Menzie Chinn|Robert W. Fairlie
The determinants of the global digital divide: a cross-country analysis of computer and internet penetration
University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of California, Santa Cruz
identify determinants crosscountry disparities personal computer internet penetration examine panel 161 countries 19992001 period candidate variables include economic variables income per capita years schooling illiteracy trade openness demographic variables youth aged dependency ratios urbanization rate infrastructure indicators telephone density electricity consumption telecommunications pricing measures regulatory quality exception trade openness telecom pricing measures variables enter statistically significant specifications computer use similar pattern holds true internet use except telephone density aged dependency matter less global digital divide mainlybut means entirelyaccounted income differentials computers telephone density regulatory quality second third importance internet ordering reversed regionspecific explanations large disparities computer internet penetration generally similar results suggest public investment human capital telecommunications infrastructure regulatory infrastructure may mitigate gap pc internet use