David Yates, Girish Gulati, Anas Tawileh
Explaining the Global Digital Divide:
The Impact of Public Policy Initiatives on Digital Opportunity
and ICT Development
Do national policy initiatives to promote information and communication technologies (ICTs) increase a nation’s digital opportunity
Do national policy initiatives to promote information and communication technologies (ICTs) increase a nation’s capacity for e-government
Do public policy initiatives to advance information and communication technologies increase a nation’s ICT access and use
171Countries
PolicyVariables
National regulatory authority (NRA)
Competition for providing basic telecommunication services
Competition for providing mobile telecommunication services
Financial investment
Nations that have a national telecommunications regulatory authority are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Nations that have a national telecommunications regulatory authority are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Dig
ital
Op
po
rtu
nit
y In
dex
Have an NRAHave no NRA
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Have NRAAverage DOI = 0.41
S. Korea, Denmark, Iceland
Have no NRA
Average DOI = 0.36
Japan, Taiwan, Israel
IDI I
CT
Acc
ess
& U
se
Have an NRAHave no NRA
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-0.2 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2
Have NRAAverage DOI = 2.75
Luxembourg, Sweden,
Netherlands
Have no NRAAverage ICT A&U = 1.98
Japan, Taiwan, Israel
Nations that have competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Nations that have competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Partial Competition
Monopoly
Full Competition
Dig
ital
Op
po
rtu
nit
y In
dex
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
-0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Full CompetitionAverage DOI = 0.48
S. Korea, Japan, Denmark
Monopoly
Average DOI = 0.29
Israel, Antigua, Jamaica
Partial Competition
Monopoly
Full Competition
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
-0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Dig
ital
Op
po
rtu
nit
y In
dex
Full CompetitionAverage DOI = 0.43
S. Korea, Japan, Iceland
Monopoly
Average DOI = 0.33
Bahamas, Brunei, Dominica
Nations that competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have more inclusive ICT access and use ”
“
Nations that competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have more inclusive ICT access and use ”
“
Partial Competition
Monopoly
Full Competition
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
IDI I
CT
Acc
ess
& U
se
Full CompetitionAverage DOI = 3.50
Luxembourg, Sweden,
Netherlands
MonopolyAverage ICT A&U = 1.44
Israel, Kuwait, Uruguay
Partial Competition
Monopoly
Full Competition
IDI I
CT
Acc
ess
& U
se
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
-0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Full CompetitionAverage DOI = 2.94
Luxembourg, Sweden,
Netherlands
MonopolyAverage ICT A&U = 1.65
Brunei, Kuwait, Costa Rica
Nations that have competition to provide basic telecommunication services and (are the most likely to have increased e-government capacity
”
“
Nations that have competition to provide basic telecommunication services and (are the most likely to have increased e-government capacity
”
“
Web
Mea
sure
Ind
ex
Partial Competition
Monopoly
Full Competition
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
-0.2 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2
Full CompetitionAverage DOI = 0.42
Sweden, USA & Norway
Monopoly
Average WMI= 0.23
Costa
Rica, Kuwait, Lebanon
Nations that encourage financial investment in ICTs are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Nations that encourage financial investment in ICTs are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Financial Investment Index
Dig
ital
Op
po
rtu
nit
y In
dex
0.0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0
Top 1/3Average DOI = 0.53
S. Korea, Japan, Denmark
Bottom 1/3
Average DOI = 0.26
Taiwan, Bahamas, St. Kitts
Nations that have a national telecommunications regulatory authority are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Nations that have competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“
Nations that competition to provide telecommunication services are the most likely to have more inclusive ICT access and use ”
“
Nations that have competition to provide basic telecommunication services and (are the most likely to have increased e-government capacity
”
“
Nations that encourage financial investment in ICTs are the most likely to have increased digital opportunity
”
“