The Green-Inclusive Paradox in the Digital Economy: Technological Progress, Sustainable Development, and Social Stratification

Abstract

While driving socioeconomic development, the digital economy is also having a profound impact on social inequality. Research shows that digital technology exacerbates social stratification through mechanisms such as skill-biased progress, platform monopolies, and the digital divide. This is manifested in several ways: skill premiums, technological displacement, and digital rent differentiation in income distribution; polarization trends, algorithmic control, and flexible employment inequality in the labor market structure; and disparities in digital access, capabilities, and resources in educational opportunities, which reinforce the intergenerational transmission of inequality. Empirical analyses indicate that while the digital economy may temporarily narrow income gaps through inclusive effects in the short term, its skill-biased nature and digital divide effects are likely to further exacerbate social stratification in the long run. Therefore, we should embed “inclusive digital development” at the core of sustainable transformation, ensuring the digital economy serves as an accelerator for the SDGs rather than a new engine of division.