Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Young people and the digital divide in Egypt: an empirical study

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Eurasian Economic Review Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This paper uses the ordered probit model to empirically assess the determinants of the digital divide in Egypt. A sample of 15,029 individuals between 10 and 29 years of age is used. The main contribution of the current study is in the construction of the Information and Communication Technology composite index for Egypt, namely the digital divide index designed to measure the urban and rural digital divide among youth in Egypt. Our results indicate that there is a positive correlation between urbanization and digital divide. Other control variables such as gender, wealth, and the level of education are also found to be significant predictors of the digital divide. These results are in line with previous empirical studies in other countries.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. PCA is estimated using rotation in order to construct the DDI using not only the first principle component, but also several of the components and obtain the highest explained variation by the index.

  2. Statistical analysis was carried out using the standard software package STATA v 12.

  3. Endogeneity is out of the scope of this research paper, since it is very hard to find micro level variables to serve as an instrument, given the fact the there are none provided in the SYPE.

References

  • Abdi, H., & Williams, L. J. (2010). Principal component analysis. WIREs. Computational Statistics, 2(4), 433–459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andonova, V. (2006). Mobile phones, the internet and the institutional environment. Telecommunications Policy, 30(1), 29–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Badran, M. F., El Sherbini, A., & Ragab, A. (2007). What determines broadband uptake in emerging countries? An empirical study. At the World Telecommunications Indicators Meeting. Geneva, Switzerland, 13–15 Dec 2007.

  • Badran, M. F., El Sherbini A., & Ragab, A. (2009). What determines broadband uptake in emerging countries? An empirical study. In: International Federation for Information Processing Conference—Assessing the contribution of ICT to development goals. Dubai, UAE.

  • Beall, J., Guha-Khasnobis, B., & Kanbur, R. (2012). Urbanization and development in Asia: Multidimensional perspectives. Cambridge: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bellock, R., & Dimitrova, D. (2003). An explanatory model of inter-country internet diffusion. Telecommunications Policy, 27(3–4), 237–252.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bertot, J. C. (2003). The multiple dimensions of the digital divide: More than the technology ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’. Government Information Quarterly, 20(2), 185–191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Billon, M., Marco, R., & Lera-Lopez, F. (2009). Disparities in ICT adoption: A multidimensional approach to study the cross-country digital divide. Telecommunications Policy, 33(10–11), 596–610.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brynjolfsson, E., & Hitt, L. (2003). Computing productivity: Firm-level evidence. Review of Economics and Statistics, 85(4), 793–808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castellano, J. (2012). Digital divide and public plans: Governance modes and their impact on broadband universal service provision. SSRN [online] Available at: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2048676 or doi:10.2139/ssrn.2048676. Accessed 10 June 2013.

  • Chinn, M., & Fairlie, R. (2007). The determinants of the global digital divide: A cross country analysis of computer and Internet penetration. Oxford Economic Papers, 59(1), 16–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dasgupta, S., Lall, S., & Wheeler, D. (2005). Policy reform, economic growth and the digital divide. Oxford Development Studies, 33(2), 229–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio, P., & Hargittai, E. (2004). From the ‘Digital Divide’ to digital inequality: Studying Internet use as penetration increases. Center for Arts and Cultural Policy Studies, Princeton University Working Paper, 15.

  • Dosi, G., & Nelson, R. (2013). The evolution of technologies: An assessment of the state-of-the-art. Eurasian Business Review, 3(1), 3–46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fairlie, R. (2004). Race and the digital divide. Contributions to Economic Analysis and Policy, 3(1), Article 15.

  • Greene, W., & Hensher, D. (2009). Modeling ordered choices. NYU/Stern Department of Economics Working Paper, 08-26.

  • Hammadany, F., & Heshmati, A. (2011). Analysis of the purpose of using Internet in Iraq: A multinomial logit model. Journal of Knowledge Management, Economics and Information Technology, 1(6), 1–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harggitai, E. (1999). Weaving the western web: Explaining differences in Internet connectivity among OECD countries. Telecommunications Policy, 23(10–11), 701–718.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hilbert, M. (2011). The end justifies the definition: The manifold outlooks on the digital divide and their practical usefulness for policy making. Telecommunications Policy, 35(8), 715–736.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ho, S. C., Kauffman, R. J., & Liang, T. P. (2011). Internet-based selling technology and ecommerce growth: A hybrid growth theory approach with cross-model inference. Information and Technology Management, 12(3), 409–429.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, D., & Novak, T. (2000). The growing digital divide: Implications for an open research Agenda. In E. Brynjolfsson & B. Kahin (Eds.), Understanding the digital economy: Data, tools and research (pp. 245–260). Cambridge: The MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Husing, T., & Selhofer, H. (2002). The digital divide index: A measure of social inequalities in the adoption of ICT. In S. Wrycza (Ed.), The 10th European Conference on Information Systems ECIS 2002—Information Systems and the Future of the Digital Economy, June 6–8 2002 (pp. 1273–1286). Gdansk: ECIS.

