THE CHALLENGES OF DIGITAL ECONOMY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

Abstract

The digitalization level of society and economy is growing in accordance with the rising acceptance and implementation of digital technologies and the transfer of social and economic activities to the Internet. Digital technologies and innovations are powerful, pervasive and have multiple, indirect impacts. These innovations are changing economies and markets, and reinventing relationships between organizations, suppliers and customers, thus becoming critical elements for growth, innovation and job creation. Both developed and developing countries are trying to put in place right enabling conditions in order to use all the innovation and growth opportunities offered by proper implementation of digital technologies in different sectors of national economy and society. This paper examines South East European (SEE) countries in transition readiness to develop digital economy by analyzing and comparing some of the key measuring indicators mainly connected with the infrastructure development, but also some complex measuring information and communication technology (ICT) indexes such as network readiness index and ICT development index.