Methodological Aspects of Measuring the Development Level of Information and Communication Technologies in Regions of Modern Russia

Abstract

The article examines the issues of measuring the level of information and communication technology (ICT) development, which presents challenges due to ensuring methodological consistency over long-term dynamics. A decisive factor here is the scale of the research objects, which facilitates conducting cross-country comparisons and helps coordinate the measurement and receipt of official data by reputable international organizations, including the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which is constantly working to improve approaches to such measurements. The article discusses the possibilities of adapting the latest methods proposed by the ITU to assess the level of ICT development at the subnational level and to conduct cross-level comparisons.
Considerable attention is paid to consistency when forming indicators with the same name across different hierarchical levels. The paper examines approaches to countering the «saturation» effect for the characteristics of the introduction of new technologies and limitations in the formulation of goals for their penetration into various spheres of modern society. The problems of data accessibility at the subnational level are analyzed, and the ways to address them within the set objectives are discussed. The findings enable the assessment of key dimensions of digital inequality and determine growth reserves in regional digital development.