THE CENTRALITY OF ELECTRICITY FOR INTERNET UPTAKE IN LOW-INCOME COUNTRIES

摘要

Recent times have seen the emergence of an entire body of scholarly literature devoted to defining, conceptualizing, debating, measuring, and addressing the "digital divide." Although many believe that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are primary in the potential to improve quality of life around the world, one important factor is too often ignored in discussions of their importance and employment: electricity. This overlooking of the centrality of electricity to any ICT for development (ICT4D) initiative in low-income locations has enormous consequences; countless initiatives have failed to consider the (in) ability to power the technology that is central to such development efforts. The present article seeks to address this gap by emphasizing the primacy of electricity in ICT4D initiatives. Utilizing a unique dataset that avoids the issues associated with unreliably-measured and inequitably distributed grid power, we examine the drivers of Internet adoption in low-income countries. We find robust evidence that increasing the distribution of electricity within under-served countries - and thereby making electricity available to a larger proportion of the population - significantly increases the number of Internet users. Subsequent to the presentation of these findings, their relevant policy implications are discussed.