Murali Krishna Penmetsa and Sebastián Bruque-Camara
Nations are opening their “digital borders” to allow the free movement of business, employment and skills. However, this process of digitalization is fraught with challenges. This…
Abstract
Purpose
Nations are opening their “digital borders” to allow the free movement of business, employment and skills. However, this process of digitalization is fraught with challenges. This study aims to identify these challenges to build a solution-oriented framework for smart nations.
Design/methodology/approach
This study conducted a systematic literature review, analyzing 69 peer-reviewed academic papers out of 5,958 identified papers.
Findings
The identified challenges for smart nation building were categorized as follows: people and society, technology and innovation, digital infrastructure, politics, governance, economics and business and sustainability. To overcome these challenges, this study highlights the need for a holistic national approach, which includes solutions such as improving education, technology-driven innovations, investments for building smart nation infrastructure, top political leadership involvement, national vision and action plan, national regulatory frameworks, business environment and job creation, stakeholder engagement, renewable energy use and technological integration – all of which are key for sustainable development.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides directions for building a smart nation framework, but the literature review results are confined to articles, conference papers and book chapters. This study could be further enriched if the findings are cross-checked with experts. This limitation will be addressed in future research.
Originality/value
Given the dearth of literature on this nascent concept, the insights from this study can guide policymakers and industry leaders involved in smart nation building and benefit researchers engaged in theoretical development.
Details
Keywords
Murali Krishna Penmetsa and Sebastián Bruque-Camara
Nations around the globe are moving from digital transformation toward the realization of a digital nation, but they are facing challenges in the process. This study aims to build…
Abstract
Purpose
Nations around the globe are moving from digital transformation toward the realization of a digital nation, but they are facing challenges in the process. This study aims to build a digital nation framework by identifying these challenges and developing solutions.
Design/methodology/approach
A systematic literature review process was followed, which included the development of a review protocol, selection of research papers, data extraction and analysis of results. In total, 41 research papers were selected from the 12,624 peer-reviewed academic and research papers initially identified.
Findings
Several challenges associated with the elements of a digital nation, including people, technology, institutions, policy, economics and sustainability, are identified; and solutions to these problems are presented. This study's primary objective is to build a digital nation framework by analyzing these challenges and finding solutions to them.
Research limitations/implications
The study provides direction for building a digital nation framework, but the literature review findings are limited to journals, conference papers and government publications. Moreover, it would have been helpful if the research findings had been crosschecked with a panel of experts. This study will correct this weakness in later research.
Practical implications
This study provides policymakers and leaders with a guide for building a digital nation. This study also provides direction for researchers working in this field as little relevant research is currently available.
Originality/value
This study analyses the existing literature on the challenges surrounding digital nations and gives direction to theory building for future studies.