|
on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Klein, Gordon J.; Klotz, Phil-Adrian; Paha, Johannes |
| Abstract: | This study provides an empirical assessment of whether competition stimulates infrastructure investment within network industries – an issue that remains unresolved through theoretical approaches alone. We examine this question in the context of fiber-optic broadband deployment by internet service providers in Germany, a sector that has drawn regulatory scrutiny amid concerns that incumbent firms engage in strategic duplication of infrastructure to deter market entry. To this end, we construct a novel dataset by applying text mining techniques to systematically extract information on fiber infrastructure duplication from newspaper reports. Employing econometric methods, we estimate the causal impact of competition on investment behavior. Contrary to the expectation that competition may spur infrastructure expansion, our findings indicate that competitive pressure is associated with a deceleration in fiber network rollout. |
| Keywords: | Fiber Rollout, Infrastructure Competition, Telecommunication |
| JEL: | D22 L52 L86 |
| Date: | 2026–03 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:atv:wpaper:2601 |
| By: | Saida Abellaoui (University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco); Youssef Nait Belaid (University Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco) |
| Abstract: | In Morocco, women entrepreneurs are increasingly leveraging digital platforms to drive economic empowerment particularly for young women seeking independence, yet they face several significant barriers in Morocco's digital economy. In this paper we seek to give insights from recent studies, highlighting the motivations such as achieving work-life balance, pursuing personal dreams, and gaining economic independence, opportunities, and challenges for female digital entrepreneurs in Morocco. Digital transformation, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), has opened several paths for women to engage in E-commerce, fintech, service-oriented businesses and other activities, with platforms like social media enabling low-cost market access and sometimes free access to some platforms. However, cultural, technological, and financial barriers persist. A barrier that seems critical is the lack of advanced digital literacy, particularly in rural areas, where limited internet access and insufficient training in technical concepts hinder effective utilization of digital tools. Several foundational studies reveal that women entrepreneurs often rely on basic platforms like phone calls and emails due to inadequate software tutorials and technical language barriers. This digital divide, compounded by socio-cultural norms and limited access to finance, restricts scalability and sustainability. Addressing these challenges requires targeted policy interventions including tailored ICT training or advanced digital literacy, improved digital infrastructure, and financial inclusion initiatives to empower Moroccan women entrepreneurs in the digital economy. For the methodological approach adopted in the elaboration of this paper, this research is first and foremost a Theoretical Research, so a qualitative documentary study is conducted to explore the alignment of several concepts related to the subject, and to dive deep into Morocco's digital Economy and entrepreneurship, synthesizing national reports (GEM, Digital Morocco 2030), policy papers, strategic plans, program reports, evaluation studies , existing academic literature and other pertinent materials pertaining to Morocco's digital Economy and women entrepreneurs in Morocco. The analysis follows a multi-level framework to highlight the interplay between individual motivations and structural barriers. |
| Abstract: | Au Maroc, les femmes entrepreneurs utilisent de plus en plus les plateformes numériques pour favoriser l'autonomisation économique, en particulier celle des jeunes femmes en quête d'indépendance, mais elles se heurtent à plusieurs obstacles importants dans l'économie numérique. Dans la présentation suivante, nous cherchons à donner un aperçu des études récentes, en mettant en évidence les motivations telles que l'équilibre entre vie professionnelle et vie privée, la poursuite de rêves personnels et l'acquisition d'une indépendance économique, ainsi que les opportunités et les défis pour les femmes entrepreneurs numériques au Maroc. La transformation numérique, accélérée par la pandémie de COVID-19 et l'émergence de l'intelligence artificielle (IA), a ouvert plusieurs voies aux femmes pour s'engager dans le commerce électronique, les technologies financières, les entreprises axées sur les services et d'autres activités, grâce à des plateformes telles que les réseaux sociaux qui permettent un accès peu coûteux au marché et parfois même gratuit à certaines plateformes. Cependant, des obstacles culturels, technologiques et financiers persistent. L'un des obstacles les plus importants semble être le manque de compétences numériques avancées, en particulier dans les zones rurales, où l'accès limité à Internet et la formation insuffisante aux concepts techniques entravent l'utilisation efficace des outils numériques. Des études révèlent que les femmes entrepreneurs s'appuient souvent sur des plateformes basiques telles que les appels téléphoniques et les e-mails en raison de l'insuffisance des tutoriels logiciels et des barrières linguistiques techniques Cette fracture numérique, aggravée par les normes socioculturelles et l'accès limité au financement, limite l'évolutivité et la durabilité. Pour relever ces défis, il