Digital Inclusion in Public Services: Challenges, Barriers and Strategies for Equitable Digital Administration

Abstract

This paper analyses the phenomenon of digital inclusion in public services, starting from the observation that the accelerated digitalisation of public administrations risks deepening pre-existing social inequalities. Drawing on the framework of the digital divide with its three levels — access, skills and outcomes — it examines the technical, social and institutional barriers that hinder the equitable adoption of digital government services. The situations of the elderly, low-income individuals, rural populations and those with low levels of education are analysed. The research includes the European and Romanian contexts, highlighting Romania's persistent lag. The paper applies this framework in an original case study of the “Parking Oradea” platform of the Oradea City Hall, launched in February–March 2026 as a national first in the full digitalisation of residential parking, identifying structural tensions between transparency objectives and the principle of inclusion. The paper proposes a set of intervention strategies: tailored digital literacy programmes, public-private partnerships, user-centred design and hybrid service delivery models.