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Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China

Author

Listed:
  • Long Yang

    (Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University)

  • Haiyang Lu

    (Southwestern University of Finance and Economics)

  • Sangui Wang

    (Renmin University of China)

  • Meng Li

    (Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University)

Abstract

Although reducing poverty has become an important issue for rural development in China, few studies have analyzed the role of mobile Internet use in multidimensional poverty. To fill this gap, this study investigated the impact of mobile Internet use on multidimensional poverty, using data collected from a household survey in rural China. Because households generally decide whether to use mobile Internet by themselves, an endogenous switching regression model was employed to control for potential selection bias. In total, 9.63% of the households were identified as multidimensionally poor and the adjusted multidimensional poverty incidence was 5.47%. The results also showed that mobile Internet use has a significant negative impact on multidimensional poverty. Further, we provide evidence of heterogeneity in the effect of mobile Internet use across regions. These findings highlight the importance of mobile Internet use in multidimensional poverty reduction strategies for rural households.

Suggested Citation

  • Long Yang & Haiyang Lu & Sangui Wang & Meng Li, 2021. "Mobile Internet Use and Multidimensional Poverty: Evidence from A Household Survey in Rural China," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 158(3), pages 1065-1086, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:soinre:v:158:y:2021:i:3:d:10.1007_s11205-021-02736-1
    DOI: 10.1007/s11205-021-02736-1
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