Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: ICT is a key driver of employment, growth, and innovation in various economic\nsectors (Schröder, des IfM Bonn, Wirtschaftsbeobachtung, & im Mittelstand,\n2011). It therefore becomes important to understand the factors which impact\non the adoption of ICT in order to facilitate adoption and bridge the digital divide\nbetween developed and developing markets in the interest of impacting\ninequality.\nA factor often overlooked in the literature is the impact competition policies have\non the adoption of ICT. The broad research objective was to determine the\nimpact, if any, of competition enhancing and competition restricting/protecting\npolicies on the level of ICT adoption in various economies, thus providing\ngovernments and ICT organisations with the necessary understanding of the\ndynamics involved.\nThe research objective required examining the relationship (using regression\nanalysis) between the level of competition policies and the rate of ICT adoption.\nThe literature review found that there is a theoretical link between the level and\ntype of competition policies and the rate of ICT adoption.\nThe statistical analysis found no relationship between these two variables\nindicating that competition policies does not have any impact on the rate of ICT\nadoption or that the influence of competition policy is rendered insignificant\nwhen compared to other forces influencing ICT adoption.
Author: Gerhard Bester
Language: English
Topic: ICT Impact and Policies
Subfield: Economics and Econometrics
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W258884023