faut mettre en place des mesures politiques ciblées, notamment des formations sur mesure aux TIC ou peut-être des compétences numériques avancées, une infrastructure numérique améliorée et des initiatives d'inclusion financière afin de donner aux femmes entrepreneurs marocaines les moyens d'agir dans l'économie numérique. En ce qui concerne l'approche méthodologique adoptée dans l'élaboration de ce document, cette recherche est avant tout une recherche théorique. Une étude documentaire qualitative est donc menée afin d'explorer l'alignement de plusieurs concepts liés au sujet et d'approfondir l'économie numérique et l'entrepreneuriat au Maroc, en synthétisant les rapports nationaux (GEM, Maroc numérique 2030), les documents d'orientation, les plans stratégiques, les rapports de programme, les études d'évaluation et la littérature universitaire existante. L'analyse suit un cadre à plusieurs niveaux afin de mettre en évidence l'interaction entre les motivations individuelles et les obstacles structurels. |
| Keywords: | Digital Economy, Digital Literacy, Women Entrepreneurs |
| Date: | 2026–02–22 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05523923 |
| By: | Alexander Bick; Adam Blandin; David Deming; Nicola Fuchs-Schündeln; Jonas Jessen |
| Abstract: | AI adoption is much higher among American workers than it is among European workers. Is this widening the gap between U.S. and EU productivity growth? |
| Keywords: | generative artificial intelligence (AI); technology adoption; labor productivity |
| Date: | 2026–03–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fip:l00001:102954 |
| By: | Pulito, Giuseppe (ROCKWOOL Foundation Berlin); Pytlikova, Mariola (CERGE-EI, Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences, and AIAS, Aarhus University); Schroede, Sarah (Aarhus University and Ratio Institute); Lodefalk, Magnus (Örebro University School of Business) |
| Abstract: | Using two waves of nationally representative Danish firm surveys linked to employer– employee administrative registers, we study how adoption varies across artificial intelligence (AI) and related advanced technologies. We show that AI adoption is highly technologyspecific. While firm size and digital infrastructure predict adoption broadly, workforce composition operates through distinct channels: STEM-educated workforces predict core AI adoption, whereas non-STEM university-educated workforces are associated with generative AI adoption, indicating different human capital complementarities. The factors associated with adoption differ from those predicting deployment breadth: firm size and digital maturity matter for both, whereas workforce composition primarily predicts adoption alone. Machine learning and natural language processing are deployed across multiple business functions, whereas other advanced technologies remain concentrated in specific operational domains. Individual-level evidence provides a foundation for these patterns, with awareness of workplace AI usage concentrated among managers and high-skilled workers. Self-reported AI knowledge is higher among younger and more educated individuals. Finally, commonly used occupational AI exposure measures vary substantially in their ability to predict observed adoption, with benchmark-based measures outperforming patent-based and LLM-focused alternatives. These findings show that treating AI as a monolithic category obscures economically meaningful variation in who adopts, what they deploy, and how well existing measures capture it. |
| Keywords: | Artificial Intelligence; Technology Adoption; Digitalisation; Human capital; AI Exposure Measures. |
| JEL: | D24 J23 J62 O33 |
| Date: | 2026–03–27 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hhs:oruesi:2026_003 |
| By: | Michele Imbruno (UNIROMA - Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza" = Sapienza University [Rome], Nottingham Center for Research on Globalisation and Economic Policy (GEP)); Joël Cariolle (FERDI - Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International, CERDI - Centre d'Études et de Recherches sur le Développement International - IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - UCA - Université Clermont Auvergne); Jaime de Melo (UNIGE - Université de Genève = University of Geneva, FERDI - Fondation pour les Etudes et Recherches sur le Développement International) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies how the bilateral digital connectivity resulting from the deployment of telecommunications SubMarine Cable (SMC) affects firm participation in export markets. Based on a heterogeneous firm model and using an unbalanced panel of bilateral trade data across 48 countries during the period 1997-2014, we find that an SMC connection between two countries is associated with an increase in the number of bilateral exporters in developed countries, together with a reduction in the number of bilateral exporters in developing countries. This negative association between bilateral connectivity and firm participation in export markets appears to be stronger in the poorest developing areas, where firms have lower digital absorptive capacity: Middle East & North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. The growth in world connectivity spurred by SMCs deployment has therefore had a heterogeneous effect on firms' decision to export, pushing more firms from high-income countries to enter export markets and some incumbent exporters from lower-income countries to exit them. |
| Keywords: | Export behavior, Submarine cables, ICT, Internet connectivity |
| Date: | 2025–10 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-05570207 |