INSTITUTIONAL PRISM OF DIGITAL DIVIDENDS: THE IMPACT OF HUMAN CAPITAL AND "ANALOG COMPLEMENTS" ON THE DYNAMICS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INEQUALITY

Abstract

This article presents a multidisciplinary approach to the analysis of socio-economic inequality in the context of rapid digital transformation. This transformation, while offering growth opportunities, also acts as a mechanism that can reproduce and exacerbate existing structural imbalances. The study adopts the classical theory of human capital and shifts the focus to "inequality in digital human capital," which is caused by the uneven distribution of digital skills. This contributes to the polarization of the labor market. As a theoretical framework, the article uses the World Bank's concept of "digital dividends." This concept explains that the unfulfilled benefits of digitalization result from a lack of "analog complementarities," such as regulatory reforms, skill development, and strengthened institutions. The analysis is supported by critical perspectives that view digitalization as a means of power, in which platform capitalism and surveillance capitalism result in the accumulation of rents and exacerbation of property inequality. The paper also employs a three-tier model of digital disparity (Van Dijk, Warschauer) to demonstrate that the issue extends beyond material access and encompasses the meaningful utilization of technology and its societal consequences. It is argued that without proactive government policies aimed at bridging digital divides and implementing large-scale structural changes, digitalization runs the risk of becoming a force for further societal stratification rather than a means for shared prosperity.