Impact of information and communication technologies on productivity growth

Abstract

In modern economy information and communication technologies (ICT) play the essential role. The improvement of ICT infrastructure, developing ICT knowledge and usage can lead to economic growth due to higher productivity. However, this impact can depend on countries’ ICT investment or expenditure amount, reached ICT development and productivity levels. Moreover, ICT impact on productivity growth can occur after a certain period. Consequently, forming the ICT development strategies it is important to identify ICT impact period and impact differences between relatively high and low productivity countries. Authors examined the impact of ICT investments on productivity in EU countries covering the period of 1995–2015. Research results have revealed that ICT development positively and directly influences productivity, but this effect manifests with a lag in time. Moreover, it was found that the impact of ICT development on productivity is about twice bigger in countries with relatively high productivity level compared with countries that have relatively low productivity level.