IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/ebl/ecbull/eb-18-00345.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Digital divide among the Indian households: extent and correlates

Author

Listed:
  • Ankush Agrawal

    (Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi)

  • Chavi Asrani

    (Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi)

Abstract

Access to devices is fundamental to appropriate benefits of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). India's ICT adoption has been rapid but with substantial disparities. This study examines the correlates of possession of two ICT devices, mobile phones and computers, using large-sample household surveys from India. The device with a higher level of adoption (mobile phone) was characterised by relatively weak association with socioeconomic and demographic factors whereas the device with a lower level of adoption (computer) witnessed strong association with these factors. Our findings highlight the differences in characteristics of early and late adopters and endorse the theory of diffusion of technology.

Suggested Citation

  • Ankush Agrawal & Chavi Asrani, 2018. "Digital divide among the Indian households: extent and correlates," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 38(4), pages 2444-2466.
    • Handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-18-00345
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.accessecon.com/Pubs/EB/2018/Volume38/EB-18-V38-I4-P222.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Menzie D. Chinn & Robert W. Fairlie, 2007. "The determinants of the global digital divide: a cross-country analysis of computer and internet penetration," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 59(1), pages 16-44, January.
    2. Billon, Margarita & Marco, Rocio & Lera-Lopez, Fernando, 0. "Disparities in ICT adoption: A multidimensional approach to study the cross-country digital divide," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(10-11), pages 596-610, November.
    3. Raymond Vernon, 1966. "International Investment and International Trade in the Product Cycle," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 80(2), pages 190-207.
    4. Robert Jensen, 2007. "The Digital Provide: Information (Technology), Market Performance, and Welfare in the South Indian Fisheries Sector," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 122(3), pages 879-924.
    5. Kwok-Kee Wei & Hock-Hai Teo & Hock Chuan Chan & Bernard C. Y. Tan, 2011. "Conceptualizing and Testing a Social Cognitive Model of the Digital Divide," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 22(1), pages 170-187, March.
    6. Nishijima, Marislei & Ivanauskas, Terry Macedo & Sarti, Flavia Mori, 2017. "Evolution and determinants of digital divide in Brazil (2005–2013)," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 12-24.
    7. Lars-Hendrik Roller & Leonard Waverman, 2001. "Telecommunications Infrastructure and Economic Development: A Simultaneous Approach," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(4), pages 909-923, September.
    8. Demoussis, Michael & Giannakopoulos, Nicholas, 2006. "The dynamics of home computer ownership in Greece," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 73-86, March.
    9. Goolsbee, Austan & Klenow, Peter J, 2002. "Evidence on Learning and Network Externalities in the Diffusion of Home Computers," Journal of Law and Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 45(2), pages 317-343, October.
    10. Gupta, Ruchita & Jain, Karuna, 2015. "Adoption behavior of rural India for mobile telephony: A multigroup study," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 691-704.
    11. Mariscal, Judith, 0. "Digital divide in a developing country," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 29(5-6), pages 409-428, June.
    12. Narayana, M.R., 2011. "Telecommunications services and economic growth: Evidence from India," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 115-127, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Waqas Shair & Muhammad Tayyab & Sumaira Nawaz & Kanza Amjad, 2023. "Digital Divide In Pakistan: Barriers To Ict Adoption," Bulletin of Business and Economics (BBE), Research Foundation for Humanity (RFH), vol. 12(2), pages 243-252.
    2. Kai-Lung Hui & I. P. L. Png, 2015. "Research Note—Migration of Service to the Internet: Evidence from a Federal Natural Experiment," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 606-618, September.
    3. Grishchenko, Natalia, 2020. "The gap not only closes: Resistance and reverse shifts in the digital divide in Russia," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 44(8).
    4. Barman, Hemanta & Dutta, Mrinal Kanti & Nath, Hiranya K., 2018. "The telecommunications divide among Indian states," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(7), pages 530-551.
    5. Srinuan, Chalita & Bohlin, Erik, 2013. "Analysis of fixed broadband access and use in Thailand: Drivers and barriers," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(8), pages 615-625.
    6. Ajoy Ketan Sarangi & Rudra Prakash Pradhan, 2020. "ICT infrastructure and economic growth: a critical assessment and some policy implications," DECISION: Official Journal of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, Springer;Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, vol. 47(4), pages 363-383, December.
    7. Jung, Juan, 2014. "Regional inequalities in the impact of broadband on productivity: Evidence from Brazil," MPRA Paper 56177, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Mona Badran, 2014. "Young people and the digital divide in Egypt: an empirical study," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 4(2), pages 223-250, December.
    9. Cuberes, David, 2008. "The Diffusion of Internet: A Cross-Country Analysis," MPRA Paper 8433, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Srinuan, Chalita & Bohlin, Erik, 2011. "Understanding the digital divide: A literature survey and ways forward," 22nd European Regional ITS Conference, Budapest 2011: Innovative ICT Applications - Emerging Regulatory, Economic and Policy Issues 52191, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    11. Grazzi, Matteo & Vergara, Sebastián, 2012. "ICT in developing countries: Are language barriers relevant? Evidence from Paraguay," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(2), pages 161-171.
    12. Forenbacher, Ivan & Husnjak, Siniša & Cvitić, Ivan & Jovović, Ivan, 2019. "Determinants of mobile phone ownership in Nigeria," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 43(7), pages 1-1.
    13. Andrés, Luis & Cuberes, David & Diouf, Mame & Serebrisky, Tomás, 0. "The diffusion of the Internet: A cross-country analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 34(5-6), pages 323-340, June.
    14. Sajal Ghosh & Rohit Prasad, 2012. "Telephone penetrations and economic growth: evidence from India," Netnomics, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 25-43, April.
    15. Mora-Rivera, Jorge & García-Mora, Fernando, 2021. "Internet access and poverty reduction: Evidence from rural and urban Mexico," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(2).
    16. Neokosmidis, Ioannis & Avaritsiotis, Nikolaos & Ventoura, Zoe & Varoutas, Dimitris, 2015. "Assessment of the gap and (non-)Internet users evolution based on population biology dynamics," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(1), pages 14-37.
    17. Ward, Michael R. & Zheng, Shilin, 2014. "Mobile telecommunications infrastructure and economic growth: Evidence from China," 25th European Regional ITS Conference, Brussels 2014 101405, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    18. Ren, Siyu & Hao, Yu & Xu, Lu & Wu, Haitao & Ba, Ning, 2021. "Digitalization and energy: How does internet development affect China's energy consumption?," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    19. Cariolle, Joël, 2021. "International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    20. Fujii, Tomoki & Shonchoy, Abu S., 2020. "Fertility and rural electrification in Bangladesh," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 143(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT adoption; India; mobile phone; computer; digital divide;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • L9 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities
    • O2 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Development Planning and Policy

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ebl:ecbull:eb-18-00345. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: John P. Conley (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.