Internet access and its role on educational inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic

This study investigates the determinants of Internet access and its effect on educational inequality in OECD countries during the period of the Covid-19 pandemic. The spatial panel data model is used to include the neighborhood in the model relating to educational inequality. The findings from the study reveal that despite the increase in Internet access during the Covid-19 period, the response to the pandemic has caused education inequalities. Furthermore, economic development indicators are effective in increasing Internet access and reducing educational inequality. Finally, the study shows that, as improvements in income levels can increase Internet access, which results in a reduction in educational inequality.     

Evaluating the effects of ICT core elements on CO2 emissions: Recent evidence from OECD countries

This research aimed to inform policymakers about the actual climate relevance of the information and communication technology (ICT) ecosystem, which includes data centers and content provision, broadband networks, and consumer devices. To provide robust empirical evidence on the net environmental impact of these core ICT elements, we used OECD panel data for 34 Member States for the years 2002–2019 and panel fixed-effects regression models. In contrast to previous literature, we measured basic broadband and new fiber-based wireline broadband and 3G/4G mobile broadband network deployment. We also captured variations in end-user devices, ICT affinity, and famous online content. We found that, on average, the CO₂-reducing effects appear to outweigh the CO₂-increasing effects. In particular, we found that, in addition to the reduction effect associated with the use of basic broadband connections, there is a further, albeit smaller, reduction effect associated with new fiber-based broadband connections. Other ICT elements showed insignificant coefficient estimates, suggesting largely offsetting environmental impacts. Our main findings were subject to various robustness checks and were broadly consistent with previous literature using data from developed countries. Our results suggested that old and new broadband networks as enabling technology could generate positive environmental effects for society.     

Instability spillovers in the banking sector: A spatial econometrics approach

In the study, we employ a dynamic spatial panel model to identify factors that are the sources of instability spillover in the banking sector. Using a sample of publicly listed banks, we document that the stability of a bank depends not only on its own characteristics and the macroeconomic conditions of its home country, but also on the stability of other banks in the same and other countries. We find weak evidence that the spillover effects are greater from domestic banks than from foreign ones. This study has significant implications for market regulators in terms of the role of country interdependence as a spillover mechanism during times of financial turbulence.     

Empirical investigation of the agriculture–malnutrition nexus in Africa: Spatial clustering and spillover effects

Many studies have been conducted to examine the direct effect of agriculture on the prevalence of malnutrition; however, there is little solid evidence on spatial spillover effects and much less on the heterogeneous effects stemming from spatial differences in nutritional conditions. We make up this gap by using a dynamic spatial Durbin model to characterize the impact of agricultural productivity on malnutrition in Africa. Our results show that countries in Eastern Africa are more likely to suffer from severe malnutrition than other regions. We find evidence for convergence in agricultural productivity across countries with moderate and high prevalence of malnutrition as disparities in their agricultural productivity narrow down over the sample period. It appears that the negative effect of agriculture on malnutrition is more evident in countries where the prevalence of malnutrition is lower. This implies that agricultural development does not play a substantial role in reducing malnutrition in the worst affected areas. We also report that poor agricultural development can deteriorate the nutritional status among neighboring countries in the short term, consistent with the spatial-locking effect of agriculture.