An approximation to the digital divide among low income people in Colombia, Mexico and Perú: two composite indexes

Luis Gutiérrez and Luis Gamboa

No 4710, Documentos de Trabajo from Universidad del Rosario

Abstract: This study examines the determinants of information and communications technology(ICT) use and access of low-income people in three developing countries: Colombia,Mexico and Peru. We focus on cross-country differences and similarities in ICTs use acrossgender, age, education and income, using two composite indicators of ICT. The mainsimilarity across the countries is that education is by far the single most important factorlimiting the digitalization of low-income people. The impact of income was low althoughpositive. There is not apparently a gender gap in Colombia and Mexico but one in Peru.Our findings also suggest that when using a composite indicator that only include the`advanced ICTs´, disadvantage people among the low-income people can be moreconstrained in the use and access of more advanced information and communicationstechnologies.****El estudio analiza los determinantes de uso y acceso a las tecnologías de información ycomunicación en personas de bajos ingresos en pasases como Colombia, México y Perú. Elpunto central esta en analizar las diferencias entre países de acuerdo a diferentes variablessocioeconómicas. Se encuentra que la variable que más explica el nivel de acceso digital esla escolaridad. De otro lado no se encuentra una brecha por género sino en Perú. Losresultados también indican que cuando solo se tienen en cuenta las tecnologías más`avanzadas´, las diferencias entre la población son más notorias.

Keywords: Digital divide; ICT; gender gap; Internet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C24 L86 O10 O30 O52 P59 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27
Date: 2008-06-04
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-edu and nep-ict
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:col:000092:004710

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