Understanding the impact and driver of digital divide to support rural development policy: a review

Abstract

Abstract Rural development requires the internet and digital technologies for sustainable development. There is ample evidence that rural communities have less contact with the internet and digital technologies than urban communities. This digital divide will hinder development. Therefore, efforts to bridge the digital divide are essential for better development policies. On the other hand, studies on impacts and the factors that drive this gap have not been explored. This study aims to explain the digital gap’s impacts and its causal factors in rural development. This research is a narrative review of 16 articles from reliable sources such as scopus.com. The results of the literature review are summarized to answer research questions. The study found that the digital divide impacts rural socio-economy, rural socio-culture, rural socio-politics, and rural environments. This study’s drivers of the digital divide include demographics, human resource capabilities, geographical conditions, limited infrastructure, internet networks, uneven economic development, and policy failure. The impacts and drivers of the digital gap described in this study contribute to some of our efforts to bridge the digital divide while providing insights for future research.