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Government quality determinants of ICT adoption in sub-Saharan Africa

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  • Simplice A. Asongu

    (African Governance and Development Institute
    University of South Africa)

  • Nicholas Biekpe

    (University of Cape Town)

Abstract

This study investigates government quality determinants of ICT adoption using Generalised Method of Moments on a panel of 49 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries for the period 2000-2012. ICT is measured with mobile phone penetration, internet penetration and telephone penetration rates while all governance dimensions from the World Bank Governance Indicators are considered, namely: political governance (consisting of political stability and “voice & accountability”); economic governance (entailing government effectiveness and regulation quality) and institutional governance (encompassing the rule of law and corruption-control). The following findings are established. First, political stability and the rule of law have positive short-run and negative long-term effects on mobile phone penetration. Second, the rule of law has a positive (negative) short-run (long-term) effect on internet penetration. Third, government effectiveness and corruption-control have positive short-run and long-term effects on telephone penetration. Institutional governance appears to be most significant in determining ICT adoption in SSA.

Suggested Citation

  • Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas Biekpe, 2017. "Government quality determinants of ICT adoption in sub-Saharan Africa," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 18(2), pages 107-130, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:netnom:v:18:y:2017:i:2:d:10.1007_s11066-017-9118-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s11066-017-9118-6
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    Cited by:

    1. Charles S. Saba & Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas Ngepah & Yolande E. Ngoungou, 2023. "Governance in the exploration of global and regional determinants of ICT development," Working Papers of the African Governance and Development Institute. 23/040, African Governance and Development Institute..
    2. Nchofoung, Tii N. & Asongu, Simplice A., 2022. "Effects of infrastructures on environmental quality contingent on trade openness and governance dynamics in Africa," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 189(C), pages 152-163.
    3. Stolbov, Mikhail & Shchepeleva, Maria, 2020. "What predicts the legal status of cryptocurrencies?," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 273-291.
    4. Stella Chinye Chiemeke & Omokhagbo Mike Imafidor, 2020. "An assessment of the impact of digital technology adoption on economic growth and labour productivity in Nigeria," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 21(1), pages 103-128, December.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT; Governance; Africa;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • O38 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Government Policy
    • O40 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - General
    • O55 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Africa
    • P37 - Political Economy and Comparative Economic Systems - - Socialist Institutions and Their Transitions - - - Legal

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