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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Mounir Dahmani (Université de Gafsa); Mohamed Mabrouki (Université de Gafsa); Adel Ben Youssef (UCA - Université Côte d'Azur) |
| Abstract: | The rapid diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICT) is becoming an important determinant of national economic growth. This paper examines the relationship between development of ICT and economic growth in Tunisia based on a sector analysis. We employ the common correlated effect mean group (CCEMG) and augmented mean group (AMG) methods and annual panel data for 1997 to 2017, to study the significant positive relationship between ICT and economic growth in Tunisia. Our sector analysis shows that the effect of ICT on value added is heterogenous depending on the sector of activity and provides three main findings. First, in some sectors such as financial services, transport, building and civil engineering, hotel and restaurant services and other market services ICT have a positive and significant impact on value added. These sectors benefit from use of ICT. Second, in some sectors such as trade and various manufacturing industries, ICT has a negative and significant impact on value added. These sectors need to be well organized and well managed to avoid domination by informalities. Third, in some sectors such as public administration there is a productivity paradox and despite huge investment in ICT they have no impact on value added due to the absence of a deep organizational change. |
| Keywords: | ICT diffusion index,capital,labor,economic growth,Tunisia,dynamic panel,cross-sectional,CCEMG,AMG |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:wpaper:halshs-03506139&r= |
| By: | Ejemeyovwi, Jeremiah; Adegboye, Alex; Umukoro, Olaoluwa; Asongu, Simplice |
| Abstract: | In the quest for the attainment of democracy with its fully unleashed potentials, the role of information and communication technology (ICT) is integral within this current knowledge economy disposition. The study explores the effect of mobile technology penetration on governance quality from the unconditional and marginal effects of mobile phones and diverse democracy indicators. The analysis is carried out by applying the instrumental variables (IV) Tobit regression to the data to examine the relationship among the variables of interest with a view to handling possible endogeneity issues in the empirical model. The study finds that weak democracy is detrimental to the effect of mobile phone penetration on integrated governance quality and that the higher the mobile phone penetration, the lower the weak democracy quality in SSA. The study concludes by recommending efforts and policies to be enacted and implemented such as the enhancement of mobile technology for concise quality governance. |
| Keywords: | Democracy; Information and Communication Technology; Governance; Instrument Variables |
| JEL: | O15 O30 O55 Q55 |
| Date: | 2021–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:111755&r= |
| By: | Ofori, Isaac K.; Osei, Dennis B.; Alagidede, Imhotep P. |
| Abstract: | Despite the momentous rise in ICT diffusion, and financial development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), their plausible joint effect on inclusive growth have not been explored, leaving a lacuna in the literature. This study, therefore, examines the direct and indirect effects of ICT diffusion on inclusive growth in 42 SSA countries over the period 1980–2019. We provide evidence robust to several specifications from the dynamic system GMM to show that: (i) ICT skills, access and usage induce inclusive growth in SSA, and (ii) the effects of ICT skills, access and usage are enhanced in the presence of financial development. These findings remain the same when we focussed on financial institution access. Policy recommendations are provided in line with the region’s green growth agenda and striving efforts at improving socioeconomic development. |
| Keywords: | Financial Development; Financial Inclusion; ICT Diffusion; Inequality; Inclusive Growth; Poverty; Sub-Saharan Africa |
| JEL: | D63 E5 G2 I3 L96 O11 O55 |
| Date: | 2022–02–07 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:111888&r= |
| By: | Kabirigi, Michel; Sun, Zhanli; Hermans, Frans |
| Abstract: | Social interactions among farmers, extension agents, and government officials play a critical role in knowledge development and exchange, uptake of new practices, collective decision-making in agricultural practices. Smartphones and new communication tools are likely to transform the way information exchange and social interactions take place. However, how these ICT developments will influence the communication and social interactions among farmers, and the decision-making of farmers are intriguing questions, yet to be studied. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the use and experience of ICT of banana growers in Rwanda within the context of establishing an effective method for prevention and control of Banana Xanthomas Wilt (BXW), an infectious plant disease. Specifically, we want to assess whether farm clusters associate with the different behaviors and perceptions of the use of ICT. A structured questionnaire was used to collect household information from banana growers (n=690) in 8 representative districts. A combination of principal component analysis and cluster analysis was used to develop a farmer typology of banana growers. Three types of banana growers were identified, namely, i) Beer banana farmers, ii) Livestock-based farmers, and iii) Cooking banana farmers. We then conducted a statistical analysis to regress the use of ICT on the farmer typology and other socioeconomic control variables. Results showed that cooking banana-based farmers are more likely to own a smartphone and perceive ICT as very useful in effective control of BXW whereas beer banana farmers are less likely to own a smartphone, and they tend to perceive ICT as irrelevant in controlling BXW. Beer banana farmers are mainly limited by not knowing how to use these services which are associated with their low level of literacy while Livestock farmers prefer to get information from other sources. The studied farmers provide the potential for using ICT (Mobile based) extension services however beer banana farmers, less likely to own smartphones, are limited to few options. |
| Keywords: | Agricultural and Food Policy, Community / Rural / Urban Development |
| Date: | 2021–11–18 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:gewi21:317054&r= |
| By: | Laureti, Lucio; Costantiello, Alberto; Matarrese, Marco Maria; Leogrande, Angelo |
