Information And Communication Technology Penetration Research Articles

Overcoming Distance Education Challenges in Nigeria: A Call for Collaborative ICT Integration

This article looks at the benefits of Distance Education (DE) or Open Learning Systems as the means of providing education that meets the growing demand for education on the account of the financial concerns and changing priorities. The historical development of communication methods is one of the factors that shaped the education sector considerably and now we have the open learning systems as a popular way of. The aim of the establishment of DE as highlighted by scholars is to create another parallel system which can be integrated with formal education. Other objectives include promoting flexibility, constructing an egalitarian society, facilitating in-service and lifelong education and utilizing communication technology for wider outreach. ICTs hold the key to global educational initiatives, providing an environment of collaboration and disseminating ideas in the most effective manner. Although ICTs belong to one of the most transformative technologies, Nigeria is faced with challenges of integration of ICTs, among them deficiencies in ICT infrastructure. Distance education has proved to be successful for the purpose of widening educational chances but Nigeria faces problems like low ICT penetration, erratic power supply, and meagre economy. It is noted that ICTs play a critical role in the development of distance education in Nigeria and that this research stresses the need for collaboration among all relevant stakeholders— government, private companies, and international organizations—to enhance ICT infrastructure, implement international cooperation frameworks, and integrate ICT literacy and use into academic courses. Keywords: Distance Education (DE), Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), OLS, Education Issues, Flexibility in Education, ICT Infrastructure, and Inclusive Learning.

Smartphones and Environmental Sustainability: A Country-Level Analysis

Research suggests that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have a nonlinear relationship with CO2 emissions, specifically an inverted U-shaped curve similar to the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC). While extant research has investigated the relationship using an ICT index, there has been no research looking at smartphones, the use of which has been closely associated with the explosive growth in the use of mobile apps and a build-out of large information systems to support their use. To address this gap, this research examines the relationship of ICTs and smartphones with CO2 emissions by employing a country-level data set for the period from 2009 to 2017. Our results show that the relationship of ICTs with CO2 emissions takes an inverted U-shaped curve form, consistent with the EKC hypothesis. Our results also show that CO2 emissions increase with initial increases in smartphone capital stock but decrease as smartphone stock increases further. These findings imply that carbon emissions go up with the penetration of ICTs in poorer countries but in wealthier countries, ICT penetration and smartphone stock are related to lower CO2 emissions. The results should not be taken as evidence that ICTs cannot lead to greater sustainability in poorer countries but should be seen as a call for the IS community to help all countries apply existing knowledge and develop new knowledge to use ICTs to reduce emissions in response to the immediate challenge of climate change.

Remittances-ecological footprint nexus in Africa: Do ICTs matter?

The growth of migrant remittances poses a real challenge in developing countries both in terms of development and the quality of the environment. This paper examines the effect of migrant remittances on the ecological footprint in Africa with taking account the role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Unlike previous work that has considered carbon dioxide emissions as a measure of environmental degradation, this study takes into account the ecological footprint as a fair measure of environmental quality. Our sample consists of 30 African countries from 2000 to 2021. We use two methodologies, respectively Two-Stage Least Squares (2SLS) with instrumental variable and quantile for robustness. The results show that remittances contribute to environmental degradation by increasing the ecological footprint. Moreover, taking into account the modified environmental Kuznets curve effect, our results show that more migrants' remittances increase, more they contribute to improving the environment by improving the ecological footprint. Our results remain robust using quantile regression. Moreover, ICTs reduce the adverse effect of remittances on environmental degradation. In addition, the results reveal that urbanization and human capital improve environmental quality but energy consumption damage it in Africa. Besides, reducing remittances costs and considering incentives to increase remittances inflows to the country remains a suitable target under sustainable development. Finally, there is evidence to implement effective financial system to soften investment credits granting intended for clean technology. Households and individuals should minimize their use of remittances to finance carbon-intensive items like automobiles and others. Moreover, is been necessary to improve ICT penetration and his efficiency in the African countries’ context.

Impacts of ICT penetration shaping nonworking time use on indirect carbon emissions: Evidence from Chinese households

People's time use is crucial for carbon emissions related to lifestyles. Increasing the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in everyday life changes time-use patterns and, thus, affects emissions. This study proposes a two-way fixed effects model following the stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) framework to explore the impacts of ICT penetration and household average weekly nonworking time on household indirect emissions. Based on 2010–2018 panel data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS), the results show that a 1% increase in household average weekly nonworking time can lead to a 0.169% decrease in emissions by substituting consumption with time. In contrast, a 1% increase in the proportion of family members using a mobile phone or the proportion of family members surfing the internet can increase emissions by 0.107% or 0.127% by increasing electricity and communication consumption. ICT penetration moderates the relationship between nonworking time and emissions, which suggests that ICT amplifies the impact of nonworking time by reducing the consumption of activities and shaping the time-use pattern to be less carbon intensive.

