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ICT and Economic Resilience during COVID-19: Cross-Country Analysis

Author

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  • Jungsuk Kim

    (Department of Economics, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Republic of Korea)

  • Gemma Estrada

    (Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong 1550, Philippines)

  • Yothin Jinjarak

    (Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong 1550, Philippines)

  • Donghyun Park

    (Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong 1550, Philippines)

  • Shu Tian

    (Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank, Mandaluyong 1550, Philippines)

Abstract

The central objective of this paper is to empirically assess whether countries with better information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure suffered less GDP growth deceleration during COVID-19. The scope of this paper is to apply linear estimation to a sample of 117 economies, including 86 emerging market and developing economies and 31 advanced economies, to analyze the relationship between ICT and GDP growth deceleration during the pandemic period. Controlling for other variables that can also influence economic performance, we find empirical support for a positive impact of ICT. For a given COVID-19 infection rate, we find that economies with better internet access showed greater resilience, defined as less in terms of economic growth. The obvious policy implication is that governments should invest more in ICT infrastructure to strengthen the resilience of their economies in the face of major shocks.

Suggested Citation

  • Jungsuk Kim & Gemma Estrada & Yothin Jinjarak & Donghyun Park & Shu Tian, 2022. "ICT and Economic Resilience during COVID-19: Cross-Country Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-19, November.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:22:p:15109-:d:973108
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Papaioannou, Sotiris K., 2023. "ICT and economic resilience: Evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    2. Oliinyk Andrii, 2023. "The Impact of Countries’ Participation in the ICT Services Market on Economic Growth, CPI, and Exchange Rates," Economics, Sciendo, vol. 11(1), pages 269-287, June.

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