This paper estimates the impacts of mobile broadband coverage on household consumption and poverty in Nigeria. The analysis exploits a unique dataset that integrates a longitudinal household survey with information from Nigerian mobile operators on the deployment of mobile broadband between 2010 and 2016. Estimates show that mobile broadband coverage had large and positive impacts on household consumption levels. Coverage also reduces the proportion of households below the poverty line, driven by higher food and non-food consumption in rural households. These effects are at least partially due to an increase in labor force participation and employment, particularly among women.
Events
The Welfare Effects of Mobile Broadband Internet: Evidence from Nigeria
November 5, 2020
Kuala Lumpur Research Seminar Series
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Tobias Pfutze is an applied microeconomist with an interest in social protection policies, land tenure systems, and institutional economics. Tobias pursued his undergraduate studies at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, and Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, Spain; he received his PhD in Economics in 2008 from New York University. Prior to joining the World Bank as a Senior Economist, Tobias was an Associate Professor at Florida International University in Miami, Florida. He also held academic positions at Georgetown University, American University, and Oberlin College; and worked as a consultant for the World Bank and UNDP. His research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Development Economics, the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Economic Development and Cultural Change, and World Development.
DETAILS
- WHEN (KUALA LUMPUR TIME): Thursday, November 5, 2020 - 9:00-10:00am
- WHEN (ET/WASHINGTON, D.C. TIME): Wednesday, November 4, 2020 - 8:00-9:00pm
- WATCH: Watch Recording