Mobile internet, skills and structural transformation in Rwanda

Bernardo Caldarola; Marco Grazzi; Martina Occelli; Marco Sanfilippo

doi:10.1016/j.respol.2023.104871

Mobile internet, skills and structural transformation in Rwanda

Bernardo Caldarola^*, Marco Grazzi, Martina Occelli, Marco Sanfilippo

^*Corresponding author

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between mobile internet, employment and structural transformation in Rwanda. Thanks to its ability to enable access to a wide range of ICT technologies, internet coverage has the potential to affect the dynamics and the composition of employment significantly. To demonstrate this, we have combined GSMA network coverage maps with individual-level information from national population censuses and labour force surveys, creating a district-level dataset of Rwanda that covers the 2002 to 2019 period. Our results show that an increase in mobile internet coverage affects the labour market in two ways. First, by increasing employment opportunities. Second, by contributing to changes in the composition of the labour market. Education, migration and shifts in demand are all instrumental in explaining our findings.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	1-20
Number of pages	20
Journal	Research Policy
Volume	52
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2023.104871
Publication status	Published - 2023

Keywords

Rwanda
Skills
Structural transformation
Mobile internet

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10.1016/j.respol.2023.104871

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title = "Mobile internet, skills and structural transformation in Rwanda",

abstract = "This paper examines the relationship between mobile internet, employment and structural transformation in Rwanda. Thanks to its ability to enable access to a wide range of ICT technologies, internet coverage has the potential to affect the dynamics and the composition of employment significantly. To demonstrate this, we have combined GSMA network coverage maps with individual-level information from national population censuses and labour force surveys, creating a district-level dataset of Rwanda that covers the 2002 to 2019 period. Our results show that an increase in mobile internet coverage affects the labour market in two ways. First, by increasing employment opportunities. Second, by contributing to changes in the composition of the labour market. Education, migration and shifts in demand are all instrumental in explaining our findings.",

keywords = "Rwanda, Skills, Structural transformation, Mobile internet, Rwanda, Skills, Structural transformation, Mobile internet",

author = "Bernardo Caldarola and Marco Grazzi and Martina Occelli and Marco Sanfilippo",

year = "2023",

doi = "10.1016/j.respol.2023.104871",

language = "English",

volume = "52",

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journal = "Research Policy",

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TY - JOUR

T1 - Mobile internet, skills and structural transformation in Rwanda

AU - Caldarola, Bernardo

AU - Grazzi, Marco

AU - Occelli, Martina

AU - Sanfilippo, Marco

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - This paper examines the relationship between mobile internet, employment and structural transformation in Rwanda. Thanks to its ability to enable access to a wide range of ICT technologies, internet coverage has the potential to affect the dynamics and the composition of employment significantly. To demonstrate this, we have combined GSMA network coverage maps with individual-level information from national population censuses and labour force surveys, creating a district-level dataset of Rwanda that covers the 2002 to 2019 period. Our results show that an increase in mobile internet coverage affects the labour market in two ways. First, by increasing employment opportunities. Second, by contributing to changes in the composition of the labour market. Education, migration and shifts in demand are all instrumental in explaining our findings.

AB - This paper examines the relationship between mobile internet, employment and structural transformation in Rwanda. Thanks to its ability to enable access to a wide range of ICT technologies, internet coverage has the potential to affect the dynamics and the composition of employment significantly. To demonstrate this, we have combined GSMA network coverage maps with individual-level information from national population censuses and labour force surveys, creating a district-level dataset of Rwanda that covers the 2002 to 2019 period. Our results show that an increase in mobile internet coverage affects the labour market in two ways. First, by increasing employment opportunities. Second, by contributing to changes in the composition of the labour market. Education, migration and shifts in demand are all instrumental in explaining our findings.

KW - Rwanda

KW - Skills

KW - Structural transformation

KW - Mobile internet

KW - Rwanda

KW - Skills

KW - Structural transformation

KW - Mobile internet

UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/259824

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DO - 10.1016/j.respol.2023.104871

M3 - Article

SN - 0048-7333

VL - 52

SP - 1

EP - 20

JO - Research Policy

JF - Research Policy

ER -

Mobile internet, skills and structural transformation in Rwanda

Abstract

Keywords

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