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Mobile and more productive? Firm-level evidence on the productivity effects of mobile internet use

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  • Bertschek, Irene
  • Niebel, Thomas

Abstract

Mobile internet access allows for flexibility with respect to working time and working place. We analyse whether employees' use of mobile internet access improves firms’ labour productivity. Our data set contains 2143 German firms and refers to the year 2014, when high-speed mobile internet was still at a relatively early stage of diffusion within firms. The econometric analysis shows that firms' labour productivity significantly increases with the share of employees with mobile internet access. Our instrumental variables approach suggests that mobile internet use does cause higher labour productivity.

Suggested Citation

  • Bertschek, Irene & Niebel, Thomas, 2016. "Mobile and more productive? Firm-level evidence on the productivity effects of mobile internet use," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 40(9), pages 888-898.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:telpol:v:40:y:2016:i:9:p:888-898
    DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2016.05.007
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mobile internet; Labor productivity; Firm-level data;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L20 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - General
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes

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