Factors Influencing on the Progress of Information and Communication Technologies

정보통신기술 발전에 영향을 미치는 요인분석

This paper empirically traces out the determinants of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) progress. Using cross-national evidence, it is found that a country's income level and its distribution affect the ICT progress, through their influences on home market demand pattern. This result holds even when controlling for other variables that affects ICT progress and a sub-sample of less developed countries. Based on the findings, it is possible to conjecture that ICT progress can be a plausible reason for the income polarization in the world. In addition, a country with higher levels of human capital accumulation and financial development is positively associated with the ICT progress, although the effects depend on the sample and model specifications. However, these results are based on crude theoretical backgrounds and estimations, which require for further studies in the future.