The article examines the comparative analytical validity of two approaches to assess the digitalisation of the economy in terms of the international composite indices of digital development and metrics based on the level of dissemination of cross-cutting digital technologies. Nowadays, index systems, including DESI, NRI, EGDI, and IDI mainly consider the infrastructural, institutional, and social conditions of digital transformation. However, there are some limitations of their implementation in the real sector of the economy. It ensures the relevance of the research. Therefore, the purpose of the research is to compare the effectiveness of index- and technology-based approaches to digitalisation of the economy. The methodological basis of the research includes systematic, comparative, criterion, and index analysis. To unify international index systems, we used the author's method of unified composite digitalisation index (UCDI) based on the aggregation of DESI, NRI, EGDI, and IDI indicators. To assess the technological issue of digitalisation, we use the comprehensive analysis of cross-cutting digital technologies. It resulted in the comparable analytical model including artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, robotics, additive manufacturing, DLT, 5G/6G, and AR/VR. According to the research, unified composite digitalisation index (UCDI) reflects institutional and infrastructural maturity more efficiently. Indeed, cross-cutting digital technologies-based approach identifies differences in technological specialisation and digital transformation of the economies. For instance, China demonstrates a higher position in terms of cross-cutting digital technologies parameters compared to a number of countries leading in traditional digital indexes. At the same time, there is a gap between the level of the digital environment and the level of technological implementation in Russia. Hence, cross-cutting digital technologies metrics have a higher analytical sensitivity in assessing the technological component of digitalisation of the economy. Therefore, those promising in terms of the scientific research and strategic planning.
Irodova et al. (Mon,) studied this question.