Date of Award
12-2024
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Applied Economics: M.S.
Department
Economics
College
School of Public Affairs
First Advisor
King Banaian
Second Advisor
Kenneth Rebeck
Third Advisor
Artatrana Ratha
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Keywords and Subject Headings
ICT, Sub-Saharan Africa, Digital Technology, Shares of GDP, Identification Problem
Abstract
The study investigates the impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on the sectoral composition of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Utilizing a comprehensive dataset, the research covers 41 SSA countries over the period from 2005 to 2022. This extensive timeframe allows for the analysis of long-term trends and the evolving role of ICT in the region's economic structure. The study employs the system Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) estimator on dynamic panel data to address potential endogeneity issues and to capture the dynamic relationship between ICT and sectoral GDP composition.
The ICT index used in the analysis is a composite measure that includes the number of internet users, telephone subscriptions, fixed broadband internet subscribers, and international internet bandwidth. This index provides a holistic view of ICT penetration and infrastructure in the region, reflecting both access and usage dimensions. The findings do not allow for the determination of the direct impact of ICT on industrial shares of GDP. They provides the estimated coefficients of ICT from the reduced forms in my system. These coefficients are function of unknown structural coefficients. The reduced form coefficients are underidentified, this means that there is not enough information to separate and identify the individual structural components from these combined effects.
The study contributes to the literature by providing a nuanced understanding of the role of ICT in economic development within the SSA context, highlighting the need for complementary policies and investments to control the full benefits of ICT. The study also suggest directions for future research, including the exploration of the individual components of the ICT composite index used in this study as independent measures of ICT. Further studies could also extend the analysis at the sub-regional level to account for the digital divide present in some countries and sub-regions.
Recommended Citation
Hassane Adamou, Ousseni, "Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Sectoral Composition of GDP in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)." (2024). Culminating Projects in Economics. 28.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/econ_etds/28
