IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/teinso/v64y2021ics0160791x20312550.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The digital divide and its impact on the development of Mediterranean countries

Author

Listed:
  • Pérez-Castro, Miguel Ángel
  • Mohamed-Maslouhi, Miriem
  • Montero-Alonso, Miguel Ángel

Abstract

The dramatic increase in communications, trade interaction and interdependence has made it necessary to implement new metrics to compare the development rate of nations and their economies. There is much research that analyses the impact of information and communication technology on human development. These studies have analyzed and compared human development indicators (HDI) and information and communication technology (ICT) development index (IDI) from various geographical areas or on a randomized basis. There is much research that analyses the impact of IDI on HDI. This study wants to analyze the economic and digital divide between the countries that make up a region whose economic and cultural relation have a long historical tradition. For this purpose, we chose the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, since, in addition to these traditional relations, there are recent Euro-Mediterranean association agreements between the European Union and the countries of North Africa and the Middle East, whose objective, among others, is scientific, technical and technological collaboration. The potential relationship between the HDI and the HDI is to be known and whether it can improve the way different countries assess their level of development. The descriptive analysis of the HDI and IDI behavior shows us that human and technological development was progressing with average growth rates of 23% and 2.5%, respectively. Differences between countries also narrowed further in HDI, with a decrease of 7.4%, compared with a 5.2% decrease in IDI. When the conversion was done to the same scale, there was an average difference of 0.2 points between the two index values. Consequently, the Mediterranean countries studied were closer to achieving a rapprochement in human development than in technological development. This study can be used as a tool by policymakers, especially in developing countries, to reinforce their intentions to support the use and implementation of ICT.

Suggested Citation

  • Pérez-Castro, Miguel Ángel & Mohamed-Maslouhi, Miriem & Montero-Alonso, Miguel Ángel, 2021. "The digital divide and its impact on the development of Mediterranean countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x20312550
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101452
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160791X20312550
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techsoc.2020.101452?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sen, Amartya, 1981. "Public Action and the Quality of Life in Developing Countries," Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, Department of Economics, University of Oxford, vol. 43(4), pages 287-319, November.
    2. Roger W. Harris, 2016. "How ICT4D Research Fails the Poor," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 177-192, January.
    3. David Nemer, 2016. "Online Favela: The Use of Social Media by the Marginalized in Brazil," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 364-379, July.
    4. Angel de la Fuente, 2008. "Inversión en TICs y productividad: un breve panorama y una primera aproximación al caso de las regiones españolas," UFAE and IAE Working Papers 763.09, Unitat de Fonaments de l'Anàlisi Econòmica (UAB) and Institut d'Anàlisi Econòmica (CSIC).
    5. Wanda J. Orlikowski & C. Suzanne Iacono, 2001. "Research Commentary: Desperately Seeking the “IT” in IT Research—A Call to Theorizing the IT Artifact," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 12(2), pages 121-134, June.
    6. Shana R. Ponelis & Marlene A. Holmner, 2015. "ICT in Africa: Building a Better Life for All," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(2), pages 163-177, April.
    7. Kiiski, Sampsa & Pohjola, Matti, 2002. "Cross-country diffusion of the Internet," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 14(2), pages 297-310, June.
    8. Jana Hanclova & Petr Rozehnal & Jan Ministr & Milena Tvrdikova, 2015. "The Determinants of IT Adoption in SMEs in the Czech-Polish Border Areas," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 426-444, July.
    9. Matej Makarovič & Janez Šušteršič & Borut Rončević, 2014. "Is Europe 2020 Set to Fail? The Cultural Political Economy of the EU Grand Strategies," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(3), pages 610-626, March.
    10. Sajda Qureshi, 2013. "Information and Communication Technologies in the Midst of Global Change: How do we Know When Development Takes Place?," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(3), pages 189-192, July.
    11. Sergey Valery Samoilenko, 2016. "Where do Investments in Telecoms Come from? Developing and Testing a Framework of Sustained Economic Impact of Investments in Information and Communication Technologies," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(4), pages 584-605, October.
    12. Sharma Basu & Gani Azmat, 2004. "The Effects of Foreign Direct Investment on Human Development," Global Economy Journal, De Gruyter, vol. 4(2), pages 1-20, December.
    13. Jong-Wha Lee, 2001. "Education for Technology Readiness: Prospects for Developing Countries," Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(1), pages 115-151.
    14. Jan Ministr & Tomáš Pitner, 2015. "Academic-Industrial Cooperation in ICT in a Transition Economy - Two Cases from the Czech Republic," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 480-491, July.
    15. Nasierowski, W. & Arcelus, F. J., 2003. "On the efficiency of national innovation systems," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 37(3), pages 215-234, September.
    16. Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, Banji & Gehl Sampath, Padmashree, 2006. "Rough Road to Market: Institutional Barriers to Innovations in Africa," MERIT Working Papers 2006-026, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).
    17. Vagan Terziyan & Mariia Golovianko & Oleksandr Shevchenko, 2015. "Semantic Portal as a Tool for Structural Reform of the Ukrainian Educational System," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 381-402, July.
    18. Sundeep Sahay, 2016. "Are we Building a Better World with ICTs? Empirically Examining this Question in the Domain of Public Health in India," Information Technology for Development, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(1), pages 168-176, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Popkova, Elena G. & De Bernardi, Paola & Tyurina, Yuliya G. & Sergi, Bruno S., 2022. "A theory of digital technology advancement to address the grand challenges of sustainable development," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    2. Myra Imran Rafiq, 2023. "Bridging the Digital Divide through Social Inclusion: A Cross- Country Analysis Study of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh," Journal of Economic Impact, Science Impact Publishers, vol. 5(1), pages 69-75.
    3. Gallucci, Carmen & Salvi, Antonio & Santulli, Rosalia & Tipaldi, Riccardo, 2025. "The use of positive language in equity crowdfunding pitches and fundraising success: The moderating role of punctuation," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 73(PA).
    4. Zoran Ježiæ & Petra Adelajda Zaninoviæ & Renee Škuliæ, 2022. "How does the ICT affect human development? Evidence from developing vs. developed countries," Zbornik radova Ekonomskog fakulteta u Rijeci/Proceedings of Rijeka Faculty of Economics, University of Rijeka, Faculty of Economics and Business, vol. 40(1), pages 9-27.
    5. Mohsen Roohani Qadikolaei & Nader Zali & Ali Soltani, 2024. "Spatiotemporal investigation of the digital divide, the case study of Iranian Provinces," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 26(1), pages 869-884, January.
    6. Viktorija Aleksejeva & Olga Lavrinenko & Alina Betlej & Alina Danileviča, 2021. "Analysis of disparities in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in the EU countries," Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Issues, VsI Entrepreneurship and Sustainability Center, vol. 9(2), pages 332-345, December.
    7. Matteo Mazzarano, 2021. "Digital Diffusion and Covid Vaccine," Briefs, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, May.

