Do Digital Inclusion Initiatives Have Any Impact?

The recent surge in digital inclusion initiatives at the local, state, and federal levels has sparked increased interest among researchers and policymakers in evaluating their impact on the communities they aim to serve. Further, the growing array of programs and the solutions offered—such as subsidized broadband, digital literacy training, and digital navigation support—provide valuable opportunity to examine how these interventions affect communities and individuals who have historically lacked reliable broadband access or did not consistently use it. Additionally, with billions of dollars appropriated to establish initiatives to promote digital equity and inclusion, a review of existing evidence on how effectively programs achieved their goals can provide insights for designing and implementing more effective and sustainable digital inclusion efforts. A note of caution is due here, however, given that the articles reviewed are limited to those published in English Language between 2019 and April 2024.  

[Dr. Erezi Ogbo-Gebhardt is an assistant professor in Information Science and the program director of Online and Extended Studies at the School of Library and Information Science]