Non-optimal impacts of internet expansion on community capacity in rural areas

Population decline and aging have caused various critical problems in rural areas in developed countries, including Japan. Recently, information and communication technology (ICT) has widely spread even in rural areas. International research has been steadily increasing on the relationships between individuals’ internet use, their offline activities, and their sense of community. Previous studies have shown that ICT affects rural communities in a variety of ways such as through social capital, sense of community, place attachment, and residents’ participation in local activities. However, few researchers have examined these impacts in rural Japan, the country with the world’s most aged population and a rich ICT infrastructure. This study examined the impacts of ICT on rural community in Japan with a special focus on community capacity. The result showed that non-internet users engaged in offline local activities more actively and had a higher sense of community than did users. However, the group that actively used the internet for purposes both related and unrelated to the community also engaged most actively in offline local activities and had the highest sense of community. In contrast, the group that used the internet for purposes unrelated to the community (shopping, entertainment, etc.) did not engage in offline local activities and had the least sense of community. This study provides significant insights into how ICT should be introduced into rural areas where the ICT penetration is expected to be higher in the future.

Information and communication technology diffusion and the urban–rural income gap in China

AbstractThe income gap between urban and rural households is a prevalent social issue in many countries, including China. This study examines the effect of information and communication technology (ICT) diffusion on the urban–rural income gap in China. We theoretically analyse how ICT infrastructure construction, financed by fiscal transfers, in rural areas narrows the rural–urban income gap. Further, our empirical results show that both ICT penetration at county level and ICT usage at household level narrow the rural–urban income gap. Moreover, compared to computer access, the newer generation of ICT devices (smartphones) has stronger effects in narrowing the rural–urban income gap. We find that smartphones play a key role in the reduction of this income gap by increasing the agricultural product operational income of rural households.

ICT Penetration and Insurance Sector Development: Evidence from the 10 New EU Member States

The insurance sector provides protection to individuals and businesses against many types of risks and also promotes economic growth, being an important source of long-term capital. Analyzing factors that facilitate insurance sector development is important for both individuals and the entire economy. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between information and communication technologies (ICT) represented by mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 people and individuals using the Internet (% of population) and insurance sector development represented by insurance company assets to GDP (%). Using data from 10 new member states of the European Union for the period 2000–2020, this study reveals a mutual interaction between ICT penetration indicators and insurance sector development. Furthermore, a regression analysis reveals that Internet penetration has a significant positive influence on insurance sector growth. Specifically, at the country level, the results indicate the existence of bidirectional causality between mobile cellular subscriptions and the insurance sector in Latvia, Poland, and Slovakia, and unidirectional causality between insurance and mobile cellular subscriptions in Estonia and Hungary.

U-shaped impacts of institutional quality and ICT penetration on economic growth: Evidence from selected emerging countries

This research aims to consider determinants of economic growth, such as financial development, institutional quality, and information and communication technology (ICT) penetration, which have been explored separately in previous studies and have produced mixed findings in different regions. Using the two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator for a dynamic panel dataset of 35 selected emerging countries, several research findings could be drawn as the following. First, both ICT penetration and institutional quality have significantly positive effects on economic growth. On the contrary, economic development could be hampered by financial development. Second, there are the U-shape and inverted U-shape relations for the cases of institutional quality and ICT penetration on economic growth, respectively. Third, the interaction effect of ICT penetration and financial development could enhance economic growth while the negative impact of financial development on economic development is amplified by the high level of institutional quality. These findings are robust to the global financial crisis control and the use of an alternative ICT proxy when setting up the approach of principal component analysis. Given these findings from emerging countries, some policy challenges that policy-makers should address by simultaneously considering each growth driver, such as financial development, ICT evolution, and institutional quality and interactions between them, as well as the non-monotonic effect of ICT penetration and institutional quality to facilitate economic growth. U-shaped impacts of institutional quality and ICT penetration on economic growth: Evidence from selected emerging countriesAll authorsThanh Phuc Nguyen , Thi Thu Hong Dinh, Ngoc Tho Tran & Trang Duong Thi Thuyhttps://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2139887Published online:04 November 2022Display full size

