spending dynamics, PS cash flows in partnerships with cloud service providers, and payment to provider time, while analyzing their financial exposure.

4. Services

This line of research aims to monitor the digital transition of basic services provided by municipalities and suggest instruments to achieve their strategic objectives. The Digital Agenda Observatory will focus in particular on assessing the level of interoperability of data and systems, document management, cybersecurity, and cloud migration. A complementary objective is to understand how municipalities can improve the accessibility and usability of digital services, promoting the development of proactive services and achieving the strategic objectives of the NRRP. To this end, progress in the digitalization of municipal processes, strategies for improving the citizen experience and optimizing the efficiency of public organization are analyzed. A specific focus will be on the use of open data and open government, assessing how municipalities use their data to improve public policy and service efficiency. It also includes an analysis of the state of digitalization and digital maturity of municipalities, the identification of gaps in relation to the objectives of the NRRP and the Three-Year Plan, the development of self-mapping strategic planning tools and the definition of a taxonomy of underlying services and processes.

5. Competences

Measuring the level of digital skills of citizens and the PS is essential to understand their development and assess the impact of training policies. The Observatory dedicates a specific line of research to the analysis of how digital skills evolved over time and their relationship with the performance and engagement of public employees, particularly those working in flexible work modes such as Smart Working. Research looks into the factors that promote the effectiveness of training policies aimed at enhancing digital skills in the PS and attracting high-skill profiles in the public sector. Specific focus is placed on the perception, by public workers, of the effectiveness of training policies and in transferring and increasing digital skills. An analysis of the digital skills of Italian citizens has also been planned, focusing in particular on the barriers that hinder their spread and the elements that favor the adoption of digital services by the PS. A statistically representative survey of the Italian population and civil servants will be conducted as part of this annual edition, as well as develop a framework for assessing the digital skills within the country and the PS, and an analysis of the characteristics of skills development programs, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of training policies, also through international comparisons through best practice case studies.