Financial development, the structure of capital markets, and the global digital divide

Abstract

This paper examines the extent to which financial development and financial structure may explain cross-country diffusion of information communication technology (ICT). Using panel data for 76 emerging and advanced countries for the period 1990–2003, it finds that credit and stock market development tends to foster ICT diffusion, but financial structure does not appear to have any significant relationship with it. The conclusions, which are consistent with what theory might predict, highlight the role of financial development in the market for knowledge-based products. The finding that financial development is an important determinant of ICT diffusion implies that countries with underdeveloped financial markets may sink even further to the information-poor and noncommunicating side of the global digital divide.