Assessing the role of ICT, governance, and infrastructure on inbound tourism demand in India

PurposeThe main purpose of the present research is to explore the possible effectiveness of information and communication technology (ICT), infrastructure development, exchange rate and governance on inbound tourism demand using time series data in India.Design/methodology/approachThe stationarity of the variables is checked by using the ADF, PP and KPSS unit root tests. The paper uses the Bayer-Hanck and auto-regressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration to examine the existence of long-run relationships; the error-correction mechanism for the short-run dynamics and the vector error correction method (VECM) to test the direction of causality.FindingsThe findings of the research indicate the presence of cointegration among the variables. Further, long-run results indicate infrastructure development, word-of-mouth and ICT have a positive and significant linkage with international tourist arrivals in India. However, ICT has a positive and significant effect on tourist arrivals in the short run as well. The VECM results indicate long-run unidirectional causality from infrastructure, ICT, governance and exchange rate to tourist arrivals.Research limitations/implicationsThis study implies that inbound tourism demand in India can be augmented by improving infrastructure, governance quality and ICT penetration. For an emerging country like India, this may have far-reaching implications for sustaining and improving tourism sector growth.Originality/valueThis paper is the first of its kind to empirically examine the impact of ICT, infrastructure and governance quality in India using modern econometric techniques. Inbound tourism demand research aids government and policymakers in developing effective public policies that would reposition India to gain from a highly competitive global tourism industry.

Information and communication technology and carbon emissions in China: The rebound effect of energy intensive industry

The rebound effect of energy efficiency induced by information and communication technology (ICT) has attracted a wide range of academic attention, but it has mostly been examined at a theoretical level. We investigate this phenomenon by a cross-region cross-industry panel dataset in China. Using the LASSO method for variable selection and the static panel model of double fixed effects, our results indicate that ICT penetration significantly contributes to regional carbon emissions. More importantly, we demonstrate the positive effect is caused by the rebound effect of energy efficiency in the energy-intensive industry. Specifically, the spread of ICT promotes energy efficiency, further expanding energy demand and increasing carbon emissions in the non-metal manufacturing industry, resulting in the rebound effect of 0.9%. Drawing on these findings, we propose policy implications for promoting the green transformation of energy-intensive industries.

ICT and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: Transmission channels and effects

Despite significant progress in the empirical analysis of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on economic growth, previous studies have not empirically examined the mechanisms by which ICT hinders or expands economic growth. The specific aim of the present study was to identify the transmission channels through which ICT contributes to economic growth. The examined channels included; openness, FDI inflows, education, domestic investment, political institution, and inflation. The study employed the panel-corrected standard errors (PCSE) and system two step system GMM techniques on a sample of 44 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) over the period 2004–2020. Using an ICT composite index, the causal mediation analysis identified that ICT contributed directly to growth, as proposed by the growth theories. Furthermore, the same analysis identified; domestic investment, openness, and education as crucial variables through which ICT penetration indirectly promoted per capita growth in the SSA region. The robustness of this result was verified using a variety of tools. The present findings suggested that the current efforts to expand ICTs in Sub-Saharan Africa should be continued since this sector has a considerable indirect impact on promoting economic growth.

Impact of ICT diffusion on the interaction of growth and its volatility: Evidence from cross-country analysis

There is a large body of research investigating the impact of information and communication technologies (ICT) on economic growth; however, the empirical evidence on growth and its volatility simultaneously driven by ICT diffusion has still remained scarce so far. To fill this void, system two-step generalized method of moments (S-GMM) estimator and a new proxy capturing the product of growth and its fluctuation is employed to determine the nexus between ICT penetration and the interaction of growth and its volatility. Using a comprehensive panel of 122 economies covering the period 2000–2019, we find that all proxies for the ICT revolution show positive impacts on the product of growth and its volatility. This means that an increase in ICT diffusion could lead to both higher growth and lower growth volatility. To offer robust and consistent results, ICT growth and its volatility nexus are confirmed through several econometric techniques such as panel quantile regression, the control of fixed effects, alternative measure for the interaction between growth and its fluctuation, and across countries with different national incomes. The research could give rise to use of this proxy for the product of growth and its volatility with inverse hyperbolic sine transformation in the empirically econometric model for the future studies.

