Mobile Internet adoption and technology adoption extensity: evidence from litchi growers in southern China

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the effects of mobile Internet adoption on technology adoption extensity.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses cross-sectional data collected in 2018 from 932 smallholder litchi farmers in Guangdong Province and Guangxi Province in southern China. A Poisson regression with endogenous treatment effects (ETPR) model is applied to estimate the effects of mobile Internet adoption on technology adoption extensity.FindingsThe ETPR model results indicate that mobile Internet adoption can significantly enhance technology adoption extensity. In addition, the extensity of technology adoption is also determined by education level, training, share of litchi farming income, guidebook use and cooperative membership. Disaggregated analyses further confirm the positive impact of mobile Internet adoption on the number of capital- and labor-intensive technologies adopted.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature on agricultural technology adoption. The findings highlight the need to facilitate modern agricultural technology penetration by promoting the use of mobile Internet technologies.

How connected are Canadians? Inequities in Canadian households' internet access

What can be learned from an analysis of Canadian household Internet adoption patterns? Households headed by lower-income, less-educated, or older Canadians have Internet adoption rates well below the Canadian average. In contrast, households with heads who are highly educated, earn above average incomes, or are younger than 55 are adopting the Internet at rates well above the average. In the simplest of terms, privileged Canadians are online, while their less-privileged compatriots are not. What is most surprising about these findings is that very little notice has been given to them, although Internet adoption data have been available for many years.

How connected are Canadians? Inequities in Canadian households' internet access

What can be learned from an analysis of Canadian household Internet adoption patterns? Households headed by lower-income, less-educated, or older Canadians have Internet adoption rates well below the Canadian average. In contrast, households with heads who are highly educated, earn above average incomes, or are younger than 55 are adopting the Internet at rates well above the average. In the simplest of terms, privileged Canadians are online, while their less-privileged compatriots are not. What is most surprising about these findings is that very little notice has been given to them, although Internet adoption data have been available for many years.

Fiscal Regimes and Digital Transformation in Sub-Saharan Africa

In this paper we investigate how the fiscal authorities, through tax policies or fiscal incentives, can play an important role in supporting digitalisation of the economy (digital transformation) to exploit its opportunities. Our approach is to track the influence of these policies indirectly through relevant determinants of internet adoption (connectivity and user enablers). Hence, we first establish empirically the influence of these enablers on internet use by estimating a reduced form equation of determinants of internet adoption (both demand- and supply-side factors). Then we assess the influence of a country’s fiscal policy stance on some of these enablers or determinants (direction and extent) throughout the internet value chain. Using these transmission mechanisms, we estimate the influence of the fiscal regime on digitalisation. We draw on our own empirical analysis and other relevant studies to support our recommendations to the fiscal authorities. Our findings emphasise the importance of trade-offs between short-term revenue objectives and the longer-term opportunity costs of higher revenue, enabled by the large positive externality effects of the sector, generating higher social returns than those accruing privately.

Adopting the Internet in Urban China

This century is marked by a burgeoning information society around the globe; accordingly, the adoption and use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in general and the Internet in particular have been one of the most fruitful domains in the broader field of communication sciences. The observed persistent academic interest can, to a large extent, be attributed to the polymorphic nature of ICTs of various modalities, functioning as ICTs technology clusters and/or meta operating systems that accommodate numerous technologies, functions and applications. Beyond that, ICTs or Internet adoption is reflective of a social process of development, during which the informational mode of development is interwoven with other social systems and varies across diverse social settings. Most existing empirical research and theoretical approaches have overwhelmingly focused on the Internet adoption in developed economies, but in-depth investigations on the developing economies such as China are scarce, if any. Compared to most developed countries, China’s informatization-urbanization model marks a unique path of modernization, which further provides a huge opportunity to build momentum for the rapid and large-scale Internet adoption in urban China. In order to present a whole-range holistic portrait of China’s Internet development, the intrinsic logics and social outcomes of China’s informatization-urbanization model necessitate in-depth investigations.

Role of Technology Startups in Africa's Digital Ecosystem

This article examines the role of technology startups in Africa's digital ecosystem. Africa's tech scene is witnessing a boom that has caught the attention of the global community. The boom has culminated in the increase in number of startups and technology hubs across the continent. The growth in Africa's technology sector comes at a time when mobile internet adoption in Africa continued to grow rapidly, with the number of mobile internet subscribers increasing three-fold in the last six years to over 300 million unique subscribers. But despite the boom, fragmented markets, lack of funding and unfriendly business environments pose problems for the continent's new entrepreneurs. Against this backdrop, this article recommends, among others, that African governments should collaborate with private investors to sponsor old and new startups in the continent; provide level playing ground for the development of infrastructure that would support the growth of technology startups; and make bandwidth accessible to startups at reduced rate.