IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/bfr/banfra/709.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Digital vulnerability and performance of firms in developing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Joël Cariolle
  • Maelan Le Goff
  • Olicier Santoni

Abstract

This paper provides evidence of large positive effects of Internet use on local firm performance, using a sample of some 30,000 firms from 38 developing and transition countries. We adopt an IV approach emphasizing firm’s digital vulnerability to seismic shocks upon the telecommunications submarine cable network, and find that a 10% increase in Internet incidence raises by 36% their total annual sales, by 26% sales per worker, by 12% the number of permanent workers. Contrary to other studies on the effect of ICT adoption on trade, we do not find significant evidence on firms’ exports. A greater use of Internet by manufactures is also found to increase their number of production (unskilled) workers in a larger extent than non-production workers, which nuances recent evidence on a skilled-biased digital revolution. The concern for omitted variable bias, reverse causality or measurement error is lowered by proceeding to a wide range of restrictions upon the sample composition and the instrument set calibration, and by controlling for location, sector, year, country-by-year fixed effects.

Suggested Citation

  • Joël Cariolle & Maelan Le Goff & Olicier Santoni, 2019. "Digital vulnerability and performance of firms in developing countries," Working papers 709, Banque de France.
    • Handle: RePEc:bfr:banfra:709
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://publications.banque-france.fr/sites/default/files/medias/documents/wp709.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Clarke, George R.G. & Qiang, Christine Zhenwei & Xu, Lixin Colin, 2015. "The Internet as a general-purpose technology: Firm-level evidence from around the world," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 24-27.
    2. 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.
    3. Dollar, David & Hallward-Driemeier, Mary & Mengistae, Taye, 2006. "Investment climate and international integration," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1498-1516, September.
    4. Nina Czernich & Oliver Falck & Tobias Kretschmer & Ludger Woessmann, 2011. "Broadband Infrastructure and Economic Growth," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 121(552), pages 505-532, May.
    5. Joël Cariolle, 2018. "Telecommunication Submarine-Cable Deployment and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," CESifo Working Paper Series 7415, CESifo.
    6. Head, Keith & Ries, John & Swenson, Deborah, 1995. "Agglomeration benefits and location choice: Evidence from Japanese manufacturing investments in the United States," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 38(3-4), pages 223-247, May.
    7. Freund, Caroline L. & Weinhold, Diana, 2004. "The effect of the Internet on international trade," Journal of International Economics, Elsevier, vol. 62(1), pages 171-189, January.
    8. Caroline Freund & Diana Weinhold, 2002. "The Internet and International Trade in Services," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 92(2), pages 236-240, May.
    9. George Clarke & Yue Li & Lixin Colin Xu, 2016. "Business environment, economic agglomeration and job creation around the world," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(33), pages 3088-3103, July.
    10. Susanna Wolf & Shyamal Chowdhury, 2003. "Use of ICTs and the Economic Performance of SMEs in East Africa," WIDER Working Paper Series DP2003-06, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    11. Clarke, George R.G., 2008. "Has the internet increased exports for firms from low and middle-income countries," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 16-37, March.
    12. Choi, Changkyu, 2010. "The effect of the Internet on service trade," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 102-104, November.
    13. Choi, Changkyu & Hoon Yi, Myung, 2009. "The effect of the Internet on economic growth: Evidence from cross-country panel data," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 105(1), pages 39-41, October.
    14. Caroline Paunov & Valentina Rollo, 2015. "Overcoming Obstacles: The Internet's Contribution to Firm Development," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 29(suppl_1), pages 192-204.
    15. Jonas Hjort & Jonas Poulsen, 2019. "The Arrival of Fast Internet and Employment in Africa," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 109(3), pages 1032-1079, March.
    16. Oecd, 2014. "International Cables, Gateways, Backhaul and International Exchange Points," OECD Digital Economy Papers 232, OECD Publishing.
    17. Dennis Weller & Bill Woodcock, 2013. "Internet Traffic Exchange: Market Developments and Policy Challenges," OECD Digital Economy Papers 207, OECD Publishing.
    18. George R. G. Clarke & Scott J. Wallsten, 2006. "Has the Internet Increased Trade? Developed and Developing Country Evidence," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 44(3), pages 465-484, July.
    19. Niebel, Thomas, 2018. "ICT and economic growth – Comparing developing, emerging and developed countries," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 197-211.
    20. Moulton, Brent R, 1990. "An Illustration of a Pitfall in Estimating the Effects of Aggregate Variables on Micro Unit," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 72(2), pages 334-338, May.
    21. Robert E. Litan & Alice M. Rivlin, 2001. "Projecting the Economic Impact of the Internet," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 91(2), pages 313-317, May.
    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. Romano Piras, 2023. "Remittances, economic complexity, and new firms’ creation: empirical evidence from a large sample of countries," Economic Change and Restructuring, Springer, vol. 56(4), pages 2557-2600, August.
    2. Michele Imbruno & Joel Cariolle & Jaime de Melo, 2022. "Digital connectivity and firm participation in foreign markets: An exporter-based bilateral analysis," Discussion Papers 2022-02, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    3. Joël Cariolle & Maëlan le Goff, 2023. "Spatial Internet Spillovers in Manufacturing," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(8), pages 1163-1186, August.
    4. Luc Jacolin & Massil Keneck & Alphonse Noah, 2019. "Informal Sector and Mobile Financial Services in Developing Countries: Does Financial Innovation Matter?," Working papers 721, Banque de France.
    5. Joel Cariolle, 2018. "Telecommunication Submarine-C able Deployment and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa [fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international Telecommunication Submarine- C," Post-Print hal-01938451, HAL.
    6. Avom, Désiré & Dadegnon, Aimé Kocou & Igue, Charlemagne Babatoundé, 2021. "Does digitalization promote net job creation? Empirical evidence from WAEMU countries," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 45(8).
    7. Joël Cariolle & David A Carroll, 2022. "The Use of Digital for Public Service Provision in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers hal-03004535, HAL.
    8. Luc Jacolin & Joseph Keneck Massil & Alphonse Noah, 2021. "Informal sector and mobile financial services in emerging and developing countries: Does financial innovation matter?," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 44(9), pages 2703-2737, September.
    9. Clémence Vergne & Camille Laville, 2018. "Comment analyser le risque sociopolitique ? Une composante clé du risque-pays," Post-Print hal-02358975, HAL.
    10. Joël Cariolle & Michele Imbruno & Jaime de Melo, 2020. "Bilateral digital connectivity and firm participation in export markets," Working Papers hal-03182438, HAL.
    11. Cariolle, Joël, 2021. "International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    12. Joël Cariolle & David A Carroll, 2020. "Digital Technologies for Small and Medium Enterprises and job creation in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers hal-03004583, HAL.

