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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/2451/28510
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| Title: | Network Economics and the Digital Divide in Rural South Asia |
| Authors: | Kaushik, P.D. - Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Contemporary Studies
Kendall, Jake - UC Santa Cruz
Williams, Kristen - UC Santa Cruz
Singh, Nirvikar - UC Santa Cruz
Zhou, Yan - California State University, Sacramento |
| Keywords: | Development, IT, ITC, South Asia, Digital Divide, Internet |
| Issue Date: | 2007 |
| Series/Report no.: | NET Institute Working Paper;07-30 |
| Abstract: | The concept of a 'global digital divide' is now common, and many
cross-country studies of determinants of differences in computer and
Internet penetration have been performed. The main conclusions and
policy implications from these studies are relatively blunt: get richer,
have more telephones, and regulate telecommunications better. In this
paper, we examine an alternative approach to bridging the digital
divide, through organizational innovations that provide low cost
Internet access in developing countries, within the existing conditions
of income levels, telecommunications infrastructure and regulatory
environment. We use survey data from 500 individuals in three South
Asian countries, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka, to examine factors
influencing patterns of computer and Internet use. These individuals
were in situations where computer and Internet access has been provided
by a developmental agency (government or non-government). We estimate
logit and multinomial logit models, using explanatory variables such as
income, household size, education, and occupation, as well as
infrastructure factors such as quality of electricity supply, and
availability of telephones and televisions. Thus we are able to go
beyond simple analyses of penetration at the country level, to
understand the microeconomics of computer and Internet use in rural
South Asia. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/2451/28510 |
| Appears in Collections: | NET Institute Working Papers Series
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