Using a digital divide index among enterprises in the context of public policies in Brazil

Abstract

The aim of the present paper is to discuss the relevance of an index that is capable of measuring the digital divide among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and to discuss its importance in the context of public policy design. It is contended that the digital divide mainly affects microenterprises and SMEs, and that this phenomenon is related to the low productivity and high mortality rates of these organisations. The methodology for creating the index is replicated here in order to discuss the quality criteria necessary for this index within the scope of its utility for public managers.

Políticas para a transformação digital: Recomendações para uma abordagem integral do governo (whole-of-government)

“…Baseado nos microdados da Pesquisa TIC Empresas 2014 (Siqueira et al, 2017) calculou o índice de uso de TIC, mostrando que a maioria das pequenas e médias empresas (PMEs) ainda estão excluídas do uso efetivo de tecnologias digitais (Figura 3.15). É provável que tal lacuna seja ainda maior para a grande maioria das empresas informais, sobre as quais as estatísticas não estão disponíveis.…”

IT for the informal sector in developing countries: A broader perspective

“…Digital divide is the focus in Siqueira, Souza, and Barbosa's () article on “Using a Digital Divide Index among Enterprises in the Context of Public Policies in Brazil,” where the discussion presented is the relevance of an index capable of measuring digital divide among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and its importance in the context of public policies. In Brazil, and we could extend this argument to the developing world, the digital divide mainly affects microenterprises and SMEs.…”

Brazil: Chartering a New Economic Pathway

“…Moreover, Brazil's closed economy does not create an enticing and challenging environment for Brazil's private sector to engage in innovation and R&D. Brazil's private sector only accounts for 47.6% of Brazil's total expenditures on R&D. In the age of AI and a knowledge-driven globalization process where companies and nation's competitiveness is measured by their commitment, efforts, and successes in the R&D and innovation dimension, Brazil's must devise strategies to not fall victim of the innovation divide (Siqueira, Souza, and Barbosa, 2019).…”