IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/shs/wpaper/1205.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Trade in Emerging Market Economies

Author

Listed:
  • Hiranya K. Nath

    (Department of Economics and International Business, Sam Houston State University)

  • Lirong Liu

    (Department of Economics and International Business, Sam Houston State University)

Abstract

This paper examines the effects of information and communications technology (ICT) on international trade in emerging markets. Using panel data for 40 emerging market economies (EMEs) for a period from 1995 to 2010, we estimate fixed effects models of exports and imports on ICT and other control variables. Our ICT variables include the growth of telecom investment, international Internet bandwidth, Internet subscriptions per 100 people, and the number of Internet hosts per 100 people. We use the share of total exports and of total imports in GDP as the dependent variables. Additionally, we consider the GDP share of exports and imports for goods and services separately. The main control variables are: per capita GDP growth, population growth, and the GDP growth for the rest of the world. The empirical results overwhelmingly suggest that Internet bandwidth, Internet subscriptions, and Internet hosts have significant positive impacts on export share while all four ICT variables including telecom investment growth have significant positive impacts on import shares in emerging market economies. This result is robust across shorter sample period, a subsample of EMEs, alternative estimation method, and alternative model specifications. There are important policy implications of this result for developing countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiranya K. Nath & Lirong Liu, 2012. "Information and Communications Technology (ICT) and Trade in Emerging Market Economies," Working Papers 1205, Sam Houston State University, Department of Economics and International Business.
    • Handle: RePEc:shs:wpaper:1205
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.shsu.edu/academics/economics-and-international-business/documents/wp_series/wp12-05_paper.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. MartinNeil Baily & Robert Z. Lawrence, 2001. "Do We Have a New E-conomy?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 308-312, May.
    2. Robert J. Gordon, 2000. "Does the "New Economy" Measure Up to the Great Inventions of the Past?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 14(4), pages 49-74, Fall.
    3. Paul Schreyer, 2000. "The Contribution of Information and Communication Technology to Output Growth: A Study of the G7 Countries," OECD Science, Technology and Industry Working Papers 2000/2, OECD Publishing.
    4. David H. Romer & Jeffrey A. Frankel, 1999. "Does Trade Cause Growth?," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 89(3), pages 379-399, June.
    5. Susanto Basu & John G. Fernald, 2008. "Information and communications technology as a general purpose technology: evidence from U.S. industry data," Economic Review, Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, pages 1-15.
    6. Mr. Markus Haacker, 2010. "ICT Equipment Investment and Growth in Low- and Lower-Middle-Income Countries," IMF Working Papers 2010/066, International Monetary Fund.
    7. Fukunari Kimura & Hyun-Hoon Lee, 2006. "The Gravity Equation in International Trade in Services," Review of World Economics (Weltwirtschaftliches Archiv), Springer;Institut für Weltwirtschaft (Kiel Institute for the World Economy), vol. 142(1), pages 92-121, April.
    8. Caroline Freund & Diana Weinhold, 2002. "The Internet and International Trade in Services," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 236-240, May.
    9. Sophia P. Dimelis & Sotiris K. Papaioannou, 2011. "Technical Efficiency and the Role of ICT: A Comparison of Developed and Developing Countries," Emerging Markets Finance and Trade, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(0), pages 40-53, July.
    10. David H. Autor & Lawrence F. Katz & Alan B. Krueger, 1998. "Computing Inequality: Have Computers Changed the Labor Market?," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 113(4), pages 1169-1213.
    11. George R. G. Clarke & Scott J. Wallsten, 2006. "Has the Internet Increased Trade? Developed and Developing Country Evidence," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 44(3), pages 465-484, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Adusei Poku, Eugene & Broni-Pinkrah, Samuel & Effah Nyamekye, Gabriel, 2016. "Modelling and assessment of the effect of income on service exports in Ghana," MPRA Paper 72312, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    2. Grigori Feiguine & Julia Solovjova, 2013. "ICT Investment and Internationalization of the Russian Economy," EIIW Discussion paper disbei196, Universitätsbibliothek Wuppertal, University Library.
