Title
Digital poverty: Concept and measurement, with an application to Peru
Date Issued
01 March 2007
Access level
metadata only access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
Helen Kellogg Institute
Abstract
This paper discusses the notions of demand, poverty, information needs, and information and communication technologies (ICTs) to offer a concept of digital poverty, which may be useful to estimate the digital poverty level in Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper is composed of two sections. The first section contains a conceptual discussion of digital poverty, its types and possible levels, and the underlying economic foundations. ICTs are defined based on their use and the conditions for such use. Digital poverty is therefore defined as a lack of ICTs and might be a feature of any population segment, whether or not economically poor. The second section of this paper is an empirical attempt to validate the classification, using data from a household survey (ENAHO) carried out in Peru. The limitations in measuring digital poverty at the household level instead of at the individual level are acknowledged. Lastly, the conclusions reached, possible implications for public policy, and the avenues open for further research are presented.
Issue
337
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Interdisciplinariedad
Ciencias de la información
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-34548034703
Sources of information:
Directorio de Producción Científica
Scopus