ICT Leapfrogging Amidst Labour Force-Economic Growth Nexus in EAP and ECA Regions

Towards achieving the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this study revisits the information and communication technology (ICT) leapfrogging hypothesis of Steinmueller (2001), and Fong (2009) to expand the literature by testing its relevance in the labour force-growth dynamics in Asia. To achieve this, the study addresses four objectives: (i) test the ICT leapfrogging hypothesis; (ii) investigate the growth-enhancing impact of labour; (iii) examine whether ICT enhances or distorts the productivity of labour on economic growth; and (iv) if these effects differ by economic development. The study uses an unbalanced panel data on 81 countries located in East Asia and Pacific (EAP) and Europe and Central Asia (ECA) from 2010 to 2019. Two estimation techniques, namely panel spatial correlation consistent fixed effects (PSCC-FE) and random effects instrumental variables two-stage least squares (RE-IV2SLS), are deployed. To appraise if the impact differs by economic development, the study engages income group analysis. Among other findings: the leapfrogging hypothesis holds; labour is a significant predictor of economic growth; mobile phones usage is a more potent ICT indicator with more leapfrogging potentials relative to fixed telephones subscription; the net effect of labour on growth is mostly positive in the mobile phones’ models

An Empirical Contribution to the Debate on Corruption,Democracy and Environmental Policy

Both theoretical and empirical studies have shown that democracy and corruption have substantial influence on environmental policy. In this paper, we empirically analyse whether both democracy and corruption are equally important determinants. When these variables are jointly included as explanatory variables, we find that corruption stands out as an important determinant of environmental policies, while democracy has a very limited impact. Further on, we discuss our results in the context of the Environmental Kuznets Curve literature. We argue that institutional disarray that plagues developing countries will make it problematic for them to have increasing environmental policy stringency combined with increasing incomes. Finally, and more optimistically, when we consider our results in the context of institutions and growth, we conclude that there is a possibility of reaching a double dividend. Reductions in corruption would induce both higher growth rates and stricter environmental policies. Thus, institutional improvement is an extremely valuable step in achieving sustainable development.Corruption, Democracy, Development, Environmental policy, Institutions

Electronic Commerce on the New Silk Road: A Conucopia of Resarch Opportunities

The Silk Road was an important trade route between Europe and Asia a thousand years ago. It connected locations in Central and Eastern Europe with those scattered around West, Central and Eastern Asia. In more recent times, it has been neglected commercially, with the development of other ports and routes. In this paper, the potential rejuvenation of the Silk Road with eCommerce is discussed. In this research project, we characterise emerging opportunities for eCommerce research in the regions of Western China (Xinjiang) and Central Asia (e.g. Kazakhstan). Infrastructural barriers (financial, logistical and physical) are identified, together with cultural and local economic concerns. Our analysis is generally positive and we expect that a new e-Silk Road will emerge in due course, rejuvenating life and the local economy

Portugal: Leapfrogging Digital Transformation

This report is structured as follow: Section 1 presents details about Portugal enabling or inhibiting its digital transformation. Section 2 analyzes the main motivations for the digital transformation strategy; Section 3 summarizes its main challenges, while Section 4 presents the main components of the strategy. Section 5 analyzes the governance model, and Section 6, the legal and regulatory framework. Section 7 discusses critical enablers for the digital transformation of government services. Section 8 introduces 16 key initiatives of the strategy. Section 9 summarizes the lessons learnt, followed by an assessment of the strategy’s impact in Section 10. Section 11 synthesizes lessons for Latin American countries. Finally, Appendix A enumerates main legal and regulatory instruments supporting the digital transformation in Portugal, Appendix B presents a set of 18 sections providing details of the initiatives analyzed in the report1, and Appendix C explains how the digital transformation efforts contributed to face the challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemics.Fil: Estevez, Elsa Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Fillottrani, Pablo. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comisión de Investigaciones Científicas; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Linares, Sebastián. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Economía. Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales del Sur; ArgentinaFil: Cledou, Maria Guillermina. Universidade do Minho; Portuga

A Time Like No Other: Charting the Course of the Next Revolution - A Summary of the Boston Indicators Report 2004-2006

Summarizes findings from the Boston Indicators Project, a long-term research study of the city's economic, social, and technical progress across ten sectors

Cargo cult agile: Use of information technology by senior executives for decision making activities

Cargo cult agile is a metaphorical notion for senior executives (SEs’) who have latest and costly information tools at workplace but their use for decision making is very limited. The study initiated to measure the use of information technology (IT) by senior executives for decision making activities. For this very purpose, territory of Islamabad, Pakistan were chosen for survey. Target population were top ranked officers or executives from the public organizations. Access to these executives were a big challenge, so the snowball sampling was the only technique which were employed in this study.  A semi structured interview technique was used for data collection. This semi structured interview was divided into four portions. In first portion, simple and direct questions were asked about the routine tasks performed by senior executives while using their personal computers or laptops. Second portion consisted of questions related to hardware knowledge while the third portion have the questions about use of web, emails or blogs. The fourth and utmost important portion of this semi structured interview consisted of questions related to decision making activities. All responses were recorded on piece of papers in hard form and later transformed into percentages. It was found that most of the senior executives use their personal computers or laptops for drafting or for instant communication using internet. The real essence or tasks of these executives are impugned in decision making activities as per the title or resources they availed. But unfortunately, they have been stuck in minion jobs of IT which can be easily performed by their subordinates. The study highlighted and identified the cult of this modern era and urged the senior executives to effectively utilize the IT for decision making activities

ICTs for whose development? A critical analysis of the discourses surrounding an ICT for Development Initiative for a group of microenterprise entrepreneurs operating in the Jamaican tourism industry: Towards the development of methodologies and analytical tools for understanding and explaining the ICT for Development Phenomenon

This is an interdiscliplinary qualitative study which uses an exploratory research design and builds on Fariclough's Critical Discourse Analysis methodology to analyze the discourses surrounding an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for livelihood development project in Jamaica, introduced by the United Nations Development Programme - the Jamaica Sustainable Development Networking Programme (JSDNP). The primary objective of this project is to provide the poor in Jamaican communities with access to, and training in ICTs. In this research, I specifically focus on the discourses surrounding the JSDNP Cybercentre Project for a group of microenterprise entrepreneurs in the Jamaican tourism industry to access the epistemological assumptions of this project. From the data collected it was found that at one level, the JSDNP Cybercentre Project encouraged specific ways of acting and organizing congruent with the configurations, processes and structures of corporate firms of industrialized countries, by representing the achievement of livelihood expansion through the use of specific ICTs in a particular way which excluded other discourses. The particular ways of acting and organizing promoted by the Cybercentre encouraged the use of non-indigenous technologies, undervalued indigenous technologies and excluded the indigenization of non-indigenous technologies. These discourses were incompatible with the operational and structural configurations of trans-temporal poor entrepretrepreneurs interviewed and were more favourable to the non-poor and spatio-temporal ones. One of the wider implications of the discourse therefore was that they play a fundamental role in perpetuating entrenched inequalities through the preservation of social practices, along with their associated systems and structures. It was also found that these modalities limited the operational processes of all microenterprise entrepreneurs who were exposed to the Cybercentre Project. These entrepreneurs have limited control over the configuration of non-indigenous technologies; their technological and creative capabilities are restricted; their ability to indigenize non-indigenous technologies impaired; and they are highly dependent on non-indigenous technologies (which themselves have a number of limitations)