Papers in Regional Science
FULL ARTICLE

Internet infrastructure and regional convergence: Evidence from Turkey

Mehmet Güney Celbis,

Corresponding Author

Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Piri Reis University, 34940 Tuzla, Istanbul Turkey, and United Nations University – MERIT, Maastricht, The Netherlands

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Denis de Crombrugghe,

School of Business and Economics, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

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First published: 12 September 2016
Citations: 6
For their valuable feedback and constructive remarks, the authors would like to thank Peter Nijkamp, Jacques Poot, Joan Muysken, Pui-hang Wong, René Belderbos, Neil Foster-McGregor, the two anonymous reviewers, and the audience at the UNU-MERIT conference ‘Future Perspectives on Innovation and Governance in Development', Maastricht, the Netherlands, November 2014.
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Abstract

en

This study presents novel evidence regarding the role of regional internet infrastructure in reducing regional per capita income disparities. We base our study on the assumptions that (1) the diffusion of information homogenizes regional economies through reducing the dissimilarities in institutions and culture, and (2) the telecommunication capacity, represented by the internet infrastructure of a region, facilitates this flow of information. Using the data from the 26 statistical NUTS-2 regions of Turkey for the period 1999–2011, we find evidence that internet infrastructure increases the speed of regional convergence.

Resumen

es

Este estudio presenta pruebas novedosas sobre el rol de la infraestructura regional de Internet en la reducción de las disparidades de ingresos per cápita. El estudio se basó en los supuestos de que (1) la difusión de información homogeneiza las economías regionales mediante la reducción de las diferencias entre instituciones y en la cultura, y (2) la capacidad en cuanto a telecomunicaciones, representada por la infraestructura de Internet de una región, facilita este flujo de información. Mediante el uso de datos de las 26 regiones estadísticas NUTS-2 de Turquía para el período 1999-2011, se encontraron pruebas de que la infraestructura de Internet aumenta la velocidad de la convergencia regional.

抄録:

ja

本稿では、一人当たりの国民所得の地域間格差の縮小に対する地方のインターネットインフラの役割に関する新たなエビデンスを提示する。今回の研究は以下の仮定に基づいている。1)情報の拡散は、慣例や文化の相違点を減少させることを通じて、地域経済を均質化する。2)地域のインターネットインフラが担う遠隔通信のキャパシティが情報のフローを促進する。1999年から2011年までの、トルコにおける26のNUTS 2の地域のデータから、インターネットインフラにより地域間収束がより速く起こることを示すエビデンスが得られた。