Mobile Internet Adoption and Inclusive Structural Change: Evidence from Nigerian Non-Farming Enterprises
Bernardo Caldarola, UNU-MERIT
The paper investigates the impact of mobile internet adoption on micro-level structural change and inclusion in Nigeria. Using the case of Nigerian non-farming household enterprises (NFEs), the research examines how the adoption of mobile internet affects structural change at the micro level, measured in terms of NFE sales per worker, household sectoral transitions, and labour shifts from the household towards the market; and inclusion, measured by the creation of job creation and entrepreneurial opportunities. The analysis combines a panel dataset of Nigerian households (2010-2015) with district level data from the GSMA mobile internet coverage maps. Findings indicate that mobile internet adoption bolsters NFE labour productivity, mainly in services. However, this effect is driven by growth in sales and a reduction in labour required by household enterprises, although NFE-owning households are able to reallocate excess labour outside the household. Entry into manufacturing is discouraged and firm entry is not facilitated, neither are households protected against market exit.
Join online: https://unu-merit-eu.zoom.us/j/89806058716?pwd=NFpSUlNpcm5lekkwNk1WcGJ4ZU1mdz09
About the speaker
Bernardo Caldarola is an applied economist, working as a researcher at the Economics of Innovation and New Technology Unit at United Nations University-MERIT. Before joining our institute, he worked as a research fellow at the Enrico Fermi Research Centre in Rome.
Bernardo's research interests bridge several academic fields, such as economic complexity, development economics, and economic geography, with a particular interest in the process of structural change. He has consulted several international organizations, including the former UK Department for International Development, the International Labour Organisation, and the International Fund for Agricultural Development.
Venue: Room 0.18, Boschstraat 24, Maastricht (UNU-MERIT) and Online
Date: 21 September 2023
Time: 12:00 - 13:00 CET
