nep-ict New Economics Papers
on Information and Communication Technologies
Issue of 2024‒09‒09
six papers chosen by
Marek Giebel, Universität Dortmund


  1. The Impact of Cloud Computing and AI on Industry Dynamics and Concentration By Yao Lu; Gordon M. Phillips; Jia Yang
  2. IT Enabling Factors in a new Industry Design: Open Banking and Digital Economy By Carlos Alberto Durigan Junior; Kumiko Oshio Kissimoto; Fernando Jose Barbin Laurindo
  3. Mapping subnational gender gaps in internet and mobile adoption using social media data By Breen, Casey; Fatehkia, Masoomali; Yan, Jiani; Zhao, Xinyi; Leasure, Douglas R.; Weber, Ingmar; Kashyap, Ridhi
  4. The Global Trade Slowdown: Nominal or Real? By Prema-chandra Athukorala
  5. Central Bank Digital Currency: The Advent of its IT Governance in the financial markets By Carlos Alberto Durigan Junior; Mauro De Mesquita Spinola; Rodrigo Franco Gon\c{c}alves; Fernando Jos\'e Barbin Laurindo
  6. Productive Capacities, Economic Vulnerability and Growth Volatility in Sub-Saharan Africa By Aminou Yaya

  1. By: Yao Lu; Gordon M. Phillips; Jia Yang
    Abstract: We examine the rise of cloud computing and AI in China and their impacts on industry dynamics after the shock to the cost of Internet-based computing power and services. We find that cloud computing is associated with an increase in firm entry, exit and the likelihood of M&A in industries that depend more on cloud infrastructure. Conversely, AI adoption has no impact on entry but reduces the likelihood of exit and M&A. Firm size plays a crucial role in these dynamics: cloud computing increases exit rates across all firms, while larger firms benefit from AI, experiencing reduced exit rates. Cloud computing decreases industry concentration but AI increases concentration. On the financing side, firms exposed to cloud computing increase equity and venture capital financing, while only large firms increase equity financing when exposed to AI.
    JEL: D25 G3 G34 L20 L23 L25
    Date: 2024–08
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:32811
  2. By: Carlos Alberto Durigan Junior; Kumiko Oshio Kissimoto; Fernando Jose Barbin Laurindo
    Abstract: The fourth industrial revolution promotes the integration of Information Technology (IT) and strategic resources. New IT demands and uses have been leading to changes in business processes and corporate governance. Lately, the financial industry has adopted a new integrated banking model known as Open Banking (OB) and the advent of cryptocurrencies has led to the Digital Economy (DE) materialization. Considering these facts, this paper expects to point out through literature review some IT enabling factors that allow the conception of a new industry design (or governance) specifically in the financial industry illustrated by the cases of the Open Banking and Digital Economy. This paper is structured mostly on literature review, accompanied by results, discussions, and finally, conclusions are presented. It was found five potential enabling factors. Keywords: Digital Economy, Information Technology (IT), Open Banking.
    Date: 2024–05
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2407.09487
  3. By: Breen, Casey; Fatehkia, Masoomali; Yan, Jiani; Zhao, Xinyi; Leasure, Douglas R. (Leverhulme Centre for Demographic Science, University of Oxford); Weber, Ingmar (Qatar Computing Research Institute); Kashyap, Ridhi
    Abstract: The digital revolution has ushered in many societal and economic benefits. Yet access to digital technologies such as mobile phones and internet remains highly unequal, especially by gender in the context of low- and middle-income countries. While national-level estimates are increasingly available for many countries, reliable, quantitative estimates of digital gender inequalities at the subnational level are lacking. These estimates, however, are essential for monitoring gaps within countries and implementing targeted interventions within the global sustainable development goals, which emphasize the need to close inequalities both between and within countries. We develop estimates of internet and mobile adoption by gender and digital gender gaps at the subnational level for 2, 158 regions in 118 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a context where digital penetration is low and national-level gender gaps disfavoring women are large. We construct these estimates by applying machine-learning algorithms to Facebook user counts, geospatial data, development indicators, and population composition data. We calibrate and assess the performance of these algorithms using ground-truth data from subnationally-representative household survey data from 31 LMICs. Our results reveal striking disparities in access to mobile and internet technologies between and within LMICs, with implications for policy formulation and infrastructure investment. These disparities contribute to a global context where women are 21% less likely to use the internet and 17% less likely to own mobile phones than men, corresponding to over 385 million more men than women owning a mobile phone and over 360 million more men than women using the internet.
