Welfare state in the digital age: digital opportunities or digital inequality

Abstract

This article explores the transformation of social policy in the context of digitalisation at the level of the Russian Federation’s regions. The purpose of the study is to identify the impact of digital technologies on the implementation of welfare state principles and reduction of social inequality in various regional contexts. Empirical cases include Saint Petersburg, Tyumen Oblast, Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, and Zabaykalsky Krai – the regions representing contrasting levels of digital maturity, budgetary capacity, and institutional development. The methodology is based on qualitative content analysis of strategic documents and public speeches, comparison of digital indicators (internet penetration, use of the “Gosuslugi” platform, digital literacy), and secondary analysis of statistical and regulatory sources for 2021–2024. The results enabled the identification of four regional models of digital social policy, differing in terms of technological integration and social inclusiveness. A stable correlation is established between institutional capacity and depth of digital transformation. The study highlights the importance of cultural adaptation of digital services and infrastructure development in remote and ethnically diverse areas. The findings confirm that digitalisation can either reduce or exacerbate social stratification, depending on management strategies and resource availability. These results can be applied in sociological and public policy studies of the digital state, in the design of inclusive digital services, and in the development of regional social support programmes.