Start Date

12-17-2013

Description

This paper extends research that has shown the effect of IT on productivity of nations. We examine the effect that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can have on the well-being of nations. This is important for two reasons. First, in the economics literature, a number of studies have focused on well-being rather than measures of GDP to assess how satisfied people are with their lives. Additionally, due to the effects ICT can have that are not directly related to productivity, investments in IT should have an impact on the well-being of the country independent of the productivity of the nation. In this paper, we use a proprietary database and show that government emphasis on ICT increases the use ICT services in a country, which leads to an increase in the levels of well-being among citizens in that country.

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Dec 17th, 12:00 AM

Can Information and Communication Technology lead to Well-Being? An Empirical Analysis

This paper extends research that has shown the effect of IT on productivity of nations. We examine the effect that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) can have on the well-being of nations. This is important for two reasons. First, in the economics literature, a number of studies have focused on well-being rather than measures of GDP to assess how satisfied people are with their lives. Additionally, due to the effects ICT can have that are not directly related to productivity, investments in IT should have an impact on the well-being of the country independent of the productivity of the nation. In this paper, we use a proprietary database and show that government emphasis on ICT increases the use ICT services in a country, which leads to an increase in the levels of well-being among citizens in that country.