| Abstract: | The determinants of enterprises providing ICT training in Europe are analyzed in this article. Data are collected from the European Innovation Scoreboard-EIS of the European Commission for 36 European countries in the period 2000-2019. Data are analyzed with Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Panel Data with Random Effects, Dynamic Panel, WLS and Pooled OLS. Results show that the number of enterprises providing ICT training in Europe is positively associate with “Innovation Index”, “Innovators”, “New Doctorate Graduates”, “Tertiary Education” and negatively associated with “Government Procurement of Advanced Technology Products”, “Human Resources”, and “Marketing or Organisational Innovators”. In adjunct a cluster analysis is performed by using k-Means algorithm optimized with the Silhouette Coefficient and we find the presence of four clusters. Finally, we use eight different machine learning algorithms to predict the value of the enterprises providing ICT training in Europe. We found that the Simple Tree Regression is the best predictor and that the number of enterprises providing ICT training in Europe is expected to growth of the 5,02%. |
| Keywords: | Innovation and Invention: Processes and Incentives; Management of Technological Innovation; Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Intellectual Property and Intellectual Capital. |
| JEL: | O30 O31 O32 O33 O34 |
| Date: | 2022–01–29 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:111756&r= |
| By: | Andrea Benecchi (Bank of Italy); Carlo Bottoni (Bank of Italy); Emanuela Ciapanna (Bank of Italy); Annalisa Frigo (Bank of Italy); Aldo Milan (AGCOM); Elisa Scarinzi (Bank of Italy) |
| Abstract: | The geographic digital divide has a significant, though largely unexplored, dimension within a country. This paper proposes an index of digital development for the Italian NUTS2 regions (rDESI) based on the European Commission’s Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI). The rDESI monitors the regional digital divide across five dimensions: (i) the infrastructure and the network usage (connectivity), (ii) the population’s digital skills, (iii) the use of internet services by households, (iv) the integration of ICT by firms, and (v) the level of digital services offered by local government. Southern regions tend to lag behind in most of these dimensions, even if infrastructures and the quality of connectivity appears quite homogeneous across the country. In the last part of the paper, we highlight the limitations of the DESI methodology, proposing some improvements. |
| Keywords: | digitalization, connectivitym DESI, regional divergence |
| JEL: | C43 C80 L96 R10 |
| Date: | 2021–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bdi:opques:qef_662_21&r= |
| By: | Choi, Won Seok (KOREA INSTITUTE FOR INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY (KIEP)) |
| Abstract: | This study suggests who is leading the ecosystem of China's 5G industry through analysis of the association standard network. Our study finds that the Chinese government think tank is in the most important position in the related network. Our study also suggests that it is important to monitor association standards in China and strengthen the standard cooperation of companies, scholars, and institutes in the Korean ICT industry. |
| Keywords: | China; Korea; 5G; ICT; network; cooperation |
| Date: | 2022–02–04 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ris:kiepwe:2022_005&r= |
| By: | Abid, Hofa (Bt research scoiety) |
| Abstract: | Many cloud-based marketing programs, ranging from CRM systems to marketing automation solutions, are already widely used. These services let marketers monitor campaigns and activities across mobile, social, and Web platforms, as well as customer interactions. As Internet usage has spread across devices, there are more ways to engage potential consumers in this modern era - but it is also more challenging to attract their attention. Customers desire stuff that is unique, organic, engaging, and personalized. Marketers may employ cloud technology to generate new data-driven strategies and more tailored and targeted marketing. These tools will very definitely be combined with one of the digital marketing components listed below. |
| Date: | 2020–08–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:thesis:4zpm9&r= |
| By: | Abate, Gashaw Tadesse; Bernard, Tanguy; Makhija, Simrin; Spielman, David J. |
| Abstract: | The use of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to address a wide array of development issues has gained considerable attention among governments, practitioners, and researchers in recent years (Lwoga and Sangeda 2019). While early studies focused on mobile phones and text messaging, attention is quickly shifting to other media, including video. Many studies on the use of video as a medium explore how increased access and consumption of information can lead to behavior changes that ultimately result in welfare-improving outcomes. This study explores whether video-mediated extension leads to the increased, sustained uptake of productivity-enhancing agricultural technologies and practices by small-scale farmers. Over the two-year period of 2017–2018, the Government of Ethiopia and Digital Green conducted the large-scale rollout of a video-mediated extension approach. We examine the impact of this rollout on a range of outcome indicators, including whether targeting the video-mediated approach to both spouses of a household was more effective than targeting the (typically male) household head alone. Our main outcomes of interest include farmer uptake of the subject technologies and the yield gains resulting from these technologies. Our study provides insights into the mechanisms behind the observed effects and an analysis of the approach’s cost effectiveness. Our results demonstrate that the video-mediated extension approach led to increases in farmer uptake of improved agricultural technologies and practices. In the first year of the experiment, we find an overall 6 percentage point increase in technology uptake, which translates into a 10 percent increase over the mean of the control group. An analysis of uptake by type of technology shows that the video-mediated approach resulted in an increase of 13, 20, and 15 percent over control group means for row planting, precise seeding rate, and urea top/side dressing, respectively. These results endure in the second year of the experiment, pointing to farmers’ effective uptake of the technology beyond a mere trial in one production season. Upon exploring the mechanisms that explain these adoption effects, we find that the video-mediated extension approach led to an increase in extension reach, with a 35 percent increase in farmers’ attendance at extension sessions (likely due to interest in the video medium). Among farmers assigned to the video-mediated extension approach, we also find a higher level of technical understanding of focal agricultural technologies and practices. While our results suggest greater participation and knowledge gains among (typically female) spouses who also participated in the video-mediated extension approach, we do not find clear evidence that targeting both spouses led to higher rates of technology uptake. |
| Keywords: | ETHIOPIA; EAST AFRICA; AFRICA SOUTH OF SAHARA; AFRICA; Information and Communication Technologies; agricultural extension; farmers; technology; video-mediated extension |
| Date: | 2021 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:prnote:1293759977&r= |