Digital Divide and Regional Bridging Tools

Digital development can exacerbate current social and economic inequalities, as well as create new barriers to social inclusion and digital participation. Regional governments need effective tools to identify existing digital gaps and reduce them to ensure balanced digital development. This article describes a methodology for digital strategizing at the regional level as a tool for assessing and managing the digital divide across Russia’s regions. The standard research methods were accompanied by conceptual modeling, quantitative analysis, the composite index method, visualization, and analytical interpretation. The so-called "digital compass" of regional development served as a conceptual and applied digital policy tool to overcome the territorial digital divide through a comprehensive assessment and synchronization of key parameters of digital transformation, such as infrastructure, human capital, the accessibility of digital services, and the digital transformation of business. Unlike traditional indices, the "digital compass" determines both the current status and strategic vectors for digital development. The analysis revealed severe territorial heterogeneity in digital development: the leading positions belonged to the Central and Northwestern Federal Districts, with their developed infrastructure and strong digital human capital. The Southern and Far Eastern regions, by contrast, demonstrated a stable digital divide. The "digital compass" methodology made it possible to identify the digital divide and strategic growth points in Russia’s regions, as well as to make effective management decisions in digital development policy.