Abstract
The integration of digital technologies into national policies in developed countries supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 9 (SDG 9) by fostering innovation and infrastructure development. This study aims to analyze how digital technologies contribute to SDG 9 through the experience of Scandinavian countries. The methodology combines mixed design and multi-criteria analysis of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI) from 2017 to 2024 to compare digitalization policies, institutional frameworks, and outcomes. Structural content analysis of EU digital strategies was conducted, focusing on budget priorities and areas such as information and communication technologies (ICT) infrastructure, digital skills, artificial intelligence, open data, and cloud technologies. The findings reveal that Finland, Sweden, and Denmark demonstrate significant progress in digital public services, basic digital skills, and ICT workforce development. However, challenges remain in AI implementation and small and medium enterprise (SME) digitalization. Denmark leads in DESI performance, Sweden in innovation, and Finland in accessibility, highlighting the need for context-specific digital strategies.
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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Article Type: Research Article
EUR J SUSTAIN DEV RES, Volume 10, Issue 2, 2026, Article No: em0392
https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/18308
Publication date: 03 Apr 2026
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