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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Akeliwira, Ayuune George; Owusu-Mensah, Isaac |
| Abstract: | This study examines the relationship between natural resource rents and income inequality in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The empirical analysis covers 24 countries over the period 1998-2020. Econometric estimations are conducted using both fixed and random effects models to account for country-specific and time-invariant factors. Using the Gini coefficient as a proxy for inequality, the results suggest that total natural resource rents do not have a statistically significant effect on income inequality in the region. In contrast, access to financial services and digital technologies appear to be more influential in reducing inequality. The findings highlight the potential importance of inclusive development policies, such as allocating resource wealth to social programs in education, healthcare, and infrastructure. Additionally, promoting economic diversification and strengthening governance institutions may support more effective management of natural resources. The observed negative and statistically significant associations between information and communication technology (ICT) and financial development with inequality indicate that investments in ICT infrastructure and measures to enhance financial inclusion could contribute to addressing income disparities in the region. |
| Keywords: | Inequality, Sub-Saharan Africa, Natural Resource Rents, Gini Coefficient, Economic Growth |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:zbw:esprep:334397 |
| By: | Sarah Fleche; Eva Moreno Galbis; Ariell Reshef; Claudia Senik |
| Abstract: | We study how the widespread diffusion of ICT affects wages, working conditions, and job satisfaction. We frame our empirical investigation with a model in which ICT can improve both wages and working conditions by increasing firms' output. Using French matched employer-employee data and an instrumental variable approach that is motivated by the model, we find that ICT diffusion in 2013-2019 has been beneficial to workers, who experienced both higher wages and better working conditions, particularly through greater flexibility, physical comfort, and safety. In contrast, ICT use has also increased psychological stress and work intensity. These effects vary across workers, firms, occupations and sectors, depending on their characteristics. Despite overall improvements in wages and working conditions, we estimate only modest positive effects of ICT use on job satisfaction. We discuss potential explanations for this finding. |
| Keywords: | ICT diffusion, Wages, Working conditions, Job satisfaction |
| Date: | 2026–01–21 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:cep:cepdps:dp2143 |
| By: | Gao, Yujuan |
| Abstract: | This study examines the causal impact of 3G mobile network coverage on fertility decisions in Nigeria using geo-referenced data from the Nigerian Demographic and Health Surveys (2013-2018) combined with mobile coverage information. Employing two-way fixed effects for fertility analysis, the analysis reveals that increased 3G coverage significantly reduces birth rates among adolescent women aged 12-20. The spatial gradient of effects—stronger within 30km of network coverage and diminishing beyond 40km—provides evidence of a causal relationship. The primary mechanisms driving these effects include delays in age at first marriage, postponement of first childbirth, and increased adoption of modern contraception methods. These findings suggest that investments in telecommunications infrastructure may yield substantial demographic benefits through reduced fertility rates, particularly among adolescent women. |
| Keywords: | Farm Management |
| Date: | 2025 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aaea25:360944 |
| By: | David Loschiavo; Olivier Armantier; Antonio Dalla Zuanna; Leonardo Gambacorta; Mirko Moscatelli; Ilaria Supino |
| Abstract: | This paper explores the household adoption of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) in the United States and Italy, leveraging survey data to compare usage patterns, demographic influences, and employment sectoral composition effects. Our findings reveal higher adoption rates in the US, driven by socio-demographic differences between the two countries. Despite their lower usage of GenAI, Italians are more confident in its potential to improve their well-being and financial situation. Both Italian and US users tend to trust GenAI tools less than human-operated services, but Italians report greater relative trust in government and institutions when handling personal data with GenAI tools. |
| Keywords: | generative artificial intelligence, technology adoption, cross-country comparison, socio-demographic factors, trust in technology, cultural attitudes |
| JEL: | O33 D10 J24 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:bis:biswps:1322 |
| By: | Engelseth, Per; Sandvik, Marius |
