The Impact of Mobile Phones on Poverty and Inequality in Developing Countries

This book investigates at both the micro- and macroeconomic levels the impact of mobile phones on poverty and inequality in developing countries. To gauge the effects of mobile phones on these aspects, the author refers to the standard concept of technology adoption and also analyses the actual utilization of mobile phones as a means of communication and the degree to which they have supplanted fixed-line phones. Readers will learn why the substitution effect is stronger among poor than rich users and why the benefits of some mobile phone projects are confined to the local or village level, while in other projects the gains can be felt throughout the economy as a whole.

Autorentext

Jeffrey James is Emeritus Professor of Development Economics at Tilburg University, the Netherlands. Previously he was Research Fellow at Queen Elizabeth House Oxford and Assistant Professor of Economics at Boston. University in the USA. His research is focused on information technology and development.

Inhalt
Introduction.- The Diffusion of Mobile Phones in the Historical Context of Innovations from Developed Countries.- To What Extent are the Poor Engaged With Mobile Telephony.- A Pro-Poor-Bias: Leapfrogging and the Internet.- Micro, Macro and Scaling Effects.- Patterns of Mobile Phone Use in Africa.- Mobile Phones and Safety in Developing Countries: Further Evidence.- Mobile Phone Use in Africa: Implications for Inequality and the Digital Divide.