Lifting the numerical veil on the ‘Digital Economy and Society Index’: what is digitalisation for in the EU?

Abstract The ‘Digital Economy and Society Index’ (DESI) Dashboard for the Digital Decade is a set of indicators created by the European Union in the early 2010s to monitor Member States’ progress in pursuing the EU’s Digital Agenda, as well as many of the goals of the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainability. The figures provided by the Dashboard are perceived by academics, the media and the general public as objective neutral data on the progress of Member States towards digitalisation, and on the promotion of sustainable development. This short contribution unpacks the Dashboard, examining the variables it considers and the methodology it employs, and finds out a very different picture. The Dashboard mainly assesses how easily people can access products and services online. It thus promotes a pro-market digitalisation agenda that excludes any other possible alternative and has little to do (if any) with the idea of sustainability. As is often the case with quantitative measurements of social phenomena, behind its seemingly scientific numerical veil the Dashboard conveys a policy vision that is hardly compatible with the objectives the Dashboard allegedly promotes. The essay thus raises broader questions as to the legitimacy of governing through indicators and as to the role of EU in shaping Member States’ digital future.