Foreign direct investment, information technology and economic growth dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa

Simplice Asongu and Nicholas Odhiambo

Telecommunications Policy, 2020, vol. 44, issue 1

Abstract: The research assesses how information and communication technology (ICT) modulates the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth dynamics in 25 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa for the period 1980–2014. The employed economic growth dynamics are Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, real GDP and GDP per capita while ICT is measured by mobile phone penetration and internet penetration. The empirical evidence is based on the Generalised Method of Moments. The study finds that both internet penetration and mobile phone penetration overwhelmingly modulate FDI to induce overall positive net effects on all three economic growth dynamics. Moreover, the positive net effects are consistently more apparent in internet-centric regressions compared to “mobile phone”-oriented specifications. In the light of negative interactive effects, net effects are decomposed to provide thresholds at which ICT policy variables should be complemented with other policy initiatives in order to engender favourable outcomes on economic growth dynamics. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.

Keywords: Economic output; Foreign investment; Information technology; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: E23 F21 F30 L96 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (184)

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Related works:
Working Paper: Foreign Direct Investment, Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
Working Paper: Foreign Direct Investment, Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
Working Paper: Foreign Direct Investment, Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
Working Paper: Foreign Direct Investment, Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
Working Paper: Foreign Direct Investment, Information Technology and Economic Growth Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
Working Paper: Foreign direct investment,information technology and economic growth dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa (2019)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:telpol:v:44:y:2020:i:1:s0308596119301181

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DOI: 10.1016/j.telpol.2019.101838

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