Is the digital transition a lever for structural reforms or does it reinforce the divide? 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

This study was developed by Vision in collaboration with the Foundation for European Progressive Studies (FEPS)*.

The paper evaluate how the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) and the National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs) of various EU member states tackle issues related to healthcare and education access. The analysis employs key metrics to assess the coverage of these public services both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the education sector, the study evaluates the number of students dropping out without a diploma and the duration of school closures during the pandemic. For healthcare, it examines unmet health needs and excess mortality rates during the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the role of digitalization in different member states for both sectors is explored. The subsequent analysis focuses on how NRRPs allocate investments in health and education, including their strategies for digitalizing these public services.

The study's findings reveal a robust correlation between unmet health needs and student dropout rates. Member states with unfavorable outcomes tended to invest less in digitalization, contrasting with those with better results. States already more advanced in digitalized education and health systems generally allocated more NRRP funding to further digitize these sectors.

The conclusion drawn is that countries already on a trajectory of utilizing digital tools in public service provision seized the opportunity of the RRF to amplify their efforts. Conversely, nations facing significant challenges and having lower levels of digitalization failed to leverage the potential of digitalization to bridge gaps in education and healthcare coverage.

In essence, the preliminary conclusion suggests that the RRF did not lead to substantial reforms, particularly in terms of investment in e-health or digital education.

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*This policy study is part of the  Recovery Watch Project series of pubcations. The  Recovery Watch  is a research that monitors the Recovery and Resilience Facility and assesses its social impact in different countries. Led by FEPS, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Institut Emile Vandervelde (IEV), in collaboration with several first-rate research organisations.