DIGITAL SOCIAL INCLUSION AND HUMAN CAPITAL IN SHAPING NATIONAL WELL-BEING: EVIDENCE FROM VIETNAM’S MARKET-ORIENTED TRANSITION

Abstract

This paper examines how digital social inclusion and human capital jointly shape national well-being in transitional economies. Existing studies often treat digital inclusion as access to technology and human capital as an individual productivity asset, overlooking their structural interaction. Addressing this gap, the study develops a dialectical institutional framework that conceptualizes both mutually constitutive and institutionally mediated processes. Using structured narrative review with abductive elements and secondary evidence from Vietnam, the analysis shows that digital expansion does not automatically translate into inclusive well-being. Instead, outcomes depend on the alignment between digital participation, capability formation, and institutional inclusiveness. The findings highlight a dual dynamic: digital inclusion and human capital can reinforce each other but may also generate asymmetrical and stratifying effects under uneven institutional conditions. By reframing national well-being as a relational and conditional outcome, the paper contributes a theoretically integrated approach to human-centered digital transformation in emerging economies.