La sfida della digitalizzazione in Italia. Transizione forzata e welfare tecnologico ai tempi del Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has further shown that managing the digital transition of society and economy is one of the major challenges posed by the New Technologies (NTs). An advanced digital economy is conditioned by the presence of a technological infrastructure capable of interconnecting socio-economic and institutional systems. In Italy, is crucial to align the different systems through active digitalization policies. Drawing on secondary data about Industry 4.0, Public Administration, healthcare and education, this article provides an overview of the digitalization of the Italian economy, institutions and society before the pandemic emergency, highlighting its strengths and weaknesses. Afterwords, some features of the digital transition imposed by the pandemic in Italy are addressed. The analysis aims to introduce the idea of a technologically-oriented welfare, in which the NTs connect the different systems enhancing services’ efficiency and efficacy, supporting individuals’ empowerment and reducing inequalities.