Cross-country differences in ICT adoption: A consequence of Culture?

Abdul Azeez Erumban*, Simon B. de Jong

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The diffusion of information and communication technology (ICT) has witnessed a surge in recent years. The rate of adoption across countries diverges considerably regardless of the income levels. In this paper, we attempt to explain the differences in ICT adoption rates across countries by using Hofstede's cultural framework. The effect of culture on ICT adoption is explored by applying two different measures of ICT adoption, namely the average share of ICT spending in GDP across 42 countries, and per capita computer across 49 countries. The results suggest that the national culture and the ICT adoption rate of a country are closely related. It appears that most of the Hofstede dimensions are important in influencing ICT adoption, thereby confirming our hypotheses. In particular, the power distance and the uncertainty avoidance dimensions seem to be the most important ones. These results are robust in both datasets, even after controlling for levels of education and income. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)302-314
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of World Business
Volume41
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Dec 2006
Externally publishedYes

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