NEW TECHNOLOGIES ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION PATTERNS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. AN EMPIRICAL STUDY FOR THE PERIOD 2000-2011 Cover Image

NEW TECHNOLOGIES ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION PATTERNS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. AN EMPIRICAL STUDY FOR THE PERIOD 2000-2011
NEW TECHNOLOGIES ADOPTION AND DIFFUSION PATTERNS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. AN EMPIRICAL STUDY FOR THE PERIOD 2000-2011

Author(s): Ewa Lechman
Subject(s): Economy, Supranational / Global Economy
Published by: Instytut Badań Gospodarczych
Keywords: Information and Communication Technologies; adoption patterns; technology diffusion; S-shaped curve; developing countries

Summary/Abstract: In recent years, enormous changes are noted worldwide during broad adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). These unique technologies – often perceived as economic development incentives – have a great ability to spread at high pace and low cost in countries all over the world, bringing people opportunities to contribute to economic development and growth. New Technologies play a special role in developing countries, where their in-country adoption lies in the centre of development strategies. ICT are treated as tools which bring people access to information, education and knowledge, offering unlimited possibilities for wealth-creation. The paper, purely empirical in nature, reports on the pace of adoption of new Information and Communication Technologies in developing countries, and – additionally – investigates country-specific ICT diffusion patterns. We expect to uncover the S-shape curve in the diffusion process in most of developing countries, as well as in the whole country sample. For the analysis purposes, we apply all counties which – according to the World Bank nomenclature – are classified as low-income and lower-middle-income economies. Our sample covers 46 countries (upper-middle-income and high-income economies are excluded from the study purposefully) which are classified as developing economies. The time framework is set for the period of 2000-2011. All data necessary for the analysis are derived from World Telecommunication/ICT Indicators Database 2012 (16th edition).

  • Issue Year: 8/2013
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 79-106
  • Page Count: 28
  • Language: English