Does ICT Benefit the Poor? Evidence from South Africa

Posted by AnneryanHeatwole on Sep 18, 2009
Author: 
Stefan Klonner, Patrick Nolen
Publication Type: 
Report/White paper
Publication Date: 
May 2008
Publication language: 
English
Abstract: 

The authors study the economic effects of the roll-out of mobile phone network coverage in rural South Africa, addressing identification issues which arise from the fact that network roll-out cannot be viewed as an exogenous process to local economic development.

The authors combine spatially coded data from South Africa's leading network provider with annual labor force surveys, and use terrain properties to construct an instrumental variable that allows us to identify the causal effect of network coverage on economic outcomes under plausible assumptions. 

The study finds substantial effects of cell phone network roll-out on labor market outcomes with remarkable gender-specific differences. Employment increases by 15 percentage points when a locality receives network coverage. A gender-differentiated analysis shows that most of this effect is due to increased employment by women. Household income increases in a pro-poor way when cellular infrastructure is provided.

Countries: 
Global Regions: 
Does ICT Benefit the Poor? Evidence from South Africa data sheet 3231 Views
Author: 
Stefan Klonner, Patrick Nolen
Publication Type: 
Report/White paper
Publication Date: 
May 2008
Publication language: 
English
Abstract: 

The authors study the economic effects of the roll-out of mobile phone network coverage in rural South Africa, addressing identification issues which arise from the fact that network roll-out cannot be viewed as an exogenous process to local economic development.

The authors combine spatially coded data from South Africa's leading network provider with annual labor force surveys, and use terrain properties to construct an instrumental variable that allows us to identify the causal effect of network coverage on economic outcomes under plausible assumptions. 

The study finds substantial effects of cell phone network roll-out on labor market outcomes with remarkable gender-specific differences. Employment increases by 15 percentage points when a locality receives network coverage. A gender-differentiated analysis shows that most of this effect is due to increased employment by women. Household income increases in a pro-poor way when cellular infrastructure is provided.

Countries: 
Global Regions: 

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