Thesis title: DIGIMPACT – Analisi delle ricadute economiche delle politiche di digitalizzazione in ambito culturale
Digital transformation is today one of the most pressing challenges for cultural institutions, which are required to balance the mission of heritage preservation with the need to innovate access models, management practices, and long-term sustainability. This PhD dissertation, developed within the framework of the research project DIGIMPACT – Analysis of the economic impact of digitalization policies in the cultural sector, aims to investigate in depth the digital transition of the cultural heritage domain in Italy, placing it within a comparative international framework and proposing original analytical and operational tools.
The research is structured along three main trajectories. First, it provides a critical overview of the national and European context, highlighting the role of public policies – from the National Digitalization Plan (PND) to EU strategies – in fostering the digitalization of museums, archaeological sites, and monuments. Second, it explores the ecosystem of technology suppliers, through an analysis of more than 17,000 contracts signed by the Italian Ministry of Culture with over 5,000 firms, in order to understand the dynamics of the supply chain and their impact on cultural institutions. Finally, it experiments with and proposes innovative assessment tools: the DigIndex to measure digital maturity in institutions, the CR ratio to assess economic dependency on suppliers, and an interactive dashboard to monitor performance.
From a methodological perspective, the dissertation combines quantitative and qualitative approaches: statistical analysis of ISTAT and MiC data, data analytics and web scraping techniques, in-depth interviews with museum directors and digital managers, and comparative analysis with foreign experiences (France, United Kingdom, Nordic countries, United States). This triangulation helps overcome the fragmentation of previous studies and provides a comprehensive and multilayered framework.
The results highlight three main findings. First, digitalization in Italy is progressing, yet remains highly unequal: state-run and large institutions are significantly more advanced than small and local museums. Second, excessive dependency on highly specialized suppliers can create risks of technological and organizational lock-in, which need to be addressed through outcome-based contracts and long-term partnerships. Third, digital transformation is not only a technical process but also requires new skills, governance models, and evaluation tools that prioritize accessibility, inclusion, and sustainability.
This dissertation therefore provides a twofold contribution: academically, by filling existing gaps in the literature with original indicators and models; and practically, by offering policy recommendations and operational guidelines for policymakers, cultural institutions, and technology providers. In conclusion, the research stresses that the future of digital culture will depend on the ability to integrate technology, governance, and human capital, ensuring that digitalization becomes a genuine driver of equity, innovation, and sustainable development.