Publication:
The Upside of Digital for the Middle East and North Africa: How Digital Technology Adoption Can Accelerate Growth and Create Jobs

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dc.contributor.authorGévaudan, Clément
dc.contributor.authorCusolito, Ana Paula
dc.contributor.authorWood, Christina A.
dc.contributor.authorLederman, Daniel
dc.date.accessioned2022-03-02T20:00:23Z
dc.date.available2022-03-02T20:00:23Z
dc.date.issued2022-03-16
dc.description.abstractThe argument that digitalization fosters economic activity has been strengthened by the global COVID-19 pandemic. Because digital technologies are general-purpose technologies that are usable across a wide variety of economic activities, the gains from achieving universal coverage of digital services are likely to be large and shared throughout each economy. However, the Middle East and North Africa region suffers from a “digital paradox”: the region’s population uses social media more than expected for its level of gross domestic product (GDP) per capita but uses the internet or other digital tools to make payments less than expected. The Upside of Digital for the Middle East and North Africa: How Digital Technology Adoption Can Accelerate Growth and Create Jobs presents evidence that the socioeconomic gains of digitalizing the economies of the region are huge: GDP per capita could rise by more than 40 percent; manufacturing revenue per unit of factors of production could increase by 37 percent; employment in manufacturing could rise by 7 percent; tourist arrivals could rise by 70 percent, creating jobs in the hospitality sector; long-term unemployment rates could fall to negligible levels; and female labor force participation could double to more than 40 percent. To reap these gains, universal access to digital services is crucial, as is their widespread use for economic purposes. The book explores how fast the region could approach universal coverage, whether targeting the rollout of digital infrastructure services makes a difference, and what is needed to increase the use of digital payment tools. The authors find that targeting underserved populations and areas can accelerate the achievement of universal access, while fostering competition and improving the functioning of financial and telecommunications sectors can encourage the adoption of digital technologies. In addition, building societal trust in the government and in related institutions such as banks and financial services is critical for fostering the increased use of digital payment tools.en
dc.identifierhttps://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentdetail/099039307072263321/idu0313e9dfc082ac049c009df7095020eef8689
dc.identifier.doi10.1596/978-1-4648-1663-5
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-4648-1663-5
dc.identifier.isbn978-1-4648-1664-2 (electronic)
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10986/37058
dc.publisherWashington, DC: World Bank
dc.rightsCC BY 3.0 IGO
dc.rights.holderWorld Bank
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo
dc.subjectDIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
dc.subjectEFFECTS OF TECHNOLOGY
dc.subjectTECHNOLOGY ADOPTION
dc.subjectACCELERATED GROWTH
dc.subjectTECHNOLOGY INFRASTRUCTURE
dc.titleThe Upside of Digital for the Middle East and North Africaen
dc.titleLes Avantages du Numérique pour les Pays du Moyen-Orient et d’Afrique du Nordfr
dc.title.subtitleHow Digital Technology Adoption Can Accelerate Growth and Create Jobsen
dc.title.subtitleL’Adoption des Technologies Numériques Peut Accélérer la Croissance et Créer des Emploisfr
dc.typeBooken
dc.typeLivrefr
dc.typeLibroes
dspace.entity.typePublication
okr.guid099039307072263321
okr.guid099107107072241135
okr.guid099134207072247380
okr.identifier.doi10.1596/978-1-4648-1663-5
okr.identifier.report173785
okr.language.supporteden
okr.region.administrativeMiddle East and North Africa
okr.region.geographicalMiddle East
okr.region.geographicalNorth Africa
okr.topicInfrastructure Economics and Finance::Infrastructure Economics
okr.topicPrivate Sector Development
okr.topicScience and Technology Development
okr.topicScience and Technology Development::Innovation
okr.topicScience and Technology Development::Science Policies
okr.topicScience and Technology Development::Technology Innovation
okr.unitMNACE
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relation.isAuthorOfPublication2c812f70-403a-5905-88e4-bd90a5f31e96
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery2151d2ff-4e3c-5181-b0a1-bf5a52b587ec
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