Determinants of Digital Divide using Demand-Supply Framework

In last two decades, India has seen high economic growth. Concomitantly, there has been increase in availability and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs). However, ICT penetration in India is much less when compared to global averages. There exists a substantive level of inequality in ICT access and use. Empirical studies on extent and nature of digital divide in India are few, especially those with explicit theoretical demand-supply framework, using consistent and reliable pan India data. This paper is an attempt to address these research gaps. It examines the digital divide in India across socio-economic classes and different political-geographic regions. The reduced form demand equations for two ICT instruments – Internet and mobile phone - are estimated separately for households aggregated at subnational level. A multi-variate econometric model identifies both demand and supply side factors shaping differential access by households. Findings indicate digital divide is a reflection of existing socio-economic divide. On the demand side, socio-economic inequality as manifest in the economic conditions of households, social category, occupational profile, age and education status are key determinants of district level digital divide. Further, supply side factors like availability of electricity, mobile network and extent of urbanization also play an important role.

On the upside or flipside: Where is venture capital positioned in the era of digital disruptions?

Recent studies have found that disruptive technologies, such as FinTech, have the potential to overturn existing business models and overthrow incumbents. These studies have demonstrated that newly emerging digital platforms financing early-stage ventures threaten traditional venture capital (VC). We argue that, conversely, VC benefits from advances in information and communication technology (ICT), as ICT fosters entrepreneurship and mitigates agency issues in VC deals. This paper examines the impact of digitization on VC investments from 23 European countries spanning 2007–2019 using a dynamic panel two-step system generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation technique. The results show that the factors “ICT penetration” (a general measure of societal internet and computer access and use) and “digital economy” (a measure of ICT-powered economic activity) exert significant and positive effects on early-stage, later-stage, and total VC investments. Moreover, availability of bank credit moderates the effect of digital economy on VC investment. Finally, this study reveals that it is digital entrepreneurship (as reflected in our “digital economy” measure), and not total entrepreneurial activity, that attracts VC investment. We conclude that the VC industry is aligned with rather than threatened by the newly emerging digital environment. The empirical results are robust to different control variables and data sources. This paper offers useful implications for policy and contributes to the literature on digital entrepreneurship and venture capital.

Reshaping financial systems: The role of ICT in the diffusion of financial innovations – Recent evidence from European countries

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are among the fastest-growing types of innovative financial products. The emergence and spread of these instruments have been facilitated by the digital revolution. Information and communication technology (ICT) is profoundly reshaping the global economic landscape, laying solid foundations for unrestricted and unbounded flows of information and knowledge, eliminating information asymmetries, and furthering the rapid diffusion of financial innovations worldwide. This work contributes to the literature by exploring the linkages between variations in ICT penetration and the development and expansion of financial innovation on stock exchanges in ten European countries: France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The analysis covers the period from 2004 to 2019, and uses panel and country-specific regression models to verify the relationship hypothesized between increasing ICT penetration and the development of exchange-traded funds. Our findings indicate that ICT spreads evenly in all the countries, laying solid foundations for the development of innovative financial products. We also find that ICT positively influences the diffusion of ETFs, regardless of the other possible determinants considered; however, despite the high level of ICT adoption in most of the economies analyzed, ETF market development has not been universal, with substantial between-country differences.

Examining the determinants of eHealth usage among elderly people with disability: The moderating role of behavioural aspects

BackgroundExisting studies have demonstrated that behavioural barriers impede eHealth usage among senior citizens. However, thus far, no analysis of how such barriers affect elderly people with disabilities (PwD) has been conducted. Thus, the study investigates the predictors of eHealth usage among elderly PwD. MethodsUsing data from a 2018 nationwide disability survey comprising 14,798 respondents in Australia, multivariate logistic regression models are used to predict the relationship between eHealth usage and the various characteristics of respondents, including access to information and communication technologies (ICTs), socioeconomic status, and level of education. ResultsAlthough most participants (approximately 88%) have access to ICTs, few (only around 9%) have used eHealth services. The results show a number of factors are associated with an increased likelihood of using eHealth services, including higher educational attainment (odds ratio [OR] = 3.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.38, 4.24), employment (OR = 1.43, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.94), higher household income (OR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.96), and ICT access (OR = 15.92, 95% CI: 10.51, 27.01). The probability of eHealth use is lower for the oldest-old (OR = 0.35, 95% CI: 0.22, 0.45). In addition, the estimates from interaction effects suggest the effect of ICT penetration on use of eHealth falls by a negligible amount because of resistive attitudinal barriers (OR = 0.01, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.06). ConclusionGiven the challenges of ageing populations and pandemics, such as COVID-19, eHealth services are a vital part of an effective, inclusive, and robust health care system. This study demonstrates the presence of a significant digital divide among elderly PwD and suggests that public and private efforts should be made to increase the availability of ICT infrastructure. Training could also increase inclusion in this regard.

