cover image: Mobile Broadband Internet, Poverty and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania (English)

Mobile Broadband Internet, Poverty and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania (English)

17 Aug 2021

What are the impacts of expanding mobile broadband coverage on poverty, household consumption and labor market outcomes in developing countries? Who benefits from improved coverage of mobile internet? To respond to these questions, this paper applies a difference-in-differences estimation using panel household survey data combined with geospatial information on the rollout of mobile broadband coverage in Tanzania. The results reveal that being covered by 3G networks has a large positive effect on total household consumption and poverty reduction, driven by positive impacts on labor market outcomes. Working age individuals living in areas covered by mobile internet witnessed an increase in labor force participation, wage employment, and non-farm self-employment, and a decline in farm employment. These effects vary by age, gender and skill level. Younger and more skilled men benefit the most through higher labor force participation and wage employment, while high-skilled women benefit from transitions from self-employed farm work into non-farm employment.
information technology information and communication technology labor force participation inequality tanzania self-employment wages per capita consumption poverty reduction female labor force participation household survey data rural information and communication technologies broadband internet access to the internet broadband networks social protections and labor telecommunications infrastructure labor market outcome wage employment employment and unemployment africa east access to capital market poverty and equity compensation & benefits demographic and health survey complete primary school household and individual female head of household increase in labor female labor market participation

Authors

Bahia,Kalvin, Castells,Pau, Masaki,Takaaki, Cruz,Genaro, Rodriguez Castelan,Carlos, Sanfelice,Viviane

Related Organizations

Disclosure Date
2021/08/17
Disclosure Status
Disclosed
Doc Name
Mobile Broadband Internet, Poverty and Labor Outcomes in Tanzania
Originating Unit
EFI-AFR1-POV-Poverty and Equity (EAEPV)
Published in
United States of America
Series Name
Policy Research working paper; no. WPS 9749;
Total Volume(s)
1
Unit Owning
Off of Sr VP Dev Econ/Chief Econ (DECVP)
Version Type
Final
Volume No
1

Files

Related Topics

All