After two published scientific articles on personal digital data and public infrastructures in the European Journal of Communication, a detailed descriptive report of the project “Digital data, infrastructures and development” (IP-2022-10-2780) is now available. Under the title “Digital data and socio-economic development” (in Croatian), Paško Bilić, Toni Prug, Valentina Vučković, Iva Nenadić, Antonija Petričušić and Mislav Žitko analyse the complex intersectoral digital policy of the European Union and the Republic of Croatia.
The research focused on understanding the regulatory framework and market mechanisms. Forty strategies, communications, regulations, and other documents of the European Union and the Council of Europe and ten strategic documents, laws, and regulations in the Republic of Croatia were analysed in depth. Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were also conducted with experts from the European Commission, public authorities in the Republic of Croatia and other institutions and organisations in Croatia. Key economic indicators from available databases such as Eurostat, DESI, indicators of the digital decade, Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, OECD, FINA, and other sources were analysed.
Taken as a whole, the analysis of interviews, documents and economic indicators shows that a stronger role of the state and public administration is needed, not only in the area of facilitating business processes but in strengthening social capacities through better regulation, digitisation of public administration accessible to citizens and ensuring wider social benefits from digital development.
The report is publicly available in the Dabar repository (in Croatian):
