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Bridging Digital Divides: Validating Government ICT Investments Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals

Author

Listed:
  • Thabit Atobishi

    (Health Information Management and Technology Department, King Faisal University, Al Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia)

  • Hasan Mansur

    (Department of International Accounting and Finance, Faculty of Business, American University of Madaba, Madaba 17110, Jordan)

Abstract

Achieving the ambitious economic, social, and environmental goals of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) requires strategic digital governance improvements that promote long-term and equitable participation in emerging technologies. However, research lacks clear confirmation regarding how governments’ varied policy investments in spheres, like infrastructure expansion, skills programming, and cybersecurity, specifically contribute to holistic sustainable development progress monitored across international benchmarks. Addressing persistent uncertainties, this study statistically modeled if national expenditures directed toward information and communications technology (ICT) access, digital literacy initiatives, and online privacy protections predict higher performances meeting SDGs longitudinally. Analyzing recent country-level data across 27 European nations, structural equation modeling uncovered positive relationships between all three complementary digital governance priority areas and national SDG Index achievement over time. Beyond theoretically validating the instrumental role of availability, capabilities, and security advancements for balanced digitization, findings offer policymakers vital empirical guidance to amplify social returns on ICT investments. The results also demonstrate practical tools to track implementation impacts amidst unrelenting technological shifts. Ultimately, equitably mainstreaming technologies’ vast problem-solving potential necessitates evidence-based digital governance carefully expanding equitable participation. This work aims to equip leaders to purposefully craft enabling, empowering ICT policy ecosystems advancing urgent development aims.

Suggested Citation

  • Thabit Atobishi & Hasan Mansur, 2025. "Bridging Digital Divides: Validating Government ICT Investments Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-12, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:5:p:2191-:d:1604418
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Asongu, Simplice A. & Le Roux, Sara, 2017. "Enhancing ICT for inclusive human development in Sub-Saharan Africa," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 118(C), pages 44-54.
    2. Alhassan, Muftawu Dzang & Adam, Ibrahim Osman, 2021. "The effects of digital inclusion and ICT access on the quality of life: A global perspective," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    3. Unwin, Tim, 2017. "Reclaiming Information and Communication Technologies for Development," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198795292.
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    Cited by:

    1. Yizhi Zhang & Muhammad Bilawal Khaskheli, 2025. "The Role of Digital Technologies in Advancing Sustainable Economic Development into Intersections of Policy, Law, Environmental Economics, and a Comparative Study of China, the EU, and the USA," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-25, September.
    2. Zhen Cao & Zhuiwen Lai & Muhammad Bilawal Khaskheli & Lin Wang, 2025. "The Risk of Global Environmental Change to Economic Sustainability and Law: Help from Digital Technology and Governance Regulation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-20, August.

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