Un’analisi dell’Indice DESI e dei modelli di diffusione dell’innovazione ad esso sottesi

This paper offers a critical examination of the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), the principal instrument employed by the European Commission to monitor and evaluate the digital transformation trajectories of EU Member States within the framework of the «Digital Decade». The analysis delves into the rationale behind the selection of DESI’s constituent indicators, presenting their methodological foundations, and the most recent values of the so-called Key Performance Indicators. Particular emphasis is placed on the diffusion models explicitly embedded in the DESI framework, notably the logistic model, whose critical assessment represents the core contribution of this study. From a theoretical and methodological perspective, such critical analysis highlights the need of rethinking the current technological trajectories in the light of the potential peculiarities of the dynamics of digital technology adoption. Policy implications also call for more tailored digitalization-oriented policy designs that reflect the heterogeneity of innovation diffusion processes across sectors and territorial contexts.