Abstract
Most countries in the Middle East and Africa region (MEA) have recently witnessed digital improvements despite the increase in poverty rates. This thesis investigates the potential relationship of Information and Communication Technologies and poverty reduction using annual unbalanced panel data for 21 MENA countries and 48 Sub Saharan African (SSA) countries from 1990 to 2022. By focusing on two primary ICT indicators representing ICT usage and access—internet penetration and mobile subscriptions— our research applies Fixed-Effects Two Stage Least Square (2SLS) economic model to explore their relationship with the poverty headcount ratio at the $2.15 per day international poverty line. The 2SLS results suggest a significant, negative correlation between ICT and the poverty headcount ratio in MEA countries. In other words, an improvement in both the internet access and the mobile usage is associated with a significant decrease in the poverty headcount ratio, controlling for other variables. These results are robust to different estimation techniques.
School
School of Business
Department
Economics Department
Degree Name
MA in Economics
Graduation Date
Spring 6-12-2024
Submission Date
5-27-2024
First Advisor
Noha Omar
Committee Member 1
Dina Abdelfattah
Committee Member 2
Ismaeel Tharwat
Extent
60 p.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Not necessary for this item
Recommended Citation
APA Citation
ElNemr, Y.
(2024).Unlocking Prosperity: The Role of ICTs in Alleviating Poverty in Middle East and Africa [Master's Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2326
MLA Citation
ElNemr, Yousra. Unlocking Prosperity: The Role of ICTs in Alleviating Poverty in Middle East and Africa. 2024. American University in Cairo, Master's Thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/2326