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Trust, the Internet, and the digital divide

Huang, H.; Keser, C.; Leland, J.; Shachat, J.

Authors

H. Huang

C. Keser

J. Leland



Abstract

The Internet is expected to have a positive impact on economic growth, and its adoption rate will determine the extent of this impact. In this paper, we examine how differences in willingness to trust influence Internet adoption rates across countries. We show that trust has a statistically significant influence on levels of Internet penetration across countries. We also show that success in increasing Internet adoption rates through policies to promote trust will depend on a country's current level of trust, such that differences in trust may produce a digital divide among nations. Since low-trust countries tend to be of low or middle income, this digital divide between countries may translate into a developmental divide.

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date 2003-04
Deposit Date Sep 17, 2014
Journal IBM SYSTEMS JOURNAL
Print ISSN 0018-8670
Publisher Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 42
Issue 3
Pages 507-518
DOI https://doi.org/10.1147/sj.423.0507
Public URL https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1423476