Hanna Yarovenko

Department of Economic Cybernetics,

Sumy State University,

Ukraine

h.yarovenko@biem.sumdu.edu.ua

ORCID 0000-0002-8760-6835

Configurational analysis of digital transformation profiles across European countries

Victoria Bozhenko

Department of Economic Cybernetics,

Sumy State University,

Ukraine

v.bozhenko@uabs.sumdu.edu.ua

ORCID 0000-0002-9435-0065

Jan Lešetický

Department of Digital Economics, Informatics and Statistics, 

Faculty of Aviation and Transport, Pan-European University, 

Prague, Czech Republic

jan.leseticky@peuni.cz

ORCID 0000-0003-4783-1226

Judit Oláh

Széchenyi István University, Győr,

Hungary

juditdrolah@gmail.com

ORCID 0000-0003-2247-1711

Abstract. Digital transformation has become an important determinant of economic development, while countries follow different structural pathways toward digital maturity. This study aims to identify digital transformation profiles of European countries using an author-developed configurational analysis framework that integrates structural economic and digital characteristics. The proposed methodology combines Min–Max normalization, aggregation of economic and digital indicators, construction of the High Digital Sector Transformation (HDST) index, fuzzy-set calibration, an original configurational profiling procedure, and profile stability assessment. Based on structural sectoral characteristics, digital infrastructure, digital governance, and innovation capacity, six digital transformation profiles were identified: Digital Service Economy, Innovation Industrial, Government-led Digitalization, Emerging Digital Economy, Knowledge-driven Economy, and Mixed Model. The findings demonstrate that countries with similar HDST levels may exhibit substantially different structural configurations, indicating the existence of multiple digital transformation pathways. The proposed configurational analysis identified recurring combinations of economic and digital characteristics associated with high levels of digital transformation, while the profiling procedure revealed stable development patterns throughout the study period. The proposed framework extends conventional composite-index approaches by integrating configurational analysis with profile identification and can support comparative assessment of national digital transformation models and evidence-based digital policy design.

Received: April, 2025

1st Revision: March, 2026

Accepted: June, 2026

DOI: 10.14254/2071-8330.2026/19-2/6

JEL Classification: O33, C38, L86

Keywords: configurational analysis, digital transformation profiles, high digital sector transformation, digital economy, European countries