    Date: 2024–08–15
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:qnzsw
  4. By: Prema-chandra Athukorala
    Abstract: This paper revisits the contemporary debate on the deglobalization of merchandise trade using a new dataset that captures changes in the price structure of manufacturing trade associated with the decline in prices of information technology (IT) equipment. There is strong evidence that continued growth in world trade, both in absolute (value) terms and relative to GDP, has remained obscured by the frequent reliance on trade measured at current rather than constant prices. Continuing downward adjustment in the prices of manufactures trade within GVCs has significantly reshaped the price structure of global trade. When appropriately measured in real terms, there is strong evidence that world trade has regained its upward trend following the significant dip during the GFC owing to the dynamism of trade rooted in global production sharing.
    JEL: F14 F41 F60
    Date: 2024
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pas:papers:2024-8
  5. By: Carlos Alberto Durigan Junior; Mauro De Mesquita Spinola; Rodrigo Franco Gon\c{c}alves; Fernando Jos\'e Barbin Laurindo
    Abstract: Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) can be defined as a virtual currency based on node network and digital encryption algorithm issued by a country which has a legal credit protection. CBDCs are supported by Distributed Ledger Technologies (DLTs), and they may allow a universal means of payments for the digital era. There are many ways to proceed, they all require central banks to develop technological expertise. Considering these points, it is important to understand the new IT governance in the financial markets due to CBDC and digital economy. Information Technology is an essential driver that will allow the new financial industry design. This paper has the objective to answer two questions through an updated Systematic Literature Review (SLR). The first question is What IT resources and tools have been considered or applied to set the governance of CBDC adoption? The second; Identify IT governance models in the financial market due to CBDC adoption. Bank for International Settlements (BIS) publications, Scopus and Web of Science were considered as sources of studies. After the strings and including criteria were applied, fourteen papers were analyzed. This paper finds many IT resources used in the CBDC adoption and some preliminary IT design related to the IT governance of CBDC, in the results and discussion section the findings are more detailed. Finally, limitations and future work are considered. Keywords: Blockchain, Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC), Digital Economy, Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), Information Technology (IT), IT governance.
    Date: 2024–05
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:arx:papers:2407.07898
  6. By: Aminou Yaya
    Abstract: Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, like most developing countries, face major challenges to achieve strong, sustainable, and inclusive growth with the view to reduce significantly persistent poverty and inequality. Many of these challenges results from a high level of economic vulnerability due to simultaneous shocks, notably the Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and the multiplicity of armed conflicts. Hence the need to study policies and means of strengthening economic resilience to shocks. This paper analyzes the effects of productive capacities on the volatility of economic growth in SSA countries when faced with significant vulnerability. The study covers the period 2000-2018 for 43 SSA countries. Using Generalized Method of Moments (GMM), the results show that economic vulnerability contributes to growth volatility in SSA. However, this effect varies according to the performance of productive capacities. Countries with high productive capacities have greater opportunities to mitigate the effect of economic vulnerability on growth volatility. Some specific dimensions of productive capacities (Institutions, ICT) seem to matter more than others. The results of this study provide important recommendations to policy makers.
    Keywords: Productive capacities; economic vulnerability; growth volatility
    Date: 2024–08–02
    URL: https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2024/169

This nep-ict issue is ©2024 by Marek Giebel. It is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. It may be freely redistributed in whole or in part for any purpose. If distributed in part, please include this notice.
General information on the NEP project can be found at https://nep.repec.org. For comments please write to the director of NEP, Marco Novarese at <director@nep.repec.org>. Put “NEP” in the subject, otherwise your mail may be rejected.
NEP’s infrastructure is sponsored by the School of Economics and Finance of Massey University in New Zealand.