    3. Nath, Hiranya K. & Liu, Lirong, 2017. "Information and communications technology (ICT) and services trade," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 81-87.
    4. Grigori Feiguine & Julia Solovjova, 2014. "ICT investment and internationalization of the Russian economy," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 231-250, February.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Agnieszka Gehringer & Inmaculada Martinez-Zarzoso & Felicitas Nowak.Lehmann Danziger, 2013. "The Determinants of Total Factor Productivity in the EU: Insights from Sectoral Data and Common Dynamic Processes," EcoMod2013 5343, EcoMod.
    2. Agnieszka Gehringer & Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso & Felicitas Nowak-Lehmann Danzinger, 2016. "What are the drivers of total factor productivity in the European Union?," Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(4), pages 406-434, June.
    3. Hildegunn K. Nordås & Dorothée Rouzet, 2017. "The Impact of Services Trade Restrictiveness on Trade Flows," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 40(6), pages 1155-1183, June.
    4. Dale W. Jorgenson & Mun S. Ho & Kevin J. Stiroh, 2008. "A Retrospective Look at the U.S. Productivity Growth Resurgence," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 22(1), pages 3-24, Winter.
    5. Oliner, Stephen D. & Sichel, Daniel E. & Stiroh, Kevin J., 2008. "Explaining a productive decade," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 633-673.
    6. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm & Iyer, Harish, 2018. "Does bridging the Internet Access Divide contribute to enhancing countries' integration into the global trade in services markets?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 61-77.
    7. Tamar Khachaturian & Sarah Oliver, 2023. "Intangible trade: Understanding the relationship between trade barriers and mode of supply in services sectors," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(5), pages 1189-1234, May.
    8. Charles J. Kenny, 2002. "The Internet and Economic Growth in Least Developed Countries: A Case of Managing Expectations?," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2002-75, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    9. Nath, Hiranya K. & Liu, Lirong, 2017. "Information and communications technology (ICT) and services trade," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 81-87.
    10. Edquist, Harald & Henrekson, Magnus, 2017. "Swedish lessons: How important are ICT and R&D to economic growth?," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 1-12.
    11. Vijselaar, Focco & Backé, Peter, 2002. "New technologies and productivity growth in the euro area," Working Paper Series 122, European Central Bank.
    12. Uday M. Apte & Hiranya K. Nath, 2012. "U.S. Trade In Information-Intensive Services," World Scientific Book Chapters, in: Vandana Mangal & Uday Karmarkar (ed.), The UCLA Anderson Business and Information Technologies (BIT) Project A Global Study of Business Practice (2012), chapter 6, pages 117-144, World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd..
    13. Das, Satya P. & Sant’Anna, Vinicios P., 2023. "Determinants of bilateral trade in manufacturing and services: A unified approach," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    14. Engelbrecht, Hans-Jurgen & Xayavong, Vilaphonh, 2006. "ICT intensity and New Zealand's productivity malaise: Is the glass half empty or half full?," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 24-42, March.
    15. Matteo Bugamelli & Patrizio Pagano, 2004. "Barriers to investment in ICT," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(20), pages 2275-2286.
    16. Chou, Yen-Chun & Hao-Chun Chuang, Howard & Shao, Benjamin B.M., 2014. "The impacts of information technology on total factor productivity: A look at externalities and innovations," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 158(C), pages 290-299.
    17. World Bank, 2004. "Chile : New Economy Study, Volume 2. Background Documents," World Bank Publications - Reports 14711, The World Bank Group.
    18. Engelbrecht, Hans-Jurgen & Xayavong, Vilaphonh, 2004. "Information And Communication Technology And New Zealand'S Productivity Malaise: An Industry-Level Study," Discussion Papers 23698, Massey University, Department of Applied and International Economics.
    19. Atzeni, Gianfranco E. & Carboni, Oliviero A., 2006. "ICT productivity and firm propensity to innovative investment: Evidence from Italian microdata," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 139-156, June.
    20. Hannes Leo, 2001. "ICT Investment and Growth of Output and Productivity," WIFO Working Papers 162, WIFO.

    More about this item

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:shs:wpaper:1205. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Christian Raschke (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/deshsus.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.