The Digital Inclusion in Europe (Digin Europe) project is co-funded by the Interreg Europe programme and brings together six European regions committed to reducing digital inequality. Coordinated by Bordeaux Métropole, the project involves local and regional authorities from Greece, Poland, Spain, Norway, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, working collaboratively to develop and test sustainable solutions for digital inclusion. In the context of ongoing digitalisation of public services and society more broadly, the partner regions share a recognition that many citizens, particularly those in vulnerable situations, remain excluded from this transition.
The project aims to strengthen digital inclusion as a driver of empowerment and interregional cooperation by improving public policy instruments, such as plans, strategies, and programmes, to enhance vulnerable groups’ knowledge of and access to digital services.
Rebecca Lynn Radlick presented the DigCapabilities project for the group at Vestland county, focusing on the socio-digital inequalities experienced by migrant youth who are outside education and employment. Rebecca Lynn Radlick is one of researchers in DigCapabilities project. She is a Senior Researcher at NORCE and holds a PhD in Administration and Organization Theory from the University of Bergen. *
Her research focuses on policy implementation, street-level decision-making, citizen-government interaction, and multiple dimensions of youth exclusion, including exclusion from the labour market and digital arenas.
Drawing on this expertise, she presented empirical insights from DigCapabilities for the reference group. The presentation highlighted how young peoples’ digital exclusion is intertwined with broader forms of social and institutional marginalisation, including truncated educational trajectories, weak labour market attachment, and responsibility for navigating welfare systems on behalf of themselves and their families.
A central point in the presentation was that digital inequality for this group is not primarily about access to devices or basic internet connectivity, but rather about system understanding, administrative literacy, and the ability to navigate complex digital welfare systems such as NAV. Rebecca illustrated how digital tasks such as searching for information, finding application forms, uploading documentation, and understanding rights and expectations pose significant challenges, particularly for young people without strong family support or institutional guidance.
The presentation concluded by raising critical questions about responsibility and coordination across sectors, emphasizing the role of frontline workers, voluntary organisations, and policy frameworks in either mitigating or reproducing digital inequalities.
DigCapabilities looks forward to both learning from and making evidence-based contributions to the EU project Digital Inclusion in Europe, and continuing its collaboration with Vestland County.
