Scant gains from technological advancements, modest application of technology for growth
Digitalization of Non-Profit Institutions in Italy: A Comprehensive Overview
Italy is making significant strides in digitalizing its public and private sectors, with initiatives like the Public Digital Identity System (SPID) and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) leading the charge [1][3]. These initiatives aim to simplify and secure access to online services, helping to expand digital access beyond urban centers and supporting traditional sectors and entrepreneurs in smaller towns.
However, when it comes to the distribution of non-profit institutions (NPIs) by sector and region, particularly those in the sports, culture, and recreation sectors, the available data does not provide direct quantitative statistics or detailed regional breakdowns for Italy.
According to the National Unique Registry of the Third Sector (RUNTS), 79.5% of NPIs were present in the registry in 2021, which increased the total to 92.3% when including inactive NPIs from a statistical point of view [7]. Among these digitized NPIs, 79.5% used at least one digital technology, with 86.5% of those not present in RUNTS being associations [8][9]. NPIs not present in RUNTS in 2021 were predominantly concentrated in the northern regions of Italy, accounting for 50.3% of the total [6].
Moreover, 74.9% of digitized NPIs primarily used technologies that enable internet connection, with 2.2% adopting advanced technologies [4]. Additionally, 9.8% of digitized NPIs invested in cloud computing services [5].
Italy is also encouraging digital skill building and public digital culture through training courses and webinars for public and private sector employees and citizens, as well as efforts to digitalize forestry management via advanced GIS and IoT [3][4]. However, regional disparities and environmental regulations, such as those affecting data centers in Lombardy, illustrate some challenges in infrastructure digitalization and regional development [2].
In summary, Italy is progressing in digital public infrastructure and citizen digital identity adoption, facilitating service digitalization nationwide [1][3]. Non-profit institutions, including sports, culture, and recreation associations, are significant but detailed distribution data by sector and region is not provided in the results. Digitalization efforts do not specifically target non-profit sectors in the available documents but focus more on public administration, business, and certain environmental/forestry sectors. For a precise breakdown of non-profit institutions' digitalization and distribution by sector and region in Italy, more specialized sources or official Italian statistical agencies (e.g., ISTAT) would be required.
The technology used by digitized non-profit institutions in Italy is primarily designed for internet connection, with 74.9% of these institutions adopting such technology. Furthermore, among digitized non-profit institutions, 79.5% implemented at least one digital technology.
