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on Information and Communication Technologies |
| By: | Filipe R. Campante; Ruben Durante; Francesco Sobbrio |
| Abstract: | We investigate the impact of the diffusion of high-speed Internet on different forms of political participation, using data from Italy. We exploit differences in the availability of ADSL broadband technology across municipalities, using the exogenous variation induced by the fact that the cost of providing ADSL-based Internet services in a given municipality depends on its relative position in the pre-existing voice telecommunications infrastructure. We first show that broadband Internet had a substantial negative effect on turnout in parliamentary elections between 1996 and 2008. However, we also find that it was positively associated with other forms of political participation, both online and offline: the emergence of local online grassroots protest movements, and turnout in national referenda (largely opposed by mainstream parties). We then show that the negative effect of Internet on turnout in parliamentary elections is essentially reversed after 2008, when the local grassroots movements coalesce into the Five-Star Movement (M5S) electoral list. Our findings are consistent with the view that: 1) the effect of Internet availability on political participation changes across different forms of engagement; 2) it also changes over time, as new political actors emerge who can take advantage of the new technology to tap into the existence of a disenchanted or demobilized contingent of voters; and 3) these new forms of mobilization eventually feed back into the mainstream electoral process, converting “exit” back into “voice”. |
| JEL: | D72 L82 L86 |
| Date: | 2013–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19029&r=ict |
| By: | Emmanouil Tranos (VU University Amsterdam); Peter Nijkamp (VU University Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | This paper studies the impact of physical distance and different relational proximity types on the formation of the Internet infrastructure. Although there is some anecdotal evidence on the 'end of geography' effect of the Internet, the relationship between physical space and the Internet has not been yet scrutinized. In addition, owing to the network nature of the Internet, the structure of the Internet infrastructure (the cyber-place) cannot be approached in a unidimensional way. Our paper builds upon recent studies in economic geography and relational proximities, and aims to study whether physical distance survives in virtual geography even after controlling for relational proximities. In order to do so, a unique and extensive database with geo-coded IP links is utilized. Based on this, a spatial interaction model with panel data specifications is constructed to study the impact of different types of proximity on the formation of cyber-place. The above analysis is framed by a complex network analysis exercise, which enhances our understanding of the complexity of the Internet infrastructure from a spatial network perspective. Our results indicate that physical distance, but also different relational proximities, have a significant impact on the intensity of the Internet infrastructure, highlighting the spatiality of the Internet. |
| Keywords: | death of distance, Internet geography, Internet infrastructure, distance, proximities, spatial interaction models |
| JEL: | C23 H54 L96 |
| Date: | 2012–07–12 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:2012066&r=ict |
| By: | Emmanouil Tranos (VU University Amsterdam); Karima Kourtit (VU University Amsterdam); Peter Nijkamp (VU University Amsterdam) |
| Abstract: | The majority of cities in our world is not only connected through conventional physical infrastructure, but increasingly through modern digital infrastructure. This paper aims to test whether digital connectivity leads to other linkage patterns among world cities than traditional infrastructure. Using a generalized spatial interaction model, this paper shows that geography (and distance) still matters for an extensive set of world cities analysed in the present study. With a view to the rapidly rising urbanization in many regions of our world, the attention is next focused on the emerging large cities in China in order to test the relevance of distance frictions - next to a broad set of other important explanatory variables - for digital connectivity in this country. Various interesting results are found regarding digital connectivity within the Chinese urban system, while also here geography appears to play an important role. |
| Keywords: | Digital Networks, Internet, Connectivity, World Cities, Death of Distance, Centrality, Small-World Networks, Clustering, Gravity Model |
| JEL: | O18 H54 P25 |
| Date: | 2012–11–16 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:2012124&r=ict |
| By: | Juseuk Kim (College of Education, Seoul National University); Lynn Ilon (College of Education, Seoul National University); Jorn Altmann (College of Engineering, Seoul National University) |
| Abstract: | IPhone and Android technology only became available in Korea in 2010, yet today, nearly every student in Korea¡¯s top university carries either an iPhone or Android enabled phone. Students are plugged in and communicating constantly. One Lifelong Learning class investigated the use of smartphones among Education and Engineering students. Both the process of the class and the outcomes of the research reveal much of how the practices of learning are changing in a dynamic, globally-linked university. Their answers to a set of surveys on smartphone use for learning revealed that smartphones were used extensively by all students. Students had a broad definition of how they used their smartphones for learning. Engineering and Education students varied somewhat on how they used their phones for learning. Most interesting, the heavy users of smartphones were not usually the ones who were the most intensive users of apps that most students agreed were most useful for learning. |
