Consumer Benefits of Public Services Over FTTH in Japan: Comparative Analysis of Provincial and Urban Areas by Using Discrete Choice Experiment

As the rapid development of broadband Internet access services continues, particularly fiber to the home (FTTH) services, the digital divide between provincial and urban areas is becoming a big social issue in Japan. We classify the issue into two problems: access to high-speed Internet, and service utilization of high-speed Internet access. We focus on the latter problem by quantitatively and qualitatively investigating whether a digital divide problem exists based on Internet service utilization. Consequently, we discover that willingness to pay (WTP) for public services over FTTH is almost identical between provincial and urban areas. Furthermore, territorial digital broadcasting over FTTH accounts for a large part of WTP in provincial areas, while tele-working and tele-education are also important as public services over FTTH in urban areas.     

Methodological Challenges of Digital Divide Measurements

The term “digital divide” has been used for almost a decade and typically relates to sociodemographic differences in the use of information and communication technology. However, the corresponding measurement is still relatively imprecise. Very often it is simply reduced to comparisons of Internet penetration rates. This article extends the measurements above the usual bivariate comparisons. Within this context, three essential approaches are presented and critically evaluated. First, loglinear modeling is used to address the interactions among the factors affecting the digital divide. Second, compound measures (i.e., the Digital Divide Index) that integrate a number of variables into a single indicator are discussed. Third, time-distance methodology is applied to analyze changes in the digital divide. The article argues that these approaches often yield entirely different conclusions compared to simple bivariate analysis. The examples are presented as a general warning against an oversimplified methodological approach to digital divide studies.     

Between class and status? Examining the digital divide in Finland,the United Kingdom,and Greece

This article examines the digital divide in terms of access and the cultural use purposes of the Internet in Finland, the United Kingdom, and Greece. The analysis is based on data from Finnish, British, and Greek sections of Eurobarometer collected in 2013 (N = 3,009). Separate measures for class and status are applied in the analysis. The findings indicate that both access to and use of the Internet for cultural purposes are affected by a number of interdependent factors, whose effects and strengths vary significantly among the countries.     

数字不平等的本质及对策研究

本文以数字鸿沟的研究成果为基础,对数字不平等的概念和本质进行了界定,认为数字不平等是指在数字时代处于不同社会经济水平和知识、技术水平的主体(国家、地区、行业、企业、人群)之间在接触信息通信技术(ICT)和使用互联网进行各种活动的过程中产生的不平等。它是社会不平等的一种外延,其本质上表现为技术、经济、知识和社会4个层面构成的综合性的不平等。继而根据数字不平等的本质表现,探索缩小数字不平等的路径。     

Methodological Challenges of Digital Divide Measurements

The term “digital divide” has been used for almost a decade and typically relates to sociodemographic differences in the use of information and communication technology. However, the corresponding measurement is still relatively imprecise. Very often it is simply reduced to comparisons of Internet penetration rates. This article extends the measurements above the usual bivariate comparisons. Within this context, three essential approaches are presented and critically evaluated. First, loglinear modeling is used to address the interactions among the factors affecting the digital divide. Second, compound measures (i.e., the Digital Divide Index) that integrate a number of variables into a single indicator are discussed. Third, time-distance methodology is applied to analyze changes in the digital divide. The article argues that these approaches often yield entirely different conclusions compared to simple bivariate analysis. The examples are presented as a general warning against an oversimplified methodological approach to digital divide studies.     

Who's Responsible for the Digital Divide? Public Perceptions and Policy Implications

Addressing the reasons for—and the solutions to—the “digital divide” has been on the public agenda since the emergence of the Internet. However, the term has meant quite different things, depending on the audience and the context, and these competing interpretations may in fact orient toward different policy outcomes. The goals of this article are twofold. First, the authors unpack the term “digital divide” and examine how it has been deployed and interpreted across a range of academic and policy discourses. Second, through a framing experiment embedded within a nationally representative survey, the authors demonstrate how presenting respondents with two different conceptual frames of the digital divide may lead to different perceptions of who is most accountable for addressing the issue. From this, they discuss the dynamic relationship between the construction and communication of policy discourse and the public understanding of the digital divide, as well as implications for effective communication about the digital divide and information and communication technology policy to the general public.     

