Economic Growth Through Information and Communication Technologies
Summary
Economic growth through information and communication technologies (ICT) encompasses the ways in which digital tools, networks and services enhance productivity, innovation and inclusion across economies. By facilitating instantaneous data exchange, enabling new business models and automating processes, ICT underpins shifts in value creation from traditional manufacturing to knowledge-intensive sectors. Investments in digital infrastructure, such as broadband networks and mobile services, act as catalysts for private-sector development, foreign direct investment and trade expansion. At the same time, human-capital accumulation in digital skills and improvements in governance shape the capacity of societies to absorb and generate technological change. The net effect of ICT on growth is mediated by factors such as institutional quality, the digital divide between and within nations, and the degree of integration into global digital value chains. Policymakers seek to maximise these benefits through targeted strategies that combine infrastructure rollout, educational reform and regulatory frameworks supportive of innovation and competition.
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Economic Growth Through Information and Communication Technologies publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in economic growth through information and communication technologies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Digitization: Conversion of analogue information into digital signals, enabling storage, transmission and processing by ICT systems.
Broadband penetration: The share of households or individuals with access to high-speed internet via fixed or wireless networks.
Panel data estimation: Statistical methods applied to datasets that follow the same entities over time, accounting for both cross-sectional and temporal variation.
Threshold effect: A point at which the relationship between ICT adoption and economic indicators changes markedly, signalling nonlinear dynamics.
Digital spillover: Beneficial externalities from ICT usage that spread across firms, sectors or regions beyond the initial adopter.
References
- Asymmetric threshold effects of digitization on inflation in emerging markets. Financial Innovation (2024).
- Analysis of the impact of information communication technology on economic growth: empirical evidence from Asian countries. Journal of Asian Business and Economic Studies (2021).
- International trade and economic growth in Africa: The role of the digital economy. Cogent Economics & Finance (2021).
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