| Abstract: | The contemporary food market is experiencing an increased popularity of quality locally produced foods. These types of foods are produced and distributed in a different manner than foods subject to large-scale modernistic forms of production. The research question is posed as how to integrate this particular form of networked food production. The paper discusses what differentiates this form of food production focusing in its logistics and relationship features; features of interdependencies, information technology, traceability, complexity and local foods networks as complex ecosystems are applied to evoke these logistics and relationship particularities. This implies expand the supply chain view to accommodate for ecosystems thinking on local foods. The study provides accordingly, based on a single case study, a detailed description of the local foods network of a small Norwegian fresh seafood retailer and wholesaler. Based on this empirical evidence, a conceptual model that describes how food supply may be considered as an ecosystem. This model, which basically is a set of systemically interrelated propositions, represents basis for further investigation to better empirically ground the views presented in this paper on how to integrate in this form of local foods supply understood as complex systems encompassing ecosystems thinking. |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ief017:258159 |
| By: | Riley K. Acton; Camila Morales; Kalena Cortes; Julia A. Turner; Lois Miller |
| Abstract: | We provide the first descriptive analysis of the economic value of Community College Baccalaureate (CCB) degrees by examining graduates’ early-career earnings, the costs of completing these programs, and the alignment between field of study and subsequent employment. Using administrative data and controlling for institution and field, we find that CCB graduates earn $4, 000 to $9, 000 more annually than Associate’s (AA) degree holders one year after graduation but experience average earnings penalties of roughly $2, 000 relative to traditional Bachelor’s (BA) recipients. These averages mask substantial heterogeneity: penalties are largest in Computer and Information Technology and Engineering Technology, whereas CCB graduates in Nursing, other Healthcare fields, Business, and Criminal Justice exhibit minimal or no penalties. To contextualize these returns, we analyze tuition and fee structures across CCB-granting institutions and identify two dominant pricing models—constant and escalating. Total CCB program costs fall between those of AA and BA degrees, with escalating structures increasing upper-division prices by about 40 percent. Finally, we examine field-to-industry match patterns and find that CCB graduates in fields with well-defined occupational pathways, such as Health Professions and Education, are highly concentrated in aligned industries, while graduates in more diffuse fields, such as Computer Science, are more broadly dispersed. |
| JEL: | I21 I23 I24 |
| Date: | 2026–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:34684 |
| By: | Hirsch, Darya; Meyer, Christian H.; Massen, Cristina; Terlau, Wiltrud |
| Abstract: | In January 2015, German trade and industry announced to support the national animal welfare initiative “Initiative Tierwohl” (ITW) which stands for a more sustainable and animal-friendly meat production. A web content analysis shows that the ITW initiative has been widely picked up and discussed by online media and that user comments are quite heterogeneous. The current study identifies different types of consumers through factor and cluster analysis and is based on an online survey as well as face-to-face interviews. According to our results, the identified consumer groups demonstrate a rather passive comment behaviour on the internet. In fact, the internet was hardly mentioned as an information source for meat production; consumers more frequently referred to brochures, leaflets and personal contacts with sales personnel. |
| Keywords: | Agribusiness |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:ief017:258183 |
| By: | Eto, Takeru (JX Press Corporation) |
| Abstract: | Japan is currently engaged in three major territorial disputes: the Northern Territories, Takeshima, and the Senkaku Islands. While official government surveys consistently report high levels of public concern, respondents may overstate their engagement due to social desirability bias. To address this, this paper employs a list experiment through an online opt-in survey of 4, 500 Japanese citizens to estimate the proportion of the population that is privately indifferent to each dispute. Using AMEs from an ICT regression model, the results reveal substantial levels of hidden indifference: approximately 19% for Takeshima, 11% for the Senkaku Islands, and 5% for the Northern Territories. Crucially, this indifference is not randomly distributed but is systematically structured by socioeconomic and geographic factors. The analysis shows that indifference is significantly higher among individuals in precarious employment. Furthermore, residents of metropolitan areas, such as Tokyo and Kinki region, exhibit greater indifference toward Takeshima and the Senkaku Islands, while people in closer proximity to these territories tend to be more engaged. Interestingly, however, residents in Hokkaido, the region closest to the Northern Territories, exhibit higher latent indifference than the national average, potentially indicating a divergence between local pragmatic interests and national narratives. These findings challenge the conventional view of a uniformly concerned public and suggest that domestic political constraints on diplomatic compromise may be more flexible than commonly assumed. |
| Date: | 2026–01–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:osf:socarx:nzbq3_v1 |