Broadband Infrastructure and Economic Growth

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Czernich, Nina; Falck, Oliver; Kretschmer, Tobias; Woessmann, Ludger
• 署名单位: Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; University of Munich; University of Munich; Leibniz Association; Ifo Institut; IZA Institute Labor Economics
• 刊物名称: ECONOMIC JOURNAL
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0013-0133
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-0297.2011.02420.x
• 发表日期: 2011
• 页码: 505-532
• 关键词: Information technology; diffusion; INVESTMENT; demand; usage

摘要

We estimate the effect of broadband infrastructure, which enables high-speed internet, on economic growth in the panel of OECD countries in 1996-2007. Our instrumental variable model derives its non-linear first stage from a logistic diffusion model where pre-existing voice telephony and cable TV networks predict maximum broadband penetration. We find that a 10 percentage point increase in broadband penetration raised annual per capita growth by 0.9-1.5 percentage points. Results are robust to country and year fixed effects and controlling for linear second-stage effects of our instruments. We verify that our instruments predict broadband penetration but not diffusion of contemporaneous technologies like mobile telephony and computers.