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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Simplice A. Asongu (Yaoundé/Cameroon); Nicholas M. Odhiambo (Pretoria, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | The study investigates the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in modulating the effect of financial access on female economic participation. Female economic participation is proxied by female labor force participation, financial access is measured with deposit and credit channels while ICT is proxied by mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. The focus of the study is on 48 African countries for the period 2004-2014 and the empirical evidence is based on Generalized Method of Moments. Policy thresholds are established at which, ICT modulates financial access to induce favourable effects on female economic participation. These policy thresholds are: (i) 160 mobile phone penetration (per 100 people) for the deposit channel and (ii) 2.166 and 0.75 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people for respectively, the deposit mechanism and credit channel. Overall the study supports the importance of ICT in moderating financial access for enhanced female economic participation. |
| Keywords: | Africa; Gender; ICT; Inclusive development |
| JEL: | G20 I10 I32 O40 O55 |
| Date: | 2018–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:afe:wpaper:18/049&r=all |
| By: | Simplice A. Asongu (Yaoundé/Cameroon); Nicholas M. Odhiambo (Pretoria, South Africa) |
| Abstract: | The study investigates the relevance of information and communication technology (ICT) in modulating the effect of financial access on female economic participation. Female economic participation is proxied by female labor force participation, financial access is measured with deposit and credit channels while ICT is proxied by mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. The focus of the study is on 48 African countries for the period 2004-2014 and the empirical evidence is based on Generalized Method of Moments. Policy thresholds are established at which, ICT modulates financial access to induce favourable effects on female economic participation. These policy thresholds are: (i) 160 mobile phone penetration (per 100 people) for the deposit channel and (ii) 2.166 and 0.75 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people for respectively, the deposit mechanism and credit channel. Overall the study supports the importance of ICT in moderating financial access for enhanced female economic participation. |
| Keywords: | Africa; Gender; ICT; Inclusive development |
| JEL: | G20 I10 I32 O40 O55 |
| Date: | 2018–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:agd:wpaper:18/058&r=all |
| By: | Gregory, Terry (IZA); Salomons, Anna (Utrecht University); Zierahn, Ulrich (ZEW Mannheim) |
| Abstract: | A fast-growing literature shows that digital technologies are displacing labor from routine tasks, raising concerns that labor is racing against the machine. We develop a task-based framework to estimate the aggregate labor demand and employment effects of routine-replacing technological change (RRTC), along with the underlying mechanisms. We show that while RRTC has indeed had strong displacement effects in the European Union between 1999 and 2010, it has simultaneously created new jobs through increased product demand, outweighing displacement effects and resulting in net employment growth. However, we also show that this finding depends on the distribution of gains from technological progress. |
| Keywords: | labor demand, employment, routine-replacing technological change, tasks, local demand spillovers |
| JEL: | E24 J23 J24 O33 |
| Date: | 2019–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp12063&r=all |
| By: | Haile Teklemariam, Mekuria; Kwon, Youngsun |
| Abstract: | Reducing the broadband demand-side gap brings greater improvement in digital inclusion especially in low-income countries compared to developed economies. The demand-side gap between network coverage and penetration is less than 10% in developed countries. However, the digital divide and demand-side gap in low-income countries reach 60% and 30% respectively. From this, we developed the hypothesis: the effective use of existing internet facilities can reduce half of the digital divide in low-income countries. To test this hypothesis using regression analysis, we collected four-year data of 120 economies with 44 factors. The present study findings show that 100 points change in policy and regulation of ICT, energy infrastructure, gender literacy, software piracy rate, demographic dividend, competition in telecom sector, network coverage and quality, digital content, digital skill, and gender income will bring 5.5, 10, 6, -15.8, 12, 12.5, 12, 12.5, 24.4, 13, 15, and 8.5 points change in the internet usage of individuals respectively. Furthermore, 100 points change in this internet usage of the individuals will also bring 51.9 points increase on use of the existing network facilities. This implies that low-income countries can improve their total internet subscription significantly by increasing the internet usage of individuals without having further investment. Therefore, low-income countries can use these findings as input for their digital inclusion policy that shows how to improve the driving factors and internet subscription of their citizens. |
| Keywords: | Demand-side gap,low-income countries,digital skill,internet usage of individual,infrastructure access |
| Date: | 2018 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:itsb18:190411&r=all |
| By: | Asongu, Simplice A; Odhiambo, Nicholas M |
| Abstract: | This study examines if enhancing ICT reduces inequality in 48 countries in Africa for the period2004-2014. Three inequality indictors are used, namely, the: Gini coefficient, Atkinson indexand Palma ratio. The adopted ICT indicators include: mobile phone penetration, internetpenetration and fixed broadband subscriptions. The empirical evidence is based on theGeneralised Method of Moments. Enhancing internet penetration and fixed broadbandsubscriptions have a net effect on reducing the Gini coefficient and the Atkinson index, whereasincreasing mobile phone penetration and internet penetration reduces the Palma ratio. Policyimplications are discussed in the light of challenges to Sustainable Development Goals. |
| Keywords: | ICT; Inclusive development; Africa; Sustainable development |
| Date: | 2018–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:uza:wpaper:25167&r=all |