A Comparative Study on the Impact of Telecommunication Investment on Economic Growth in EU Vis-à-vis Non-EU OECD Countries: A Dynamic Panel Data Analysis
Hakan Oztunc
Department of Economics, University of Toronto, Canada.
Erkan Demirbas *
Department of Economics, University of Birmingham, UK.
Mehmet Orhan
Department of Economics, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Jamaica.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study aims to comparatively investigate the effects of telecommunication infrastructure on the economical growth in OECD countries. For this purpose, OECD countries were divided into two groups i.e. European Union (EU) and non-EU OECD countries for the period of 1993-2013. Findings of dynamic panel data model showed that investment on the telecommunication infrastructure has more positive effect on EU OECD countries than non-EU OECD countries. Since telecom appears as the key sector to fuel growth because it is associated with information technology and all ramifications of computer based applications and mobile communication, all countries at all development levels are proposed to focus on investing in these sectors the opposite of which hinders growth.
Keywords: Telecommunication, privatization, economic growth, dynamic panel data, European Union.6