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Information and Communication Technologies, Market Rigidities and Growth: Implications for EU Policies

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  • Barrios, Salvador
  • Burgelman, Jean-Claude

Abstract

The renewed Lisbon strategy puts special emphasis on the potential role that Information and Communication Technologies can play in meeting the challenges of boosting growth, competitiveness and cohesion throughout the EU. There is also a general understanding among policy makers that investment of this kind and its related economic benefits can only materialize if labour, capital, product and service markets are flexible enough to facilitate ICT investment and the re-organisation of economic activities. This paper provides evidence of the influence of market rigidities on the propensity to invest in ICT and on the economic return of ICT investment in a number of EU countries, and in the US and Japan. We provide evidence that indicates that market rigidities deter ICT investment and lower the impact of ICT on GDP growth by considering a number of indicators reflecting barriers to business creation and the degree of market regulation in labour and capital markets. These results are invariant, even when other potential determinants of ICT investments and ICT contribution to GDP growth such as the degree of specialisation in ICT-producing industries, past ICT investment, business cycles conditions and a measure of trade openness are controlled for. The paper provides a number of policy implications, most notably, regarding the role played by structural reforms in promoting both ICT adoption and setting the best framework conditions for ICT impact on GDP growth. While the renewed EU Lisbon strategy of economic reforms is badly needed to increase EU growth potential, we show here that this strategy is also needed to promote technological change in the EU economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Barrios, Salvador & Burgelman, Jean-Claude, 2007. "Information and Communication Technologies, Market Rigidities and Growth: Implications for EU Policies," MPRA Paper 5838, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    • Handle: RePEc:pra:mprapa:5838
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Govori, Arbiana, 2014. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation: Evidence from SMEs in Prishtina region, Kosovo," MPRA Paper 55898, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Barrios, Salvador & Mas, Matilde & Navajas, Elena & Quesada, Javier, 2008. "Mapping the ICT in EU Regions: Location, Employment, Factors of Attractiveness and Economic Impact," MPRA Paper 6998, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Li, Yanfei & Yao, Shuntian & Chia, Wai-Mun, 2009. "Endogenous Firm and Information Rent Under Demand Uncertainty," MPRA Paper 13506, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 16 Feb 2009.
    4. Kaushalesh Lal, 2008. "Entrepreneurship and Innovation Strategies in ICT SMEs in Enlarged Europe (EU25)," Working Papers id:1645, eSocialSciences.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Information and Communication Technologies; ICT; Growth; European Union; Lisbon Strategy;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • E22 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - Consumption, Saving, Production, Employment, and Investment - - - Investment; Capital; Intangible Capital; Capacity
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • E01 - Macroeconomics and Monetary Economics - - General - - - Measurement and Data on National Income and Product Accounts and Wealth; Environmental Accounts

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