Are Mass Media and ICTs Associated with Inequality and Poverty?

Abstract

This paper examines associations of mass media and information and communications technologies (ICTs) with inequality and poverty. It has been found that newspaper circulation has a robust negative association with inequality. Radios and TVs also have a negative association with poverty. ICT expenditures (as a percentage of GDP) have a negative association with poverty. An ICT index is constructed which also has a negative association with poverty. An instrumental variable analysis confirms the robust negative association between newspaper circulation and inequality.

Citation

Bandyopadhyay, S. (2014), "Are Mass Media and ICTs Associated with Inequality and Poverty?", Economic Well-Being and Inequality: Papers from the Fifth ECINEQ Meeting (Research on Economic Inequality, Vol. 22), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1049-258520140000022005