Educational Innovation, Capabilities, and Inclusive Digital Transformation: An International Comparison

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between educational innovation, digital skills development, and digital inclusion through a comparative study of six countries with distinct digital transformation trajectories: Estonia, Singapore, and the Republic of Korea as international benchmarks, and Uruguay, Brazil, and Mexico as Latin American cases. Drawing on Sen's and Nussbaum's capability approach and the digital divide literature, the study analyzes the association between digital education and skills development policies and the outcomes observed in terms of digital inclusion and digital development. The research adopts a comparative qualitative design based on the triangulation of international indicators and the documentary analysis of national digital transformation and digital education strategies. The analysis draws on data from the Network Readiness Index, the United Nations E-Government Survey, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), as well as documents published by the OECD and UNESCO and current national policy frameworks. The findings reveal differences among the countries examined and show that those with stronger international performance have more consolidated policies on digital literacy, lifelong learning, digital education, and talent development. The study provides comparative evidence supporting an association between the institutionalization of these policies and higher levels of digital inclusion. Its main contribution is the proposal of an analytical framework that integrates educational innovation, digital skills development, digital capabilities, and digital inclusion, together with a methodological strategy for the comparative analysis of these processes across different national contexts.