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Mobile Phones, Mobile Internet, and Employment in Uganda

Author

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  • Yann Balgobin

    (I3 SES - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation de Telecom Paris - Télécom Paris - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] - IP Paris - Institut Polytechnique de Paris - I3 - Institut interdisciplinaire de l’innovation - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Antoine Dubus

    (ECARES - European Center for Advanced Research in Economics and Statistics - ULB - Université libre de Bruxelles)

Abstract

We analyze the relation between mobile phone use - mobile Internet in particular - and employment, self-employment and job regularity in Uganda. We find no evidence of any positive impact of mobile Internet use on employment or job quality, suggesting that either respondents do not use mobile Internet for job search practices or as a job tool, or that these uses are ineffective. However, we find that the adoption and use of basic mobile phones are positively related to employment and job quality, and we argue that regulators should focus on promoting the affordability of basic phones and mobile airtime.

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  • Yann Balgobin & Antoine Dubus, 2022. "Mobile Phones, Mobile Internet, and Employment in Uganda," Working Papers hal-03617001, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:wpaper:hal-03617001
    Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-03617001v1
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Shi, Zheng, 2023. "The impact of regional ICT development on job quality of the employee in China," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(6).
    2. Erumban, Abdul A., 2024. "Informality and aggregate labor productivity growth: Does ICT moderate the relationship?," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1).
    3. Kazibwe, Douglas & Li, Jinhu, 2025. "Universal secondary education, schooling and women ’s empowerment: Evidence from Uganda," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    4. Mansour Naser Alraja & Faris Alshubiri & Basel M. Khashab & Mahmood Shah, 2023. "The financial access, ICT trade balance and dark and bright sides of digitalization nexus in OECD countries," Eurasian Economic Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 13(2), pages 177-209, June.
    5. Talla Fokam, Dieu Ne Dort & Kamga, Benjamin Fomba & Nchofoung, Tii N., 2023. "Information and communication technologies and employment in developing countries: Effects and transmission channels," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8).
    6. Bin Xiong & Baocheng Yu, 2024. "The Impact of Internet Development on Youth’s Job Quality in the Digital Economy Era: Transmission Mechanism and Empirical Test," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 175(1), pages 269-294, October.
    7. Phan, Van-Phuc, 2023. "Is the internet penetration pro-poor? Evidence from a panel data analysis," Telecommunications Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8).
    8. Brice, M'bakob Gilles, 2024. "Gender disparity and enterprise expansion in the impact and transmission channels of ICT on unemployment in developing countries," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).

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