Analyzing the effect of economic and demographic factors on digital divide: the case of transition economies

Abstract

With the widespread use of information communication technologies, many people and countries with a lack of technology are growing. The term digital divide is a multifaceted phenomenon. It means the gap between people and countries with access to digital technologies and those with very limited or no access at all. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the factors affecting digital divide in selected transition countries. In the empirical analysis, The Panel Quantile Regression proposed by Machado and Silva (2019) has been applied. Using panel data for 20 countries for the period 1998 – 2014, the findings of this study revealed that economic and socio-demographic factors are the main predictors of the digital divide.