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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | van Jaarsveldt, Leon |
| Abstract: | Using OLS and binary logistic regression, in combination with the OSOR-model on a secondary dataset, the 2010-post election survey by Pew Internet and American Life project, this paper traces the direct paths of Facebook, Twitter, and mobile phone on online political participation and online political and government information seeking, as well as the indirect paths through wider view exposure and credibility. Findings provide support for the political use of Facebook and mobile phones as credible sources in both online political participation and online political information seeking, while not for Twitter. This suggests that Twitter is not seen as a platform for credible political engagement or information seeking or exposure to diverse views. By comparison, the path for Facebook through wider view exposure is also seen to lead to political participation and online political information through the path of credibility. This implies that any policy attempt to censor or control social media is a move in the wrong direction. There are also some implied findings for the need of an opinion leader. -- |
| Keywords: | Political participation,online political information seeking,Facebook,Twitter,mobile phones,wider view exposure,credibility,critical debate,opinion leader |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60356&r=ict |
| By: | Petukhova, Svetlana; Strepetova, Margarita |
| Abstract: | -- |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60362&r=ict |
| By: | Trinh, Tuan Anh; Gyarmati, Laszlo |
| Abstract: | The dominant business model of today's Internet is built upon advertisements; users can access Internet services while the providers show ads to them. Although significant efforts have been made to model and analyze the economic aspects of this ecosystem, the heart of the current status quo, namely privacy, has not received the attention of the research community yet. Accordingly, we propose an economic model of the privacy driven Internet ecosystem where privacy is handled as an asset that can be traded. Expressing the entropy of privacy as the service providers' fitness value and applying a dynamic network formation model based on the preferential attachment principle allow the analysis of the providers' economic interactions in a realistic framework, whose properties are illustrated based on extensive simulations. -- |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60351&r=ict |
| By: | Bauer, Johannes M.; Shim, Woohyun |
| Abstract: | Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are an important determinant of productivity growth and innovation. This study examines the effects of sector regulation on innovation in telecommunications and related information industries. A typology of innovation processes in ICT industries is developed. The conditions conducive to innovation under varying economic conditions are explored theoretically. Conjectures derived from this conceptual analysis are tested using data for 32 countries for the years 1997-2010. Two ICT innovation indicators (number of secure servers and fixed broadband access lines) were utilized to test the effects of sectoral regulation. In line with other studies of the effects of regulation on innovation, the study finds that more stringent regulation had a statistically significant negative effect on the number of secure servers and the number of fixed broadband access lines. This result holds for a broad measure of regulatory density as well as for the stringency of market access regulation and price regulation. -- |
| JEL: | L51 L86 L96 |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60364&r=ict |
| By: | Zhang, Nan; Hämmäinen, Heikki; Levä, Tapio |
| Abstract: | The Internet content volume is growing rapidly. As a consequence, the current Internet model struggles with scalability and usability requirements. To better meet the demand, technical solutions utilising caching and name-based routing are being developed. This paper aims at identifying the key forces, both trends and uncertainties that affect the evolution of the heavy commercial Internet content delivery. To bound the uncertainties, four possible future scenarios are constructed and their effect on the key stakeholders is described briefly. The value of identifying the future scenarios is to define the winning business roles and actors per scenario and, subsequently, the winners' preferences in choosing the most attractive content delivery architectures. -- |
| Keywords: | scenarios,Internet content delivery,commercial,video,information-centric networking,content delivery network |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60386&r=ict |
| By: | Frías, Zoraida; Vergara, Arturo; Pérez, Jorge |
| Abstract: | This paper presents the problems of the deployment of telecommunication networks and the role of public policies in order to fulfil the Digital Agenda for Europe targets regarding basic broadband universal service for 2013 and the 30 Mbps universal availability for 2020 for the case of Spain. The impact of issues as the universal service declaration, reframing process and access regulation are analysed as means of bringing the benefits of Information Society closer to all the citizens. -- |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60366&r=ict |
| By: | Idota, Hiroki; Bunno, Teruyuki; Tsuji, Masatsugu |
| Abstract: | -- |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60369&r=ict |
| By: | Paulo R. Silva (University of Évora, Department of Management and CEGI-ISEGI-Univ. Nova de Lisboa); Elisabete G.S. Félix (University of Évora, Department of Management, CEFAGE-UE) |
| Abstract: | This article analyses information asymmetry in conceptual terms. It presents one characterization of the asymmetric information concept, described more by a socio-economic vision of it and its relationship with the digital economy. It also frames asymmetry of information as a public good versus private good versus common good, and checks how it creates externalities. Finally, it identifies the challenges and potential policies that will mitigate the negative effects of information asymmetry. |
| Keywords: | Information, Information Asymmetry, Digital Economy, Information Society. |
| JEL: | D82 D83 |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cfe:wpcefa:2012_15&r=ict |
| By: | Rohman, Ibrahim Kholilul; Bohlin, Erik |
| Abstract: | This paper aims to measure the impact of broadband speed on economic growth in the OECD countries. The macroeconomic indicators for this study were collected from OECD databases, except for the speed data, which were gathered from Ookla, a company that provides broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications data on a daily basis. With this, quarterly balanced panel data for 34 OECD countries during the period 2008-2010 were examined. The study found that the estimated coefficient of broadband speed is statistically significant. Doubling the broadband speed will contribute to 0.3% growth compared with the growth rate in the base year. The results convey that the impact of increasing broadband speed on GDP growth will largely depend on two aspects: (i) the size of the coefficient of the broadband speed (beta) and (ii) the existing economic growth in each country. Consequently, since the coefficient is linear, the impact will also be relatively greater for countries that experienced lower economic growth during previous years. Finally, the paper provides suggestions for future research in this vein and further calibration of future models. -- |
