Multidimensional and multiperspective approach for monitoring e-inclusion

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICT) play an important role in the development of knowledge societies which, on the whole, constitute priority for governments worldwide. For a long time, measurement of unequal access to exploiting the potential of ICT used to be based on the digital divide concept. However, due to a strong relationship between ICT use and social inclusion/exclusion confirmed in current research, this concept has lately become inadequate. Such a complex issue also requires a much more complex approach, which explains why the concept of e-inclusion is more adequate. Insufficient operationalization of the e-inclusion concept, which implies an insufficient number of identified indicators as well as the quantity of collected data, represents a major problem in the existing research on e-inclusion. A multiperspective, multimethodological and multidimensional approach is therefore proposed to overcome this problem.