 Internet in Latin America: who uses it?... and for what?Matteo Grazzi and Sebastián Vergara Marezco Economics of Innovation and New Technology, 2014, vol. 23, issue 4, 327-352 Abstract: The diffusion of the Internet is becoming a central policy issue for developing countries, being identified by scholars as a key driver of knowledge, innovation and development. Remarkably, the related literature is scarce and fragmented. In order to contribute to fill this gap, we analyse Internet access and usage patterns in seven Latin American countries. In addition to the traditional socio-economic determinants of Internet access, the results also suggest an important role for network effects, presence of students at households and complementarities in Internet use at different locations. Concerning usage, estimations show that Internet access does not translate automatically into usage. In particular, females are found to be less likely to use the Internet, even once access is provided. Finally, the evidence suggests that while technological skills are necessary to fully exploit Internet potentialities, individuals located in rural areas are more likely to use the Internet for education purposes, confirming the potential connectivity impact on human capital. Date: 2014 Downloads: (external link) Related works: Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:taf:ecinnt:v:23:y:2014:i:4:p:327-352 Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from DOI: 10.1080/10438599.2013.854513 Access Statistics for this article Economics of Innovation and New Technology is currently edited by Professor Cristiano Antonelli More articles in Economics of Innovation and New Technology from Taylor & Francis Journals |
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