A global race over 5G is raging, with important ramifications over domestic internet connectivity and global hegemony over technology. Economists have long studied cross-country differences in technology adoption and their consequences on economic growth (see Barro and Sala-i-Martin, 1997). Interestingly, waves of telecom liberalisation have led to different country outcomes in terms of the degree of sustained technology adoption and economic benefits. With this novel dataset, we explore the role of policies and institutional frameworks in driving the pace of telecom technology adoption. Only when combined with regulatory independence does foreign participation increase technology adoption.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 30, 2021 04:23 UTC