Digital justice from Amartya Sen's perspective for algorithmic democratization

Abstract

Digital transformation has expanded access to information, services, and spaces for participation, but it has also generated inequalities associated with algorithmic opacity, the concentration of power, and limitations on exercising agency in digital environments. The objective of this research was to analyze the normative architectures of digital transformation from Amartya Sen’s capability approach, identifying the conditions that enable or constrain agency, substantive freedoms, and algorithmic accountability. A qualitative, exploratory study with a philosophical-normative orientation was conducted, based on documentary analysis, normative reconstruction, and a critical-hermeneutic reading of 15 institutional documents published between 2022 and 2025, processed through qualitative coding assisted by MAXQDA. The findings identified a predominance of approaches centered on access, connectivity, and efficiency, a fragmented conception of the digital subject, and limited incorporation of mechanisms for explainability, auditing, traceability, and redress. Based on these findings, the Global Digital Ecosystem Regeneration Model (REDGlobal) was formulated, organized across individual, collective, institutional, and structural-algorithmic levels. Digital justice requires complementing technological access with conditions that enable individuals to understand, participate in, decide upon, and question digital structures, while integrating human capabilities, social participation, institutional responsibility, and algorithmic accountability.