| Keywords: | broadband,speed,economic growth,OECD,panel data,fixed effect,advertised speed,measured speed |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60385&r=ict |
| By: | Leslie Foster |
| Abstract: | Health-e-App Public Access (HeA PA) is a self-service, online application for California's Healthy Families Program. This research brief describes the potential benefits of HeA PA for applicants and the state enrollment system, as well as use of the tool during its first year. The study found that in 2011 about 50,000 applicants used HeA PA (about 19 percent of all applications). |
| Keywords: | Health-e-App, HeA PA, Low-Income Children, Children's Health Care Coverage, Califonia |
| JEL: | I |
| Date: | 2012–03–30 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:mpr:mprres:7387&r=ict |
| By: | Blakespoor, Elizabeth (Stanford University); Miller, Gregory S. (University of MI); White, Hal D. (University of MI) |
| Abstract: | Firm disclosures often reach only a portion of investors, which results in information asymmetry among investors, and therefore lower market liquidity. This issue is particularly salient for firms that are not highly visible, as they tend not to receive broad news dissemination via traditional intermediaries, such as the press. This paper examines whether firms can reduce information asymmetry by using a new information technology to increase the breadth of dissemination of firm disclosures. Using a sample of technology firms, we examine the impact of using Twitter to send market participants links to press releases that are provided via traditional disclosure methods. We find this additional dissemination of firm-initiated news via Twitter is associated with lower bid-ask spreads and greater depths, consistent with a reduction in information asymmetry. Moreover, this result holds mainly for less visible firms, consistent with them being in greater need of this additional dissemination channel. We also decompose spread into an information asymmetry component and a non-information asymmetry component, and we find that dissemination via Twitter is negatively associated with the information asymmetry component. Finally, we examine the impact of dissemination on a volume-based measure of liquidity, and find that dissemination is positively associated with liquidity. |
| Date: | 2012–06 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ecl:stabus:2106&r=ict |
| By: | Proschinger, Christian |
| Abstract: | Information technology (IT) is no independent technology island anymore. Today it is an essential part of our society. Critical functions of countries are based on information technology. For example there is no electricity without IT and there is no IT without electricity. Our civilization is reliant on processes that are IT driven. This critical infrastructure, especially the critical information infrastructure, is often operated by private companies. With the development of IT networks, the integration of the business processes between organizations has increased, too. Thus the protection of the critical information infrastructure has become a high priority topic for the governments in Europe and all over the world. It can only be handled in cooperation between public and private stakeholders. IT security is a quality aspect of operating IT infrastructure. The availability, integrity and confidentiality of the systems and processed data have to be guaranteed. StuxNet has been the successful proof that malware can attack industrial control systems. Such systems are used to control a wide variety of machinery, from power plants to assembly lines. DigiNotar was a Certificate Authority - part of the critical information infrastructure of the Netherlands. Its compromise in 2011 is a prime example of an attack of a (inter-) national relevant IT system and demonstrates the wide-reaching impact such an event can have. Last summer the attacks by AnonAustria generated a lot of publicity. The Austrian national Computer Emergency Response Team - CERT.at and the Government CERT - GovCERT Austria have been involved in the handling of these incidents. Our experience shows how important it is for an organization to know how to deal with Hacktivism. All these attacks have shown various technical and organizational aspects which have to be considered to guarantee a secure IT operation. This paper gives an overview about the lessons learned. -- |
| Date: | 2012 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itse12:60354&r=ict |
| By: | Maria Antónia Jorge de Jesus (ISCTE-IUL, Business School, Department of Accounting and BRU-IUL); Susana Margarida Jorge (University of Coimbra, Faculty of Economics) |
| Abstract: | The main purpose of this paper is to assess the implications on the European Union (EU) member-States Central Government deficit/surplus of different accounting basis adopted in Governmental Accounting (GA – microeconomic perspective) and National Accounting (NA – macroeconomic perspective). It analyses the cash to accrual basis adjustments to be made to General Government Sector (GGS) data, when converting from Governmental Accounts to National Accounts. Additionally, it assesses the impact of the accounting basis differences on the Central Government deficit/surplus, one of the macroeconomic indicators that EU member-States are obliged to report in order to accomplish with the Maastricht Treaty convergence criteria. From the conceptual point of view, the paper highlights relevant differences between the two accounting systems (GA and NA), namely regarding accounting principles, such as recognition criteria – cash versus accrual bases. In spite of recent GA reforms trends in the EU member-States, moving from cash to accruals, differences still remain due to the existence, in some countries, of two different accounting bases in GA – accrual basis for financial accounting and modified cash basis for budgetary accounting. This is particularly relevant since the data from GA to NA are based on budgetary reporting. The empirical study focuses on five EU countries – Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and The United Kingdom. It develops a comparative analysis gathering countries representative enough of both Continental and Anglo-Saxon European governmental accounting perspectives. Following a qualitative methodology, the research is mostly supported by documental sources, namely Inventories of Sources and Methods disclosed by each of those countries and the respective Excessive Deficit Procedure (EDP) Notifications from April 2008 to October 2010, covering years 2005 to 2009 and Central Government data. It aims (1) to make a comparative analysis of the accounting bases adjustments and the respective accounting treatment and (2) to evaluate the impact of those adjustments on each country’s deficit/surplus. This paper contributes to a better understanding of the accounting basis differences for the convergence process between GA and NA, allowing for more reliable informative outputs to be reached for both micro and macro perspectives. |
| Keywords: | Governmental Accounting, National Accounts, Budgetary Accounting, Convergence Criteria, General Government Sector, Public Deficit/Surplus |
| Date: | 2012–06–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:isc:iscwp2:bruwp1201&r=ict |