| Keywords: | Smartphones, M-learning, Learning Apps, Collective Learning, Seoul National University. |
| JEL: | C42 D83 L86 O33 |
| Date: | 2013–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:snv:dp2009:2013101&r=ict |
| By: | Cai, Jing; de Janvry, Alain; Sadoulet, Elisabeth |
| Abstract: | Using data from a randomized experiment in rural China, this paper studies the influence of social networks on weather insurance adoption and the mechanisms through which social networks operate. To quantify network effects, the experiment offers intensive information sessions about the insurance product to a random subset of farmers. For untreated farmers, the effect of having an additional treated friend on take-up is equivalent to granting a 15% reduction in the insurance premium. By varying the information available about peers’ decisions and using randomized default options, the experiment shows that the network effect is driven by the diffusion of insurance knowledge rather than purchase decisions. |
| Keywords: | Social network, Insurance demand, Learning |
| JEL: | D12 D83 G22 O33 |
| Date: | 2013–05–09 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:pra:mprapa:46861&r=ict |
| By: | Liran Einav; Jonathan D. Levin |
| Abstract: | Many believe that “big data” will transform business, government and other aspects of the economy. In this article we discuss how new data may impact economic policy and economic research. Large-scale administrative datasets and proprietary private sector data can greatly improve the way we measure, track and describe economic activity. They also can enable novel research designs that allow researchers to trace the consequences of different events or policies. We outline some of the challenges in accessing and making use of these data. We also consider whether the big data predictive modeling tools that have emerged in statistics and computer science may prove useful in economics. |
| JEL: | C10 C18 C50 C80 |
| Date: | 2013–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19035&r=ict |
| By: | Dammert, Ana C. (Carleton University); Galdo, Jose C. (Carleton University); Galdo, Virgilio (World Bank) |
| Abstract: | Subjective expectations are fundamental for understanding individual behavior. Yet, little is known about how individuals use new information to formulate and update their subjective expectations. In this study, we exploit data from a multi-treatment field experiment to investigate how job-market information sent to jobseekers via short text messages (SMS) influence subjective job gain expectations in Peru. Results show that jobseekers who received digital intermediation based on a large information set increased their before-after job gain expectations relative to the control group. Independently of the information channel, no significant effects were found when labor-market intermediation is based on a restricted (short) set of information. |
| Keywords: | subjective expectations, labor-market intermediation, ICT, field experiments, Peru |
| JEL: | I3 J2 |
| Date: | 2013–05 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp7395&r=ict |
| By: | Pascal Billand (Universite de Lyon, Universite Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, CNRS, GATE); Christophe Bravard (Universite de Lyon, Universite Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, CNRS, GATE); Jurjen Kamphorst (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Sudipta Sarangi (DIW Berlin and Louisiana State University) |
| Abstract: | Social networks, be it on the internet or in real life, facilitate information flows. We model this by giving agents incentives to link with others and receive information through those links. In many networks agents will value confirmation of the information they receive from others. Our paper analyzes the impact such a need for confirmation has on the social networks which are formed. We first study the existence of Nash equilibria and then characterize the set of strict Nash networks. Next, we characterize the set of strictly efficient networks and discuss the relationship between strictly efficient networks and strict Nash networks. |
| Keywords: | connections model, confirmation, two-way flow models |
| JEL: | C72 D85 |
| Date: | 2012–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:2012019&r=ict |
| By: | Martin Scholtus (Erasmus University Rotterdam); Dick van Dijk (Erasmus University Rotterdam) |
| Abstract: | This paper investigates the importance of speed for technical trading rule performance for three highly liquid ETFs listed on NASDAQ over the period January 6, 2009 up to September 30, 2009. In addition we examine the characteristics of market activity over the day and within subperiods corresponding to hours, minutes, and seconds. Speed has a clear impact on the return of technical trading rules. For strategies that yield a positive return when they experience no delay, a delay of 200 milliseconds is enough to lower performance significantly. On low volatility days this is already the case for delays larger than 50 milliseconds. In addition, the importance of speed for trading rule performance increases over time. Market activity follows a U-shape over the day with a spike at 10:00AM due to macroeconomic announcements and is characterized by periodic activity within the day, hour, minute, and second. |
| Keywords: | Technical Trading, High-Frequency Trading, Latency Costs, Trading Speed, Market Activity |
| JEL: | G10 G14 G20 |
| Date: | 2012–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:uvatin:2012018&r=ict |