利用政府竞争情报解决数字鸿沟问题的若干思考

随着经济社会的发展和新技术利用程度的差异,欠发达地区在信息资源的获得和利用方面与发达地区存在很大的差距,从而阻碍了欠发达地区的经济发展。欠发达地区政府要充分认识到解决数字鸿沟的重要性,分析数字鸿沟产生的原因,开展竞争情报工作缩小与发达地区的数字鸿沟,促进本地区经济社会发展。     

Negative outcomes of Internet use: A qualitative analysis in the homes of families with different educational backgrounds

Abstract

This study employs a qualitative approach to examine whether and why some societal groups are disadvantaged more by their Internet use than others do. Due to the quantitative nature of most digital divide studies, thorough explanations for why different outcomes exist are lacking. Interviews were conducted with 48 Dutch families selected on the basis of educational level (high or low) and household characteristics (children and marital status). A distinction was made between the types of negative outcomes that families are confronted with and how they cope with those outcomes. The results show that the confrontation with negative outcomes of Internet use in itself seems similar for both educational groups. However, the way Internet users cope with negative outcomes differs between the two educational groups. Members of highly educated groups mostly try to take control themselves when faced with a negative outcome, while members of less educated groups often just experience negative outcomes and do not remedial actions.     

Time‐Intensive Information Technology and Human Welfare in Developing Countries

Abstract

This paper is concerned with the scope for developing countries to benefit from the Internet in non‐synchronous ways that is, in cases where some delay is involved in the delivery of information, as compared with the real‐time alternative used in developed countries. The first part of the paper draws on insights from Becker and others, to argue that poor people in poor countries are wont to exchange (relatively abundant) time for reductions in the cost of Internet use. The second part of the paper then examines whether such time‐intensive products actually exist and to the extent they do, how the required degree of cost reductions are effected in practice. I conclude that time‐intensive Internet technology represents a highly promising opportunity for developing countries to close the digital divide, an opportunity that warrants serious academic scrutiny.     

统筹城乡发展背景下重庆市城乡数字鸿沟及其影响因素的实证研究

本文构建了城乡数字鸿沟的测度指标体系,对重庆市2003-2014年城乡数字鸿沟及其影响因素进行了实证分析。研究发现重庆市的城乡数字鸿沟整体上呈现不断扩大趋势。经济因素、城乡居民受教育程度的差异以及地理、制度因素等是城乡数字鸿沟的重要影响因素。文章提出了相应的对策措施以弥合城乡数字鸿沟,促进城乡统筹发展。     

数字经济中互联网发展与产业结构升级的机制检验及区域异质性

中国正处在产业结构调整的关键时期。互联网通过链接实体经济,能够促进产业深度融合、把握数字化发展新机遇,最终推动产业结构升级。本文力图揭示中国互联网发展对产业的协同集聚、结构升级的影响,探寻中国东部、中部和西部互联网发展水平的区域差异是否对产业协同集聚和结构升级产生异质性作用。实证研究表明：互联网发展水平的提高会促进协同集聚,进而促进产业结构升级,协同集聚起中介作用。区域异质性检验结果显示：互联网发展显著促进中部和西部地区的协同集聚,协同集聚的中介作用仅在中部和西部地区显著存在。     

Gaps and Bits: Conceptualizing Measurements for Digital Divide/s

Three arguments are raised in this article with regard to the indices used to measure the digital divide. First, I criticize policymakers who rely on simplistic measures of the digital divide, at the expense of a thoughtful analysis of (1) the purpose of the tool, (2) the level of observation, and (3) the method of approaching the data. Second, I argue that networks and associated technologies are not neutral artifacts but are political and social spaces in their structure as well as in their content levels. Accordingly, we need to factor in the context as an important actor in conceptualizing and measuring the digital divide. Third, two general types of indices are used for the measurement of the digital divide(s): focused monotopical indices and comprehensive indices. Monotopical indices are more widely available, while comprehensive ones are rare. I argue that policymakers need to promote comprehensive indices over monotopical indices. Finally, I present a conceptual definition of the digital divide and a framework for developing a comprehensive index to measure it.     

国家级大数据综合试验区设立对区域数字经济发展的效应评估

为加快推动区域数字经济发展从而带动区域经济整体发展,基于我国30个省份2012－2019年的面板数据构建数字经济发展水平评价指标体系,得到各省份数字经济发展水平得分,构建渐进双重差分模型实证检验国家级大数据综合试验区对区域数字经济发展的政策效应,并分析区域异质性和试验区类型差异性的影响效应,从而探讨创设国家级大数据综合试验区对区域数字经济发展的影响路径。研究表明：创设国家级大数据综合试验区显著促进区域数字经济发展,并且所产生的政策效应与区域发达程度有关,其中对东部数字经济发展水平提升作用更加显著,但同时也为经济欠发达地区实现数字经济的后发赶超提供契机;影响效应差异在短期内并不显著,但从长期来看跨区域类型试验区有更深远的政策效应;对区域数字经济发展的影响路径表现为调整区域产业结构、提升政府管理能力和规范市场环境等方面。最后根据研究结论,提出贯彻大数据战略、构建发展评价体系和创新适合数字经济发展的商业模式等政策建议。     

Gender and IT in the Household: Evolving Patterns of Internet Use in the United States

Information technology (IT)—computers and related technologies—is the latest technology to enter the household. Like other technologies, gender is a major factor in its adoption and use as well as its perceived usefulness. Unlike prior household technologies, the computer's entry into the household has followed a different pattern. Early statistics revealed a vast gender divide, with men using computers and related technologies much more in the household. More recent statistics show a narrowing of the divide, perhaps even a reversal, particularly in the United States, with women outnumbering men in the access to and use of the Internet. In this article, the role of gender and its relationship with Internet use in the home are reviewed. In addition to overall adoption and access, the review focuses on specific Internet applications and examines the factors that contribute to gender differences in adoption and use of computers and Internet applications in the home.     

