The impact of information and communication technology (ICT), education and regulation on economic freedom in Islamic Middle Eastern countries

Authors:
Farid Shirazi;Roya Gholami;Dolores Añón Higón
Affiliations:
Institute for Research on Innovation and Technology Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, ON, Canada M5B 2K3;Operations & Information Management Group, Aston Business School, UK;Department of Applied Economics II & ERI-CES, University of Valencia, Spain
Venue:
Information and Management
Year:
2009

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Abstract

Our study investigated the impact of ICT expansion on economic freedom in the Middle East (Bahrain, Iran, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen). Our empirical analysis used archival data from 1995 to 2005; it showed that ICT expansion in the Middle East has been effective both in bridging the digital divide and also in promoting economic freedom in a region that was vulnerable to political, social, and global conflict. However, differences between countries, such as the educational attainment of their citizens and institutional resistance to technology acceptance, both enhanced and restricted the relationship between ICT and economic freedom.