    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. Saida Daly & Nihel Benali & Manal Yagoub, 2022. "Financing Sustainable Development, Which Factors Can Interfere?: Empirical Evidence from Developing Countries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-22, August.
    2. Mina Baliamoune-Lutz, 2002. "The New Economy and Developing Countries: Assessing the Role of ICT Diffusion," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2002-77, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    3. David Tilson & Kalle Lyytinen & Carsten Sørensen, 2010. "Research Commentary ---Digital Infrastructures: The Missing IS Research Agenda," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 748-759, December.
    4. Antonio Estache & Marco Manacorda & Tommaso M. Valletti, 2002. "Telecommunications Reform, Access Regulation, and Internet Adoption in Latin America," Economía Journal, The Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - LACEA, vol. 0(Spring 20), pages 153-218.
    5. Akos Jakobi, 2013. "Space and virtuality: new characteristics of inequalities in the information society and economy," Review of Applied Socio-Economic Research, Pro Global Science Association, vol. 5(1), pages 4-14, June.
    6. Hammoudeh, Shawkat & Tiwari, Aviral Kumar & Abakah, Emmanuel Joel Aikins & Adeabah, David, 2023. "Global value chains in sub-Saharan Africa: The role of business regulations, policies and institutions," Emerging Markets Review, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    7. repec:dau:papers:123456789/4907 is not listed on IDEAS
    8. Tudorache, Maria-Daniela, 2020. "Examining the Drivers of Human Development in European Union," EconStor Conference Papers 222443, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    9. Matti Pohjola, 2002. "The New Economy in Growth and Development," Oxford Review of Economic Policy, Oxford University Press and Oxford Review of Economic Policy Limited, vol. 18(3), pages 380-396.
    10. Liu, Yu-li & Wu, Yanfei & Li, Changyan & Song, Chuling & Hsu, Wen-yi, 2024. "Does displaying one's IP location influence users' privacy behavior on social media? Evidence from China's Weibo," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(5).
    11. Leandro Prados de la Escosura, 2023. "Inequality Beyond GDP: A Long View," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 69(3), pages 533-554, September.
    12. Ventura, Eva & Satorra, Albert, 2015. "A multiple indicator model for panel data: an application to ICT area-level variation," 26th European Regional ITS Conference, Madrid 2015 127191, International Telecommunications Society (ITS).
    13. Sara Moussawi & Marios Koufaris & Raquel Benbunan-Fich, 2021. "How perceptions of intelligence and anthropomorphism affect adoption of personal intelligent agents," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 31(2), pages 343-364, June.
    14. Emiliya A. Lazarova, 2006. "Governance In Relation To Infant Mortality Rate: Evidence From Around The World," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 77(3), pages 385-394, September.
    15. Charles Amo Yartey, 2006. "Financial Development, the Structure of Capital Markets, and the Global Digital Divide," IMF Working Papers 2006/258, International Monetary Fund.
    16. Zhang, Xiaoqun, 2013. "Income disparity and digital divide: The Internet Consumption Model and cross-country empirical research," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 37(6), pages 515-529.
    17. Bénédicte H. Apouey & Jacques Silber, 2016. "Performance and Inequality in Health: A Comparison of Child and Maternal Health across Asia," Research on Economic Inequality, in: Inequality after the 20th Century: Papers from the Sixth ECINEQ Meeting, volume 24, pages 181-214, Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
    18. Lüdering, Jochen, 2014. "The measurement of internet availability and quality in the context of the discussion on digital divide," Discussion Papers 65, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Center for international Development and Environmental Research (ZEU).
    19. Sarv Devaraj & Ming Fan & Rajiv Kohli, 2002. "Antecedents of B2C Channel Satisfaction and Preference: Validating e-Commerce Metrics," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 13(3), pages 316-333, September.
    20. Alexander Y. Kokovikhin & Andrey E. Plakhin & Ekaterina S. Ogorodnikova, 2023. "Factors of Intensity of Use of Digital Platforms by the Population of the Russian Federation," Journal of Applied Economic Research, Graduate School of Economics and Management, Ural Federal University, vol. 22(4), pages 1087-1112.
    21. Fulvio Castellacci & Henrik Schwabe, 2020. "Internet, unmet aspirations and the U-shape of life," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(6), pages 1-22, June.

    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:eee:teinso:v:64:y:2021:i:c:s0160791x20312550. 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: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/technology-in-society .

    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.