A Topology of Inclusion: European Regions and the Digital Divide

Emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic the world is ever more reliant on connectivity, remote working and engagement with innovative technologies. However, there exist stark regional contrasts in the readiness for this transition that may threaten to widen inequality and leave many left behind in the new economy. In this paper we make use of the Eurostat data on digital accessibility and regional characteristics at the NUTS2 level to construct a topological data analysis of the pre-pandemic state of readiness. When visualised and understood in a multi-dimensional characteristic space the picture presents an even more concerning hue. As a second stage we then take the information revealed and seek to model readiness for the digital age using the economic variables. Here again we evidence a strong dependence on the interaction of economic factors. The combination of factors matters over and above the linear additively separable components modelled in the present literature Given the necessarily limited number of NUTS2 regions for analysis our approach offers a novel and timely look that traditional statistics may not provide. Our conclusions direct remedial policy before inequalities become too engrained.