OECD launched “Going Digital: Shaping Policies, Improving Lives”, a new report on digital transformation, which identifies seven policy dimensions that allow governments to shape digital transformation to improve lives. The report also highlights key opportunities and challenges related to each dimension, offers new insights, evidence and analysis, and provides recommendations for better policies in the digital age.
Access and application: Demand on networks are growing as more people, things and activities go online. Nevertheless, network capacity lags behind in many countries. To enhance access to network, service and data, governments should lower barriers to trade and investment, promote competition, simplify administrative procedures and boost connectivity in rural and remote areas. Most people and organizations use digital tools, only 33% of large and 11% of small firms perform big data analysis. To increase effective use, policies should empower everyone with a mix of skills to thrive and trust in a digital world; boost adoption and diffusion of digital tools to drive productivity growth in firms, and small and medium sized enterprises in particular; promote business dynamism and structural change; foster investment in intangible assets (e.g. patents, software).
Innovation and market: To unleash digital innovation, policies should promote entrepreneurship; facilitate access to finance; support basic research, knowledge diffusion and open science; and open up government data. Policies should also encourage experimentation and new business models across sectors, including by promoting the flexible application or enforcement of regulation. To foster market openness and dynamism in digital business environments, policies should: reduce barriers to trade and investment; promote open financial markets; tackle changing competition dynamics, including issues related to increasing concentration; and address tax challenges through more effective international cooperation.
Employment and inclusive society: Over the past decade, four out of ten jobs were created in highly digital intensive sectors and new forms of work arose in tandem. To ensure good jobs for all, governments must get ready for a massive training challenge. To promote social prosperity, policies should reduce divides by strengthening foundational skills and life?long learning and include everyone, notably women, the elderly and low-income individuals , while tackling risks like cyberbullying and disinformation.
Trust: Trust fundamentally underpins digital transformation. To strengthen trust, policies should encourage people and organizations to better manage digital security and privacy risks and improve consumer protection online. National privacy strategies can help promote a whole?of?society perspective and facilitate cross-border data flows.
OECD suggested that governments need a comprehensive digital transformation strategy and governance approach that supports effective co ordination across policy areas and among all stakeholders. A strategic vision, clear priorities and objectives, measurable targets, sufficient budget, and thorough monitoring of progress and policy evaluation are essential elements of a successful digital transformation strategy.