    Google Scholar 

  • IDC (1995). Information society index. Framingham, MA. [online] Available at: www.idc.com/groups/isi/main.html. Accessed 6 Dec 2012.

  • ITU. (2003). World telecommunication development report: Access indicators for the information society. Geneva: ITU.

    Google Scholar 

  • ITU. (2011). Measuring the information society. Geneva: ITU.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jolliffe, I. T. (2002). Principal components analysis (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiiski, S., & Pohjola, M. (2002). Cross-country diffusion of the Internet. Information Economics and Policy, 14(2), 297–310.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leamer, E. (1983). Let’s take the con out of econometrics. American Economic Review, 73(1), 31–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michailidis, A., Partalidou, M., Nastis, S., Papadaki-Klavidanou, A., & Charatsari, C. (2011). Who goes online? Evidence of internet use patterns from rural Greece. Telecommunications Policy, 35(4), 333–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Norris, P. (2001). Digital divide? Civic engagement, information poverty and the internet worldwide. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • OECD/DSTI (2001). Understanding the digital divide. [pdf] Available at: http://www.oecd.org/sti/1888451.pdf. 2 Feb 2012.

  • Oxley, J., & Yeung, B. (2001). E-commerce and readiness institutional environment and international competitiveness. Journal of International Business Studies, 32(4), 705–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Population Council. (2010). Survey of young people in Egypt. Cairo, Egypt: Final Report.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiang, C. (2010). Broadband infrastructure investment in stimulus packages: Relevance for developing countries. Info, 12(2), 41–56.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Quibria, M., Ahmed, S., Tschang, T., & Reyes-Macasaquit, M. (2003). Digital divide: Determinants and policies with special reference to Asia. Journal of Asian Economics, 13(6), 811–825.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rice, R., & Katz, J. (2003). Comparing Internet and mobile usage: Digital divides of usage, adoption, and dropouts. Telecommunications Policy, 27(8–9), 597–623.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robison, K., & Crenshaw, E. (2002). Post-industrial transformations and cyber-space: A cross national analysis of internet development. Social Science Research, 31(3), 334–363.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roushdy, R., Assaad, R., & Rashed, A. (2009). International migration, remittances and household poverty status in Egypt. Cairo: Population Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seo, H.-J., Lee, Y. S., & Oh, J. H. (2009). Does ICT investment widen the growth gap? Telecommunications Policy, 33(8), 422–431.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Steinmueller, W. (2001). ICTs and the possibilities of leapfrogging by developing countries. International Labour Review, 140(2), 193–210.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNCTAD. (2005). The digital divide report: ICT diffusion index. Virginia: United Nations Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNICT Task Force. (2002). Information and communication technologies in Africa: A status report, Third Task Force Meeting. New York: United Nations ICT Task Force.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vehovar, V., Sicherl, P., Husing, T., & Dolnicar, V. (2006). Methodological challenges of digital divide measurements. The Information Society, 22(5), 279–290.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vivarelli, M. (2013). Technology, employment and skills: an interpretative framework. Eurasian Business Review, 3(1), 66–89.

  • Wallsten, S. (2005). Regulation and internet use in developing countries. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 53(2), 501–523.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • World Bank (2009). Options to increase access to telecommunications services in rural and low-income areas. World Bank Working Paper, 178.

Download references

Acknowledgments

The author is grateful for the comments of Dr. Lahcen Achy of ERF and to the comments of anonymous referee from Eurasian Economic Review (EER).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics and Political Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt

    Mona Farid Badran

Authors
  1. Mona Farid Badran
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mona Farid Badran.

Appendix

Appendix

See Tables 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12.

Table 8 Variable definitions and summary statistics (N = 15, 029)
Full size table
Table 9 Pearson correlation matrix (number of observations = 15,0259)
Full size table
Table 10 Telecom indicators in Egypt
Full size table

The content of the individual questionnaire can be summarized as follows.

Table 11 Data and variables
Full size table
Table 12 Marginal effects after Oprobit for all explanatory variables
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Badran, M.F. Young people and the digital divide in Egypt: an empirical study. Eurasian Econ Rev 4, 223–250 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40822-014-0008-z

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40822-014-0008-z

Keywords

JEL Classification

Search

Navigation