A framework for building a sustainable digital nation: essential elements and challenges

Abstract

Purpose Nations around the globe are moving from digital transformation toward the realization of a digital nation, but they are facing challenges in the process. This study aims to build a digital nation framework by identifying these challenges and developing solutions. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review process was followed, which included the development of a review protocol, selection of research papers, data extraction and analysis of results. In total, 41 research papers were selected from the 12,624 peer-reviewed academic and research papers initially identified. Findings Several challenges associated with the elements of a digital nation, including people, technology, institutions, policy, economics and sustainability, are identified; and solutions to these problems are presented. This study's primary objective is to build a digital nation framework by analyzing these challenges and finding solutions to them. Research limitations/implications The study provides direction for building a digital nation framework, but the literature review findings are limited to journals, conference papers and government publications. Moreover, it would have been helpful if the research findings had been crosschecked with a panel of experts. This study will correct this weakness in later research. Practical implications This study provides policymakers and leaders with a guide for building a digital nation. This study also provides direction for researchers working in this field as little relevant research is currently available. Originality/value This study analyses the existing literature on the challenges surrounding digital nations and gives direction to theory building for future studies.

Digital transformation: A meta-review and guidelines for future research

“…The second dimension addresses (but not limited to) topics, such as ( Table A2 ): (1) digital culture, literacy, and digital skills that are enhancing DT efforts [ 52 , 58 , 64 ]; (2) digital economy and the challenge of measuring the potential generated by digital technologies [ 65 , 66 ]; (3) innovation and socio-technological shared values, being seen as an opportunity to balance the responsibilities assigned to humans and machines [ 54 , 65 ].…”

“…When it comes to digital business, organizations wanting to benefit from their technology investments need to strengthen the digital skills of their workforce [ 58 ]. Therefore, the workforce is one of the key actors in transforming the organization, as digitally capable human resources will be managing and using technology [ 48 , 66 ]. Furthermore, employees working in digitally mature organizations describe their culture as more collaborative and innovative than traditional ones [ 64 ].…”

“…The success of the digital economy is expected to be ensured by strengthening the position of companies through the quality of corporate governance and financial structure, aligned with the latest technologies. The digital economy is seen as an economy that accelerates the DT of existing economic sectors, promotes new ecosystems enabled by digital technologies, and develops a digital industry [ 66 ]. Thus, the digital economy includes a combination of digital infrastructure, socio-technical processes, and information and communication technologies [ 56 ].…”

Building a Super Smart Nation: Scenario Analysis and Framework of Essential Stakeholders, Characteristics, Pillars, and Challenges

“…According to earlier research by Penmetsa and Bruque [39], the concept of digital nations is developed by adopting the theories that could stem from digital government, digital business, and digital societies. Moreover, digital government theories can facilitate the transformation of digital nations by broadly outlining plans for the relationship between governments and citizens (G2C), between the government and businesses and industrial departments (G2B), and among different government units (G2G) [40][41][42].…”

“…To identify the challenges of building super smart nations, we incorporated the challenges (see Appendix A, Table A1) identified in the literature review for smart cities [32,[34][35][36][37][38], digital nation characteristics [39], and smart nations [5] for questionnaire preparation. Following this, we used the Delphi method to conduct online studies and interviews with a panel of experts.…”