    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. Joel Cariolle & Maëlan Le Goff & Olivier Santoni, 2018. "Broadband infrastructure deployment, digital vulnerability, and local firm performance in developing and transition countries," Post-Print hal-01758660, HAL.
    2. Joel Cariolle & Maëlan Le Goff & Olivier Santoni, 2017. "Telecommunications submarine cable vulnerability and local performance of firms in developing and transition countries," Post-Print hal-01569846, HAL.
    3. Joël Cariolle & Michele Imbruno & Jaime de Melo, 2020. "Bilateral digital connectivity and firm participation in export markets," Working Papers hal-03182438, HAL.
    4. Joel Cariolle, 2018. "Telecommunication Submarine-C able Deployment and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa [fondation pour les études et recherches sur le développement international Telecommunication Submarine- C," Post-Print hal-01938451, HAL.
    5. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm, 2022. "Internet, Participation in International Trade, and Tax Revenue Instability," Journal of Economic Integration, Center for Economic Integration, Sejong University, vol. 37(2), pages 267-315.
    6. Gopalan, Sasidaran & Reddy, Ketan & Sasidharan, Subash, 2022. "Does digitalization spur global value chain participation? Firm-level evidence from emerging markets," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    7. Cariolle, Joël, 2021. "International connectivity and the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    8. Gnangnon, Sèna Kimm & Iyer, Harish, 2018. "Does bridging the Internet Access Divide contribute to enhancing countries' integration into the global trade in services markets?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 61-77.
    9. Wu, Haitao & Xue, Yan & Hao, Yu & Ren, Siyu, 2021. "How does internet development affect energy-saving and emission reduction? Evidence from China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(C).
    10. Michele Imbruno & Joel Cariolle & Jaime de Melo, 2022. "Digital connectivity and firm participation in foreign markets: An exporter-based bilateral analysis," Discussion Papers 2022-02, University of Nottingham, GEP.
    11. Visser, Robin, 2019. "The effect of the internet on the margins of trade," Information Economics and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 41-54.
    12. Huub Meijers, 2014. "Does the internet generate economic growth, international trade, or both?," International Economics and Economic Policy, Springer, vol. 11(1), pages 137-163, February.
    13. Fernandes, Ana M. & Mattoo, Aaditya & Nguyen, Huy & Schiffbauer, Marc, 2019. "The internet and Chinese exports in the pre-ali baba era," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 57-76.
    14. Najarzadeh, Reza & Rahimzadeh, Farzad & Reed, Michael, 2014. "Does the Internet increase labor productivity? Evidence from a cross-country dynamic panel," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 36(6), pages 986-993.
    15. Abdulqadir, Idris A. & Asongu, Simplice A., 2022. "The asymmetric effect of internet access on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 44-61.
    16. Joël Cariolle & Maëlan le Goff, 2023. "Spatial Internet Spillovers in Manufacturing," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(8), pages 1163-1186, August.
    17. Yu, Binbin, 2022. "The Impact of the Internet on Industrial Green Productivity: Evidence from China," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 177(C).
    18. Abdulqadir, Idris & Asongu, Simplice, 2021. "The asymmetric effect of internet access on economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa: Insight from a dynamic panel threshold regression," MPRA Paper 109904, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    19. Raphaël Chiappini & Cyrielle Gaglio, 2024. "Digital intensity, trade costs and exports' quality upgrading," The World Economy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(2), pages 709-747, February.
    20. Abeliansky, Ana L. & Hilbert, Martin, 2017. "Digital technology and international trade: Is it the quantity of subscriptions or the quality of data speed that matters?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(1), pages 35-48.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ICT; Internet; Submarine Cables; Seismic Shocks; Firm Performance.;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F02 - International Economics - - General - - - International Economic Order and Integration
    • O11 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Macroeconomic Analyses of Economic Development
    • O33 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Innovation; Research and Development; Technological Change; Intellectual Property Rights - - - Technological Change: Choices and Consequences; Diffusion Processes
    • O18 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure
    • L25 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Firm Performance
    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    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:bfr:banfra:709. 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: Michael brassart (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/bdfgvfr.html .

    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.