数字化水平对创新绩效影响的实证研究——基于浙江省73个县（区、市）的面板数据

 基于国家创新和数字化战略的考虑，各级政府不断加大数字化投入，力求提高区域创新水平，增强区域创新能力。目前，在区域数字化水平对创新绩效影响领域还缺乏相关实证研究成果，特别是县（区、市）层面的研究。基于此，本文采用2015-2017年浙江省73个县（区、市）的面板数据，从数字化接入、装备、平台建设、应用水平四个方面实证研究区域数字化水平对创新绩效的影响。实证研究结果表明：区域数字化接入水平的提高有利于提升创新绩效，区域数字化装备、平台建设、应用水平对创新绩效影响呈现倒U型关系。推进区域数字化建设有利于创新绩效的提高，但需注意协调在不同数字化投入方向上的资源投入不足和过度投入等问题。     

Gaps and Bits: Conceptualizing Measurements for Digital Divide/s

Three arguments are raised in this article with regard to the indices used to measure the digital divide. First, I criticize policymakers who rely on simplistic measures of the digital divide, at the expense of a thoughtful analysis of (1) the purpose of the tool, (2) the level of observation, and (3) the method of approaching the data. Second, I argue that networks and associated technologies are not neutral artifacts but are political and social spaces in their structure as well as in their content levels. Accordingly, we need to factor in the context as an important actor in conceptualizing and measuring the digital divide. Third, two general types of indices are used for the measurement of the digital divide(s): focused monotopical indices and comprehensive indices. Monotopical indices are more widely available, while comprehensive ones are rare. I argue that policymakers need to promote comprehensive indices over monotopical indices. Finally, I present a conceptual definition of the digital divide and a framework for developing a comprehensive index to measure it.     

Spatial differences in the quality of university patenting: Do regions matter?

This paper uses patent citation data to analyze the quality of university technology across European regions. The empirical analysis draws on a panel dataset of 4580 European university-owned patents classified by 202 European regions over the period 1998-2004. The methodology involves a multilevel framework to identify the effects of factors at three hierarchical levels (individual, university, and regional) on the quality of university patenting. The results suggest that regional factors, such as the level of development, industrial potential, and regional higher education R&D expenditure, do not play any significant role in determining the quality of European university patents. We instead find that the factors affecting patent quality stem from their specific characteristics. We also find that university size does not explain the quality of patents. However, there is significant unobserved heterogeneity at the university level in all models, suggesting that differences in other university characteristics explain a substantial part of the variance in patent quality.     

Internet use and well-being: A survey and a theoretical framework

How does Internet use affect well-being? This paper presents a survey of the literature investigating this question, and it develops a framework to analyze both positive effects and potential risks. We point out four distinct channels through which Internet can shape well-being: it changes time use patterns, creates new activities, facilitates access to information, and acts as powerful communication tool. We show how these four channels impact well-being in distinct domains of life. A central point emerging from the literature review is that the effects of Internet on well-being are mediated by a set of personal characteristics that are specific to each individual: psychological functioning, capabilities, and framing conditions (culture and beliefs). Hence, it is the interaction between human beings’ activities in distinct domains of life and their own personal characteristics that explains why the use of Internet has stronger positive effects for some individuals and social groups than others.     

社会互动、互联网使用对农村居民生活垃圾分类意愿的影响

改善农村环境已成为实现乡村振兴的重要支撑,调动农村居民个体参与意愿是提升农村环境整体治理水平的有力抓手.本文以农村生活垃圾分类治理为例,基于中国劳动力动态调查数据(CLDS),通过构建Manski互动效应模型和递归双变量Probit(RBP)模型,实证检验社会互动、互联网使用对居民生活垃圾分类意愿的影响,旨在为推动农村...     

地缩小数字鸿沟构建和谐信息社会

构建一个和谐的信息社会，是公共图书馆在和谐社会构建中担负的不可推卸的责任。数字鸿沟已成为建设和谐信息社会的重大障碍。本文剖析了数字鸿沟产生的原因，我国数字鸿沟的状况及对和谐信息社会的危害，提出公共图书馆缩小数字鸿沟构建和谐信息社会的措施。