Uncovering interlinks among ICT connectivity and penetration, trade openness, foreign direct investment, and economic growth: The case of the G-20 countries

The global economy is increasingly integrated due to the information and communication revolution. Countries have become more reliant on global supply chains that are driven by digital platforms. As a result, information and communication technology (ICT), international trade, and foreign direct investment (FDI) appear to have become drivers of economic growth. In this paper, we investigate whether this logical assertion is true. More importantly, we examine the interlinks among the variables in the short and long run. Directions of causal links among these variables are complex and sometimes subtle and it is therefore important to establish them through rigorous empirical analysis. For our study, we consider the G-20 countries over 1961–2019. Our study reveals a myriad of underlying temporal links among the variables. The key policy implication of these results is that long-term growth in this group of countries depends on greater co-development and harmonization of policies on ICT, FDI, and trade openness. Moreover, policymakers should be cognizant of the short-run connections between the covariates.

Impacts of inward FDIs and ICT penetration on the industrialisation of Sub-Saharan African countries

This paper examines the impact of inward foreign direct investments (FDIs) on the industrialisation process in Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries. Furthermore, the underlying analysis is investigated under consideration of the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) penetration. The paper uses a data sample from 47 countries from 1996 to 2017. Results indicate that FDIs negatively affect SSA countries’ industrialisation process and that this relationship is compounded by a high degree of ICT penetration. Additional findings show that the GDP and the degree of industrialisation have a U-shaped relationship and that exports as well as domestic investment hamper the industrialisation process of SSA countries. The findings indicate that policymakers should critically analyse inward FDIs and the conditions necessary to achieve their beneficial effects.

ICT infrastructure, innovation development and economic growth: a comparative evidence between two decades in OECD countries

PurposeThe objective of this study is to examine the causal relationship between economic growth, information and communication technology (ICT) penetration and innovation development in OECD countries.Design/methodology/approachThis study incorporates data for 24 OECD countries from 2000 to 2018, which is divided into the earliest (2000–2009) and the latest (2010–2018) periods. The econometric methodologies of this study employ panel cointegration, estimation procedures and vector error-correction modelling to investigate the potential interconnections between ICT, innovation development and economic growth.FindingsThe results from the latest period illustrate that OECD countries have achieved positive and significant economic development from high ICT penetration, while results from the earliest period show that OECD countries were just beginning to enjoy the benefits of ICT penetration. Moreover, findings show that innovation development is highly significant in the latest period when promoting economic growth.Practical implicationsThe policy implications suggest that promoting ICT infrastructure establishment and expanding the innovation development may drive the process of economic development in OECD countries.Originality/valueThis study employs mobile and Internet penetration as the development of telecommunication which is in line with the enlargement of innovation to foster economic growth in OECD countries. Comparing the evidence from two decades provides significant value for policymakers and decision-makers regarding the advantages of technology expansion and innovation development to promote economic growth in recent conditions.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and Employment in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Role of Education

ABSTRACT The heat of the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) in the form of automated technologies in industrial production processes is on the global world. This has raised worries regarding the potential impact of the 4IR particularly on the future of jobs in developing countries. The study investigates the impact of the 4IR on industry labor employment, with particular emphasis on the role of tertiary education in SSA from 2000 to 2018. Due to the dearth of adequate data relating to the elements of 4IR such as robotics, internet of things (IoT), and cloud technologies, the study is benchmarked on the technology achievement of SSA countries, tertiary education attainment, and some elements of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) like mobile phone technology and internet densities. The study employed instrumental variable regression, within the framework of the System GMM estimator, covering the 48 SSA countries. The result shows that technology achievement index (TAI), technology, mobile, mobile phone technology, and education exert a positive effect on industry labor employment in SSA. This suggests that advancement in the elements of 4IR will eventually bring about improvement in the level of industry labor employment. Based on these findings, the study recommends that the governments of SSA countries should embark on structural reforms of the educational system as well as massive investment in ICT penetration and diffusion. These efforts will produce digital manpower to fit into the new job environment while offsetting the immediate job losses occasioned by the 4IR